OO7 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2022, 18:46
organic wrote: ↑27 Feb 2022, 16:22
They're also the team that's reportedly under the wheelbase limit by 9cm which is almost certainly why they're able to make it down to the limit:
https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/for ... sign-2022/
"What you don't see at first glance is the length of the car. According to information from auto motor und sport, the Alfa Romeo C42 is by far the shortest car in the field. The wheelbase, which was limited by the regulations to 3.6 metres for the first time this year, is said to have been cut by the Sauber engineers by another 9 centimetres.
The trick helps the aerodynamics and saves weight. The Alfa is said to be one of the few cars in the field that made it exactly to the limit of the maximum weight of 795 kilograms. During testing, some of the competitors were still lugging around excess weight in the double-digit kilogram range."
I have my doubts over that article. A difference of 9cm isn't going to make a difference in the double digit kg range. Even 5kg would be excessive considering we're discussing carbon fibre structures.
Assume:
- Simple increase in floor volume, with floor approximated as a rectangular plate.
- width = 1.6m (approx from regs)
- length = 0.09m
- density = 1550kg/m3 (quick Google search)
- mass = 5kg
Thickness of plate needed to achieve a 5kg mass increase from 9cm length increase:
t = m/(w*l*p) = 0.0224m or 2.24cm
No idea how thick an F1 floor is, but given the extra body work etc that might be associated...might not be that far fetched?