Learn from F1 Coffee Corner - Terry Widdows - our technical correspondent about all things tech and car upgrades during each Formula 1 weekend!
It is nearly the penultimate race before the summer break, but the development doesn’t stop especially with so many points up for grabs and the standings in the championship so close.
It’s the current champions Red Bull who are causing quite the stir in the paddock - opting to bring a major update to the track for Max’s car in a move that could make the biggest gains of this season.
Before we get into the Tech Corner Updatesm we need to talk about Front wings and flexing after the announcement yesterday from the FIA.
They announced that for FP1 and FP2 during next week’s Belgium Grand Prix, selected teams will be fitted with onboard cameras so that the FIA can monitor how much they flex when out on track. The first thing to add is that the FIA has a check for this that ALL of the teams have satisfied despite some questions from teams. This is a static test that is carried out, and up until now, the FIA were content that was enough to satisfy them. They have now said that they would like to understand more about just what is happening on the track.
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The FIA have said they will use selected cars (there has been no communication as to how they will select the cars) and additional wireless cameras. The location of the cameras will be specified by the FIA and will be focussed on the inboard, facing nominally vertical surfaces to track, the translation, and rotation of target dots. These dots will be 20mm and must be a single color to stand out from the body work - hence why no specific color has been mandated.
To ensure the teams comply and don't find a way around it, there is a requirement to have the cameras fitted for more than 50% of the timed laps in a session unless there is a major incident such as red flags or crashes etc...
The results will be studied over the summer break to see if a change to the tests for the front wings is required via a technical directive.
Now back to the car updates. There are a fair few with nine of the ten teams opting to bring something. Here are the ones that have caught my eye!
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The biggest change to the RB20 has to be in the engine cover area. This update is only on Max’s car and is believed to be circuit specific according to the submission. It is designed for high ambient temperatures and slow circuits.
The piece which is believed to be interchangeable with the current one aims to provide better cooling efficiency. This is a major update with the large shoulder gullies being removed. The new design - with the removal of these shoulder ducts - will enable the air to flow to the floor and back of the car around the beam wing and diffuser area, reducing the load losses.
There is also an update to the halo fairings due to this, and it is likely also interchangeable. Expect those shoulder gully’s on Checo’s car to be back on Max’s for Spa next week, but is certainly a radical innovation to have at the ready. The team also announced changes to the rear corner, front wing, and front corner as they look set to try and get back to winning ways.
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A very small update has appeared on the W15 with a change to rear corner. The lower defector endplate has been trimmed as you can see from the photo’s. This is to increase rear downforce on the W15 by reducing the flow losses through a range of ride heights allowing Mercedes an option to look at settings.
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A team with a big development update is Aston Martin. They have a floor update that also features on Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari. This is a cut out to improve the flow of air under the floor, which will then increase the load and is described as an evolution by the team. With a new diffuser update, as well, being modified, they should all work together and prove to be a step forward for the team after they ran these upgrades on a filming day last week in Silverstone.
The last update I'm focusing on is, actually, a series of updates. Stake who are at the bottom of the constructors have brought no less than nine updates to their car for this weekend.
We know that it may be too much to expect instant returns on these changes, as it normally takes a race or two to understand the car once these sort of updates are made. They have, however, made changes to the sidepod inlet, coke engine cover, floor body, floor edge, rear corner, rear suspension, halo, mirror, and headrest.
A lot of these are intertwined - such as the mirrors, headrest, and sidepods - all linked together to improve the flow of air created by the new updates. The floor body and floor edge have seen a reworked floor height and shape combined with re-optimized floor fences and closed floor edge slots - all being designed to increase load and aid flow of air to the rear.
One thing is for sure... these updates may see a change to the championship standings before the summer break is upon us.
Hope you enjoy the update and i will be back next week for Spa.
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