Formula One car development blog

Ferrari have once again introduced a completely new concept in Formula One, now by cutting open the nose cone and creating a channel through the nose itself. Although the idea is not new and has been discussed in the F1technical forum extensively, it is the first real implementation.
The idea originates from the fact that the nose cone obstructs the front wing's upward air stream. In the centre of the wing, the airflow previously hit the underside of the cone, creating extra drag an... Read more

Force India continue their development programme on the VJM-01 and introduced a new set of front wing endplates. The new design - in the upper part of the image - sees the removal of the long used bulge at the top end of the endplate. A small winglet behind the horizontal stabiliser was added for that bit of extra downforce. Also noted is a gurney flap that the team added to the wing when used in combination with the new endplate. At the race however, Sutil opted for the previous - ... Read more

Renault have added some extra downforce on the R28 to cope with the braking and acceleration requirements of the Bahrain track. Just like Ferrari, the team opted to create a new front wing with more panel surface, especially in the centre of the car. In Renault's case this means that the nose cone is now deep in between the front wing's upper plane. In addition to that, both drivers are now running with a straight rear wing. The model was already run at Australia and Malaysia, but i... Read more

After Renault did so at their car launch and Toyota at Melbourne, Red Bull have now apparently also removed their outboard mirrors and replaced them with their previous design. On Friday there was no change compared to the Melbourne spec but as of Saturday morning, both cars were adapted with the now more favourable design. While it is unclear if this is a temporary change, it is understood that the move was to solve the reduced visibility.

Red Bull have recently developed a new barge board and introduced it at the Australian GP. It was used again in Malaysia and is likely to stay on the RB4. The new carbon panel also features a jagged upper edge, similar to Ferrari's design of several years. The jags are however not rectangular which makes it different from other designs.
Besides the main panel, there is a new, smaller panel ahead of the main barge board which helps direct airflow around the sidepods. The two boards a... Read more

Toyota have ditched their outboard mirrors in favour of a traditional layout that the team has been used to. At the launch, the TF108 was unveiled with mirrors attached to the sidepod panels, similar to Renault's solution in 2007. After Renault removed them, Toyota have also reverted to putting the mirrors close to the driver. McLaren last year also tested outboard mirrors on several occasions but opted against them because the drivers preferred othewise. It is believed to be the sa... Read more

Also included with Honda's new aero package was a new mid wing. The newest version is a serious development step for the car as previously, the Honda cars either had no mid wing or displayed a simple, horizontal plane, in fact a design that appeared outdated. The new version is of a totally different kind as it has been optimised to work along the airflow and try to direct air as smooth as possible to the rear wing. The shape varies slightly along the width of the aerofoil while the... Read more

While it can be an independent development, Renault required about a month since the BMW introduction to also connect the sidepod panel with the barge board. The French team ran their new item at the last winter test for the first time and was used all the weekend in Australia. The panel is larger than the BMW and particularly aims to direct air around the sidepod and onto the rear wing. When designed correctly, such a device can generate considerable amounts of downforce at the rea... Read more

While the basic design elements are not new, the modern airbox wing on the FW30 is an excellent example of the current level of development in Formula One. Some teams are use very basic or no aerofoils in this area, but Williams appear to have put great effort in it. The image clearly shows a variation in chord along the width of the winglet. On top of that, the wingtip is slightly pointing upwards. The reason behind it is hard with any simulation, but any aerofoil in this area is i... Read more

McLaren have added some changes in the rear wing area in order to improve the downforce to drag ratio. While the principle is already well known and currently also used by BMW Sauber, McLaren have implemented it creatively by connecting the lower element of the rear wing to the shark fin on the rear crash structure. The winglet helps to add downforce in the small zone where aerofoils are still permitted by the regulations. Additionally, the end plate was developed with a small stabi... Read more