a lot of change<\/a>, and the new and the novel tend to swamp everyone in jargon, but Formula 1 will still be delivering heart-in-the-mouth action\u2026 just maybe a bit more of it.<\/p>\nWill the cars look different?<\/p>\n
They will look different \u2013 but the sort of different that tends to get forgotten after a few months of the new season.<\/p>\n
The main points to notice are that the front wing is simplified with fewer elements (the razor-like blade cascade) but more detail around the endplates. The \u2018eyebrow\u2019 winglets above the front wheels are gone, and there are bargeboards behind the front wheels.<\/p>\n
At the rear of the car, the beam wings (that sit below the exhaust) are gone. Less noticeable \u2013 but perhaps of greater importance \u2013 the underside of the car is very, very different. The ground-effect generating Venturi tunnels carved through the floor are gone, replaced with a flat(ter) design, and a much larger diffuser at the rear of the car.<\/p>\n
Does removing the tunnels mean the ground-effect era is over?<\/p>\n
Yes. The tunnels under the car encouraged high-speed airflow, which in turn generates a huge amount of grip by sucking the car down to the surface. These forces don\u2019t disappear with a flat floor but they are greatly diminished, and these new cars will be finding downforce in other areas.<\/p>\n
The ground-effect era succeeded in many of its aims but as the teams developed their cars and recaptured more of their out-washing characteristics (more on that below), it got harder and harder to get close to the car in front. The new regs should promote closer racing.<\/p>\n
How does the shape of the car promote closer racing?<\/p>\n
Glad you asked! The front wheels of an F1 car punch a big hole in the air and create a lot of turbulence. Turbulence is the enemy of good aerodynamic performance. Generations of F1 designers have sought to push that turbulent air out to the sides of the car \u2013 outwash \u2013 which allows smoother air to infill and make the aerodynamic surfaces wrapping the rest of the car work much more effectively.<\/p>\n
The problem with out-washing is that it creates a mass of roiling turbulent air behind the car, making it very difficult for a following car to stay close. These regs, mandating simpler front wings and in-washing bargeboards, are a robust solution designed to prevent out-washing.<\/p>\n
We hear the car is to be lighter and more nimble. How? And why?<\/p>\n
The minimum weight of an F1 car has been steadily creeping up, adding around 200kg over the last 20 years. More safety features and ferocious crash tests, combined with the extra weight of hybrid systems, have pushed it ever higher. It\u2019s created a situation where the cars were very fast, very safe\u2026 but not quite as nimble as their predecessors.<\/p>\n
So, for this year, the size of the cars has been reduced, with a wheelbase (the distance between the two axles) that is 200mm shorter, and a floor that is 100mm narrower. The tyres are also slimmer, with the tread width reduced by 25mm at the front and 30mm at the rear. Their total diameter also shrinks, by 15mm at the front and 30mm at the rear.<\/p>\n
The regs reflect this, with the minimum weight reduced from 800kg to 768kg. There\u2019s no guarantee the teams will be able to reach that minimum \u2013 indeed, reducing weight is expected to be one of the key engineering challenges.<\/p>\n
Does this mean the car is less safe?<\/p>\n
No. None of the crash tests have been diluted. The cars will have to pass homologation tests at least as stringent as those faced last year. In several instances, however, the tests will be tougher.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a new crash test for the roll hoop (the structure on top of the car), the load for which rises from 16g to 20g, while the nose cone now features a two-stage impact structure. This is to deal with the phenomenon of secondary impacts: it\u2019s not uncommon to see the nose cone crumple as designed to absorb a heavy impact, but then continue to spin and have a secondary impact, with the crash structure already detached. The new version provides greater protection.<\/p>\n
On the subject of the nose, the front wing now has an \u2018active\u2019 component. What\u2019s active about it?<\/p>\n
Both the front and rear wings have active \u2013 i.e. moveable \u2013 elements. These operate like a Venetian blind. When the blades are \u2018closed\u2019 they are providing downforce, but also creating a lot of drag. When they \u2018open\u2019, both drag and downforce are reduced.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a best-of-both words situation: downforce for higher speeds through the corners (Corner Mode); reduced drag for higher speeds on the straights (Straight Mode).<\/p>\n
Since 2011, the rear wing has had an active element within the Drag Reduction System (DRS). It\u2019s use during a Grand Prix was restricted, only chasing cars within a second of the car in front were allowed to use it, and then only on specified straights. The new system is useable by all of the cars, all of the time.<\/p>\n
The reason the front wing will now also realign, is to better trim the car and provide more stability, in harmony with the movement of the rear wing. It\u2019s common to adjust the front wing manually, in the garage and during pit-stops, to better balance the car, and
\nF1 tried a driver-adjustable front wing in 2009, without much success. This system will be automated, keyed to the engine maps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every few seasons, Formula 1 hits the reset button. While minor tweaks to the technical regulations are common…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":440428,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,578,576,577,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-440427","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-f1","11":"tag-formula-1","12":"tag-formula1","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/440428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}