PlatinumZealot wrote: ↑10 Mar 2022, 10:08
I think what they achieved here is to reduce the impact of the upper wake as Kyle engineers would say ans also that side pod lift should be elimianted.
The side pod at it's widest is not all that narrow. You can still see the lower crash structure is not protruding. But you can bet that the draggiest parts of the side pod are no more.
She should rely fly down the straights that's for sure. I'm worried about reliability and balance.
The more I'm looking at this design, the more problematic it seems. The aerofoil around the side impact structure looks massive, angled and decently cambered - that's a lot of lift and drag just with that one element. However, this would also draw a bit more air to the rear and beam wings. I'm sure the team wouldn't make this kind of effort if it wasn't worth it in the end, but there are a lot of compromises and they don't look that small to me.
Worth noting, I really like the design diversity with these new regulations. Wasn't expecting it at all.