Nice review via Autosport and Piola with respect to technical features of each new car -...
Nice review via Autosport and Piola with respect to technical features of each new car - https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/bahrain-f1-testing-tech-images-from-the-pitlane-explained/10578471/ Bahrain F1 testing: Tech images from the pitlane explained Join us as we delve into the Formula 1 technical features on display during the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, courtesy of Giorgio Piola and Sutton Images. Matt SomerfieldGiorgio PiolaFeb 21, 2024, 10:41 PM Upd: Feb 22, 2024, 9:16 AM Image Unavailable, Please Login Mercedes W15 nose detail Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis Giorgio Piola is the preeminent Formula 1 technical journalist. Born in Genoa, Italy, Giorgio has covered the F1 World Championship since 1969, producing thousands of illustrations that have been reproduced in the world’s most prestigious motor racing publications. Wednesday was our first chance to see all the cars together with nowhere to hide their latest design developments and secrets ahead of the new season. Image Unavailable, Please Login Red Bull Racing RB20 detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola Red Bull has not only changed the sidepod inlet arrangement on the RB20 but also completely overhauled the internal makeup of the car too, as the sidepod contains two radiators in a V-shaped configuration that are cantered away from the floor. This means the larger saddle-style cooler arrangement above the power unit has been abandoned, albeit with a smaller cooler housed here instead. This shot of the car without bodywork suggests that the inlets beside the halo feed airflow to the ductwork on the outer face of the engine cover’s shoulder. Image Unavailable, Please Login Red Bull Racing RB20 detail Photo by: Motorsport Images Here’s a shot showing the inlets beside the halo that take in some of the airflow in that region and ducts it rearwards to the outlets on the side of the engine cover. Image Unavailable, Please Login Mercedes F1 W15 detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola Let’s look under the covers of the Mercedes W15, which has a very different arrangement having fully abandoned the zeropod solution this year. Aside from the position of the upper side impact spar (SIS) and radiators it’s interesting to see the internal supports used to prevent the floor from flexing too much. Image Unavailable, Please Login Haas VF-24 detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola Haas F1 Team has opted for something a little different in regard to the front wing diveplane this season, with a double kick or wave-like appearance along its length. Image Unavailable, Please Login Haas VF-24 detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola Haas has also joined a number of teams utilising semi-detached flaps, whereby the flaps don’t connect to the endplate and each have their own shedding surface, while a small connecting strip is used for legality purposes. It has also added another winglet that’s attached to the vertical section of the last flap to help create even more outwash. Also note the camera mounted on the inside of the endplate is mounted on its own winglet as high as possible in the front corner. Image Unavailable, Please Login Haas VF-24 detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola Top-down overview of the outer portion of the front wing on the VF-24, which gives us a great view of how the flap tips are turned outward to help generate outwash. Image Unavailable, Please Login Mercedes W15 nose and front wing detail Photo by: Uncredited The much talked about upper flap arrangement on the Mercedes front wing, which features a very slender element in the non-moveable region in order to fulfil regulatory criteria and allow for the larger chord element outboard of it. Image Unavailable, Please Login Underfloor of the Williams FW46 Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images A great view of the Williams FW46’s underfloor and diffuser as it’s craned away from the circuit. Note the revetting in the vertical transition as it works rearward towards the boat tail section. Image Unavailable, Please Login Aston Martin AMR24 detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola A close up of the Aston Martin AMR24 and the pull-rod rear suspension layout it is using this season. Also note that the winglet under the crash structure that the team introduced last season seems to have reappeared, albeit in a slightly different form. Image Unavailable, Please Login Aston Martin AMR24 detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola A shot of the rear portion of the sidepod on the Aston Martin AMR24 shows how sculpted the flank is, while we’re also able to see how the twisted edge wing is connected to the underside of the floor. Image Unavailable, Please Login Alpine A524 Photo by: Giorgio Piola A close up of the P-shaped sidepod inlet on the Alpine A524 this season, which you’ll note has a lower leading edge which is twisted downward to help with flow into the inlet and the undercut. Image Unavailable, Please Login Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38 Photo by: Giorgio Piola A closer look at the smaller rounder inlet used on the MCL38, with the remainder of the sidepods width providing the space for the intake winglet ahead and above of the inlet that has a variable camber across its span. Image Unavailable, Please Login Mercedes F1 W15 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The elongated downwash ramp-style sidepod bodywork on the Mercedes W15, with an elongated midline cut out, while a twisted edge wing – similar to the one used during the backend of 2023 – is also in use. Image Unavailable, Please Login Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The Red Bull RB20 is outfitted with two snorkel-like driver cooling inlets on the chassis, rather than in the nose tip, owing to the new regulations for 2024 that allow them to be placed in either or both positions. Image Unavailable, Please Login Mercedes F1 W15 front detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola The Mercedes undergoes some changes in the garage which gives us a nice view of some of the inboard suspension elements, including the heave damper. Image Unavailable, Please Login Alex Albon, Williams FW46 Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images The Williams FW46’s front wing, nose and suspension doused with flow-vis paint in order that the team can get visual confirmation that the aerodynamic surfaces are performing as was anticipated from their CFD and wind tunnel studies. Image Unavailable, Please Login Ferrari SF-24 Photo by: Giorgio Piola A Kiel probe rake fitted to the side of the engine cover on the Ferrari SF-24 to gather airflow data in that region, with the team likely interested in correlation data in regards to the new layout around the halo. Image Unavailable, Please Login Ferrari SF-24 Photo by: Giorgio Piola Aero rakes with a small army of Kiel probes attached were also fitted behind the front wheel assemblies on the Ferrari SF-24 during the first few runs of the morning session. Image Unavailable, Please Login Haas VF-24 Photo by: Giorgio Piola A close up of the sidepod inlet on the Haas VF-24 which features more of an underbite this season. Image Unavailable, Please Login Haas VF-24 Photo by: Giorgio Piola Haas has clearly been inspired by Red Bull when it comes to the floor edge and edge wing design this season too, with the segmented forward section, upwardly scrolled edge, control strakes and twisted rear section all design features seen on the RB19 last season. Image Unavailable, Please Login Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524 Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images The sidepod of the Alpine A524 is doused with blue flow-viz paint as the team look for signs that the region is performing as anticipated. Image Unavailable, Please Login Mercedes W15 detail Photo by: Uncredited This angle of the front brake duct shows how the end fence sits away from the drum and the inlet straddles the gap, allowing airflow to be taken in outside of the fence and between it and the tyre’s sidewall. Image Unavailable, Please Login Ferrari SF-24 detail Photo by: Uncredited As the Ferrari mechanics make some adjustments to the SF-24 we’re given a relatively unobstructed view of some of the inboard suspension elements. Image Unavailable, Please Login Ferrari SF-24 detail Photo by: Uncredited Ferrari uses a more organic rake arrangement for collecting data in conjunction with the attached Kiel probes than some of the more traditional ladder-style rakes you might see elsewhere. Image Unavailable, Please Login McLaren MCL38 detail Photo by: Uncredited A close up of the scrolled front portion of the edge wing with strakes included to help manoeuvre the airflow outboard, while the edge wing then twists along its length and is married to a similar geometry on the floor edge. Image Unavailable, Please Login Kick Sauber C44 Photo by: Uncredited A rear view of the Sauber C44, including the rear wing, beam wing, brake duct winglets and the diffuser. Image Unavailable, Please Login VCARB 01 detail Photo by: Uncredited A large Kiel probe array was fitted behind the rear wheel of the RB01 as the team looked to gather some data, with some notable changes already made to the sidepod’s bodywork geometry compared with what they showed in the renders. Image Unavailable, Please Login Alpine A524 detail Photo by: Uncredited The Alpine A524’s rear end layout is fairly similar to last year, with the team opting to use its bi-plane beam wing arrangement today. Also note the rear brake duct winglets have been trimmed much shorter than the regulations permit. Image Unavailable, Please Login McLaren MCL38 detail Photo by: Uncredited The McLaren MCL38 with Kiel probe rakes mounted across the rear section of the car, ahead of the rear wheels and also inside the diffuser, as the team looks to capture real world data that can be used to correlate with the CFD and wind tunnel data they’ve already seen. Image Unavailable, Please Login Red Bull Racing RB20 detail Photo by: Uncredited A rearward shot of the RB20 noting how the gullies in the engine cover taper outwards when terminating at the cooling outlet, while there’s also outlets beside the cover (around the Honda logo). There’s also a considerable amount of contouring in the underfloor and diffuser’s surfaces. Image Unavailable, Please Login Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24 Photo by: Uncredited A look at the Ferrari SF-24 from the front, with the handlebar-style mountings for the airbox camera housings now more visible given there’s no longer winglets surrounding them. It has mounted cameras inside the sidepod inlet which appear to be looking at the front tyre and are likely capturing infra-red footage. Image Unavailable, Please Login McLaren MCL38 detail Photo by: Uncredited The McLaren MCL38 returns from a run whereby flow-vis paint has been daubed over the rear wing and beam wing. Image Unavailable, Please Login VCARB 01 detail Photo by: Uncredited A close up of the RB01’s rear wing, which features a semi-detached tip section in a similar vein to its predecessor. Image Unavailable, Please Login Alex Albon, Williams FW46 Photo by: Uncredited The rear wing and beam wing of the Williams FW46 is covered in flow-vis paint as the team looks for visual confirmation that the assembly is performing as expected, aerodynamically speaking. Image Unavailable, Please Login Alpine A524 detail Photo by: Uncredited A look at how large the cooling panel could be on the Alpine A524, with only a few louvres employed in this variant at the rear of the panel. Image Unavailable, Please Login Mercedes W15 detail Photo by: Uncredited An overview of the Mercedes steering wheel with its various rotaries, switches and buttons that control the power unit and chassis. Also note the cooling inlet housed in the vanity panel, which is possible owing to the new regulations this season, whereas before it could only be located in the nose tip. Image Unavailable, Please Login Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20 Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images The Red Bull RB20 with flow-vis paint applied to the rear wing and beam wing.
Sewage issues for the sir. https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/f1-testing-2024-cancelled-lewis-hamilton-b2500550.html
Day 2 late afternoon is when we see more 'hot' laps and attempts and more performance. Good to see this for now: And purple in sector three gives Sainz the fastest time - a 1m31.397s which leaves him more than three tenths faster than Ferrari team-mate Leclerc.
Not exactly. Sainz noticed that the cover was askew but before he could report it to the marshals, Charles went slightly off-line and dislodged it. It destroyed the floor on Charles car and Lewis hit it but apparently only damaged a tire.
Sainz getting below 1:30 with a 1:29.921 on C4 tires. Note 2023 Bahrain GP pole time set by Max was 1:29.7
Now here's something interesting. Perez's race run simulation today is very similar to 2023 race simulation. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
And here we have W15 third sting lap time from YESTERDAY when the track was still a mess, compared to race winner 2023. W15 is a good bit faster. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Is Charles doing the afternoon tomorrow? He has driven both morning sessions. Maybe easier to compare data, but just a bit weird since the afternoon session is closer to the conditions in the actual Grand Prix. Sainz will get an hour extra running anyway compared to Leclerc because the drainage cover incident. Edit. Also, is Ferrari just gonna take the budget hit if Leclerc's floor can't be fixed back at Maranello...
Ferrari and Merc both on race stints on C3s. Both looking good with I think Merc having 2-3 tenths more I have to wonder if the Red Bull has reached its peak evolution as the race stints are simply not what I thought they were to be
At the moment, Lewis Hamilton's helmet livery is very different from years past. No more "Still We Rise" logo and no [cough] [cough] P&R logo going down the center of his helmet. I wonder if Toto and upper management told him to keep the P&R stuff off his helmet. Still early days at the moment as it could change through the season. He is in a country that frowns, I believe they'll kill you, if you practice this P&R. Funny really....kinda like the "flavor of the month" if you ask me. It came and went.
Merc and Ferrari both clearly running much lower ride heights, with both doing the below Tweet— Twitter API (@user) date
Still impossible to say with any certainty, but Ferrari and Mercedes seem to have good long run pace. It should be noted that by this time last year in testing, it was obvious from the race sims that Ferrari were doing that they had degradation issues.
Don't fret! We know for certain Ferrari weren't anywhere near peak engine mode as their speed trap was a good bit lower than their 2023 quali lap. Red Bull is likely still the faster car but I don't believe the gap will be as significant. Vasseur with Ferrari and Allison with Mercedes appear to have hit it pretty well with these cars.
We will know in Q3 soon lol Engine mode and fuel load will be missing from our assumption that RedBull is a touch weaker or others are now equal to them. Also we have to factor in the Perez not being Max factor in all this as well. Possibly things will be a bit less predictable would make me happy!
The time difference between the C3 and C4 tire compounds is anywhere from 0.5 to 0.6 seconds for those that want to know.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ferrari has cooked: in the race simulation, Sainz was 0.59s/lap quicker (on average) than Verstappen in last year's race!<br><br>RACE PACE<br>SF24: 96.87s<br>RB19: 97.46s (+0.59s)<br>SF23: 98.33s (+1.46s ‼️)<br><br>And his top speed was still 9km/h down vs last race➡️Turned-down PU<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F1</a> <a href="https://t.co/H4p3pLI7Nw">pic.twitter.com/H4p3pLI7Nw</a></p>— Formula Data Analysis (@FDataAnalysis) <a href="Tweet— Twitter API (@user) date">February 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Yet smart and non political games playing Engineers like Stella have this to say: McLaren boss Andrea Stella put it simply. "There's one car that seems to have found a big step," Stella said on Thursday evening. "Unfortunately [it's] the car that was already the quickest last year."
