F1 Bahrain Test - 10-12 March 2022

With upgrades already in work in Spain and a flood of them coming its time for the Bahrain TEST thread. This will be public with fans etc.


https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/mercedes-set-for-bahrain-f1-upgrade-as-it-chases-porpoising-solution/8512081/

Mercedes set for Bahrain F1 upgrade as it chases porpoising solution
Mercedes is to add a raft of aero upgrades to its car for the next Formula 1 test in Bahrain, as it seeks a permanent solution for its porpoising problems.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
By: Jonathan Noble
Feb 26, 2022, 3:34 AM
The Brackley-based squad was affected this week by the bouncing car phenomenon that struck a number of teams throughout the first pre-season test at Barcelona in Spain.

And, as Autosport.com’s exclusive photograph below shows, it was only able to overcome the problem on the final day by adding some stiffening stays to its floor to help better manage flexing at high speed that was contributing to its issue.

The team knows that the stays are not a solution that it can carry forward, so much of its focus over the next week will be on revising the car to find a long-term answer to the headache.

But while Lewis Hamilton openly confessed that the team had faced some ‘obstacles’ in Barcelona, it has emerged that the team’s performance in the next Bahrain test is set to be lifted by a potentially major upgrade of aerodynamic parts.


There has even been speculation in the Barcelona paddock that it could include a heavily revised sidepod area to help further reduce the car’s drag on the straight and better manage airflow.

George Russell said that bringing upgrades would be a fairly common thing for the opening phase of the championship as teams better understand the potential of the new regulations.

“I think we'll see it with all the teams,” he said. “We've got this massive regulation change. We've all arrived in Barcelona with our best estimate of where we need to place the car.

“But obviously, there's a lot of things on track that were quite different to what some people may have expected. So, we need to go away and try and optimise from the limitations we've had.

“I think we'll see some changes come Bahrain, and throughout the season. I'm sure the development slope is going to be pretty rapid for everyone. Whoever can get on top of that the quickest and most efficiently will be the ones on top come the end of the season.”

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Mercedes W13 stiffened floor

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Mercedes is no stranger to running a base car at the first test and then introducing a more definitive version at the final pre-season run.

In 2019, it introduced a fairly basic car at the opening week of action before unleashing a complete revamp for the second and final test as it went on to secure an F1 championship double.

Although Mercedes ended the Barcelona test 1-2, Russell said that the laptimes meant absolutely nothing in terms of car potential.

“It's been incredibly intriguing and for all of us there's been a lot of unexpected issues, which have been quite visible,” he said.

“Some teams have it quite well under control, and some clearly do not. Lap time wise, I don't think it's representative at all.

“We were obviously on the softest compound of tyres, and the C5 is a very strong tyre around this track. So even though we were on the top of the timesheets, I wouldn't read too much into it.

“I think the Ferrari and McLaren were looking incredibly strong. And I think we've got some improvements to be made as we're not fully happy with the balance of the car and the limitations we have currently.

“But at the end of the day, it is only testing. We're here to learn. And I think we've made some good experiments this week and got a good indication of the direction we need to go in.”

 

https://www.planetf1.com/news/mclaren-porpoising-fix-easy-copy/

Easy for teams to copy McLaren’s porpoising fix

Date published: February 28 2022 - Jon Wilde



McLaren are reported to have come up with a fix for Formula 1’s ‘porpoising’ problem that should be easy enough for rivals to emulate.

‘Porpoising’ was in evidence during the three-day pre-season track session in Barcelona as the new 2022 cars with ground-effect aerodynamics oscillated along the straights.


“There is a long slot parallel to the edge on the rear part of the floor plate, which is supposed to prevent pumping because it gives the air an escape route when the floor bends downwards.

“This opinion is shared by other teams. Haas took a big step towards solving the problem with a similar solution on the second day of testing.”

The report adds that “if McLaren have indeed found the solution to the problem with their slot trick, all teams will show up in Bahrain with it. Even in times of budget caps, that’s easy to copy”.


Without providing an explanation of what the Scuderia specifically had implemented, Auto Motor und Sport say Ferrari had also “found a trick with the underbody” – and that what they and McLaren had done was a reason for them topping the timesheets on the first two days in Barcelona.


The only detail was that an upgrade to the Ferrari underbody had been introduced for the third and final day in Barcelona.

Red Bull technical director Adrian Newey is quoted as saying: “It’s not hard to turn off the bouncing. But it’s hard not to lose lap time in the process.”

Newey is quoted as having said the problem was foreseeable, saying: “It was there in the first ground-effect era 40 years ago. It’s innate to this aerodynamic principle.”



The Red Bull design guru is also said to have given his take on a regulatory offer made to the teams by the FIA that could have eliminated the ‘porpoising’ problem.

Pat Symonds, Formula 1’s chief technical officer, is quoted as saying: “We offered the teams that the floors could be bent upwards by 25 millimetres at the outer edges. That would probably have alleviated the problem. But the teams didn’t want that because they were too advanced in their design process.”

Newey, it is reported, was doubtful about whether that would have worked because it “didn’t show up like that in the wind tunnel” and that “you can’t simulate there what actually happens on the track”.

 

The solutions and progress offered in the next test will be VERY interesting to see. Impacts to qualy described here. This could shake up things a touch potentially!!

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/how-porpoising-could-trigger-a-qualifying-dilemma-in-f1-2022/8631973/

How porpoising could trigger a qualifying dilemma in F1 2022
Formula 1 drivers were in for a nasty surprise at Barcelona pre-season testing when the age-old ground effect problem of porpoising reared its head again.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
By: Filip Cleeren
Mar 2, 2022, 10:13 AM
Until teams find permanent solutions, they might face a profound qualifying dilemma in 2022's opening races.

As explained in depth over the past week, porpoising occurs when ground effect cars bottom out on the straights, which severely disrupts the process of generating downforce via the floor. The result is a series of dramatic oscillations as the cars get stuck in a loop of being sucked down to the floor, only to lose downforce again once it hits the track and then rise up again.

That bouncing motion is not just a mere annoyance for drivers, but as Mercedes' George Russell said, it has the "potential to be a real safety concern if it gets out of control" during the race.

PLUS: How a 1980s design phenomenon has trapped F1’s new rules in a tough spot on car safety

While some outfits suffered more from the issue than others, they are all looking for solutions to first mitigate and then eliminate the effect.

But with most teams genuinely caught by surprise that the porpoising phenomenon struck as dramatically as it did in Barcelona, and the long lead times involved to come up with permanent design changes, some compromises might need to be found to get through the first couple of races of 2022.

A quick fix to keep porpoising to a minimum is simply to raise the rideheight of the cars, and hence stop them from constantly bottoming out on the straights.

But 2022's new generation of cars has been conceived to be heavily dependent on the ground effect, meaning they need to be run as stiff and as low to the ground as possible to seal the floor and produce the highest amount of downforce possible.

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB18

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Raising the rideheight by more than a few millimetres could therefore incur a lap time loss of several tenths, meaning teams will need to decide whether to leave performance on the table or risk suffering from more dramatic porpoising.

And while it was just about manageable in testing circumstances at the smooth Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, it could prove more hazardous elsewhere at high-speed, bumpy venues.

The dilemma of performance over drive comfort is especially compounded in qualifying, because teams found DRS use to mitigate the issue. That is because by activating DRS, the aero load on the car is reduced - so it does not squat down as much to the ground as when the flap is closed.

On a flying lap in qualifying, DRS is deployed in every zone, whereas in the race it naturally can only be used when nearing the car in front.

It means there could be a temptation of going for a set-up that is quick in qualifying with DRS open, but more troublesome on Sunday when the porpoising cannot be eased by opening the flap regularly.

With parc ferme preventing set-up changes between qualifying and the race, teams therefore look set to face some tough decisions.

"We'll have to understand the cars well, but you have to make a lot of compromises in qualifying," Red Bull driver Sergio Perez said.

"Everyone is looking to go as low as possible, but you also have the porpoising. That will be important because in qualifying, to get the maximum, you have to go there [low to the ground]. But when you don't have the DRS open, we have the problem."

Carlos Sainz Jr, whose Ferrari was one of the cars that suffered the most from porpoising, added: "It depends on the set-up you run, it depends if you use the DRS or not.

"It's a whole new world and understanding that we need to get on top of, because it looks like it could be a topic for this year."

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari F1-75

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Alpine's sporting director Alan Permane recognised teams are unlikely to go against their nature and sacrifice performance to solve the issue.


While a straightforward solution appears to be on the table, he's "not convinced" teams are just going to increase the rideheight until a permanent solution is found.

"It's definitely a real problem, but I'm thinking we need to get on top of it, and I think they will get on top of it, I'm sure," Permane said.

"But I'm not convinced. When you say, we can stop that but you're going to go half a second slower, I don't think anyone's going to put their hand up and say: 'We'll do that. We'll make the aerodynamic changes to stop it porpoising but actually, it's going to cost us a load of downforce to do it.' No one's going to do that.

"I think it has caught everyone by surprise."

Attention now will be on how much teams have solved the issue in their factories before next week's final test in Bahrain, and whether or not the headaches are really going to ramp up for the first race of the season.

 

--This is from SKY F1:
Where can I watch the Bahrain F1 test?
TV channel: Unlike the first test, the Bahrain F1 test will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports’ F1 channel.

Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also follow via the Sky Go app.--

Check the links posted here for StreamEast and others to watch. I will surf a bit and see who is up and running.

Working now - https://cricfree.live/live/sky-sports-f1 - posted this site before, currently showing last year's Brazil GP

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/haas-considering-f1-driver-options-fittipaldi-to-drive-in-bahrain-test/8778127/

Fittipaldi is Haas’ official reserve driver, and was famously called up by the team for the final two races of the 2020 season after Romain Grosjean suffered injuries in his fiery crash at that year's Bahrain Grand Prix.

But while team boss Haas has said Fittipaldi will be drafted in for the Bahrain test, he is mindful about the need for a potentially more experienced driver for the bulk of the new campaign.

Speaking to Associated Press, Haas said the only decision that had been made right now was that Fittipaldi would be in for the test.

“We’re in the process of looking at several candidates, we’ll see who is available and what we have to deal with, but we’ll have somebody by Wednesday,” Haas was quoted as saying.

“Pietro will definitely be in it, that’s what he’s for, he’s the test driver.”

One leading candidate for the Haas race seat is Antonio Giovinazzi, who lost his place at Alfa Romeo at the end of last season and has switched to Formula E.

The Italian is part of the Ferrari junior academy, and had been due to attend non-clashing F1 races this year to fulfil a reserve driver role for the Maranello team.

Haas could elect to race the Italian for part of the season, or agree terms for a full-time contract if he can get out of his FE commitments.

Speaking about the decision to drop Mazepin and Uralkali, Haas said that the fallout of the team’s links with Russian partners was too much to accept.

“There was a lot of intense criticism about the Ukrainian invasion and it was just getting overwhelming,” he said.

“We can’t deal with all that, our other sponsors can’t deal with all that.”

While the loss of title sponsor Uralkali will deliver a financial hit, Haas is adamant that the team has enough resources to weather the impact.

“Haas has always been the major, primary sponsor, I don’t know why people said it became a Russian team. Haas Automation was always on the car,” he said.

“We’re good. We’re fine. We’d like more money, of course, but we’re fine,” he said. “This just gives us a bigger negative number.”

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/the-history-book-lessons-behind-f1s-new-2022-ideas/8782859/

FORMULA 1 / BAHRAIN MARCH TESTING NEWS
The history book lessons behind F1’s new 2022 ideas
Formula 1’s regulations might be heralded as creating an all-new car design for 2022, but that has not stopped teams rolling out some proven ideas from the history books.


Image Unavailable, Please Login
By:Matthew Somerfield
Co-author:Giorgio Piola
Mar 7, 2022, 9:40 AM


It is not really a surprise though, because teams do not forget the concepts that worked in the past and that may be relevant for the revamped rules package.

Here, we take a look at the key areas of the 2022 cars where some old ideas have been given a modern touch.

At the front of the car, there has been an emergence of two trends, given that the height of the nose tip and its overall design is much more constrained this year.

As a consequence, teams have set about either raising the central portion of the wing, or having it droop down with a higher outboard section.

Both designs have their pros and cons as they set up the airflow’s passage under the nose and then downstream for the rest of the aerodynamic surfaces.

Teams have ventured down similar paths in the past in pursuit of performance and depending on what suits the prevailing regulations.

If 2022's designs can be compared to relevant old solutions, then the Tyrrell 019 suffices as a starting point - having been the original high nose solution.

PLUS: The "completely mad" nose-job that transformed F1 design

While it’s not completely comparable with what's on the grid this season, it set the tone for what followed for decades, as everyone realised the importance of lifting the nose to get more airflow down the car’s centreline.

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Underbody geometry of the Tyrrell 019

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

There’s few cars in F1’s history that can be considered more elegant than the Jordan 191, though, a car which also featured a slightly raised nose tip and a front wing that swooped up to meet it.

It’s interesting then that even though the current cars are separated by 31 years and numerous design eras, there is a clear family lineage that harks back to the Jordan.

Aston Martin, for example, has chosen the high nose tip and centrally raised front wing for the AMR22, with the designers looking to drive airflow to the car’s underfloor given the increased potential it could yield.

Meanwhile, the solution on the other end of the spectrum is something seen down the years too, with a lower central portion and higher outboard section.

This was a design largely dictated by the prevailing regulations, but obviously each team sought a different design to suit their own design parameters.

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR22

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Another area where older design concepts are resurfacing lies in the sidepods. It’s also an area of the car that has created a huge amount of variety up and down the grid, as teams approach the layout with their own interpretation of what is best.

The design must not only cater for the internal packaging of the radiators, intercoolers, oil coolers and electronics housed within, it must also consider the aerodynamic consequences they’ll have when crafting the external surfaces too.

The Aston Martin AMR22 was the first real challenger to emerge and brought to mind two different designs from the past.

The high-waisted sidepod, hung well above the floor, is reminiscent of the ‘double floor’ concept that Toro Rosso tried in 2011, and which surely took inspiration from Ferrari’s F92A from 1992.

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Toro Rosso STR6 sidepods

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Both cars in the Red Bull stable also feature a distinctive ramp section at the rear, which slopes down to the floor to feed airflow into the coke bottle region.

PLUS: The Ferrari that was floored by its double innovation

This bears a resemblance to other designs seen in the recent past too, with Red Bull having sported ramped bodywork in 2013, just as Sauber had in 2012 with its solution on the C31.

A slightly more modern take of that solution could be seen on the Racing Point RP20, which was updated at Mugello with a B-spec package which featured new sidepod bodywork.

The RP20’s updated sidepod package had a sloped rear surface, albeit much shorter, which met with the floor surface much sooner.

The introduction of a more ‘vanilla’ set of technical regulations in 2009 resulted in F1 abandoning the use of the elaborate cooling gills that had been deployed during the previous era, with solutions like the ones seen on the Renault R25 no longer viable.

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Renault R25 cooling louvres

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

However, the 2022 regulations permit them once more and offer the teams a genuine avenue of development. Furthermore, they now have more choices when it comes to offsetting their cooling requirements against the aerodynamic output of the car.

The floor is obviously going to be an area of intense focus over the next few years, with teams looking for the best way to exploit the new regulations and improve performance.

And despite the raft of changes to the regulations, the W13 emerged with a solution that's similar to one seen before – and it’s a solution that both Mercedes and Aston Martin used in 2021.

The rippled floor edge design was slightly different in its original form on the W12, as the floor had an upturned scroll on its edge that had the waves cut into it. On top of this, the team had another slat which helped draw the airflow out.

This was updated as part of the large upgrade package installed at the British Grand Prix, with the team removing all but the forwardmost wave from the upturned floor scroll.

The team clearly still believe the feature offers a performance benefit though, even if it is in a slightly different guise.

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Mercedes W13

Photo by: Giorgio Piola