A bit?
In my view, some pundits (like Gary A) are underestimating floor turning vanes; these are the new bargeboards, not the sidepods. While sidepods have some effect on mid "layers" of front tyre wake, floor vanes are the ones preventing low-energy turbulent air from entering the tnnels. Ferrari outwash sidepod geometry, in my view, is there mostly to induce and energize the floor sealing vortex. Their overall width and abrupt transition to outboard surfaces should be the features affecting rear tyre flow and drag.
So the lower front portion of the sidepods on the Ferrari, along with the turning vanes at the entrance of the tunnel?Vanja #66 wrote: ↑25 Mar 2022, 20:10In my view, some pundits (like Gary A) are underestimating floor turning vanes; these are the new bargeboards, not the sidepods. While sidepods have some effect on mid "layers" of front tyre wake, floor vanes are the ones preventing low-energy turbulent air from entering the tnnels. Ferrari outwash sidepod geometry, in my view, is there mostly to induce and energize the floor sealing vortex. Their overall width and abrupt transition to outboard surfaces should be the features affecting rear tyre flow and drag.
I think so. Occam's razor. Ferrari have a large guide vane known as a sidepod above their floor, Merc do not. Somewhere in the middle is RB. Both Merc and RB are using large turning vanes/barge boards, Ferrari don't need them. Perhaps because their sidepod is better at pushing the front tire wake away from the center of the car.
Has their most inboard floor strake always been that cut back?SmallSoldier wrote: ↑25 Mar 2022, 20:22Damage from Leclerc’s contact with the wall:
Vía: Sala Stampa
https://i.imgur.com/JDb2JO0.jpg
Following from Albert Fabrega:
https://i.imgur.com/eut0jFQ.jpg
Correct me if i am wrong, but doesn't the pressurisation Ferrari is doing under the sidepod inlets help in relation to the front tyre wake? I even thougt about this area to be one of the key elements. Wouldn't this pressurisation propagate forwards and give additional downwash on the floor leading edge and improve the performance of the underfloor? I could be wrong here, as i have not analysed all the cars in this particular area in such detail, but from memory i would say that all the teams that got better are doing this, while all the teams not doing this or to a much lesser extent, got worse or have problems. And i think its fair to say Ferrari is the most extreme in that area followed by Red Bull. And they seem to be the two best cars. Haas has taken a similar approach and is also doing well...thats also something that Gary probably has not recognized. But maybe i am overstimating it. Probably, as i am far from having Garys knowledge.Vanja #66 wrote: ↑25 Mar 2022, 20:10In my view, some pundits (like Gary A) are underestimating floor turning vanes; these are the new bargeboards, not the sidepods. While sidepods have some effect on mid "layers" of front tyre wake, floor vanes are the ones preventing low-energy turbulent air from entering the tnnels. Ferrari outwash sidepod geometry, in my view, is there mostly to induce and energize the floor sealing vortex. Their overall width and abrupt transition to outboard surfaces should be the features affecting rear tyre flow and drag.
I don't think it's that simple because this would have applied to last years cars too and no one chose big side pods to get less drag last year! So I don't buy the lower drag on rear tyre theory. But I do consider that other things are being achieved in that area of course.LostInTranslation wrote: ↑25 Mar 2022, 19:19As Vanja explained in another thread, the wide Ferrari sidepods have mainly the function of protecting and defending the wide rear wheels from the direct flow of air that goes (in the case of the other teams) to hit or slam on them, creating a drag. Brave solution? I would say yes.
Respectable point of view, in theory, but in practice seems to go somewhere else.PlatinumZealot wrote: ↑26 Mar 2022, 01:08I don't think it's that simple because this would have applied to last years cars too and no one chose big side pods to get less drag last year! So I don't buy the lower drag on rear tyre theory. But I do consider that other things are being achieved in that area of course.LostInTranslation wrote: ↑25 Mar 2022, 19:19As Vanja explained in another thread, the wide Ferrari sidepods have mainly the function of protecting and defending the wide rear wheels from the direct flow of air that goes (in the case of the other teams) to hit or slam on them, creating a drag. Brave solution? I would say yes.
I think the big side pods are to control the upper wake from the front wheels messing with the rear wing.
For the front of the floor.
The ferrari front barge board area I think is for out-wash, and also as an air dam to increase the pressure of the air going through the front vanes. Red Bull doesn't have this so RedBull are working the floor a different way.
I'm not an aerodynamicist so I can't tell if you're right or wrong. But the sidepods could be used this year for functions they didn't have last season simply because you don't have 718 (I counted them) flaps and vanes in front of the sidepods to control the incoming airflow.PlatinumZealot wrote: ↑26 Mar 2022, 01:08I don't think it's that simple because this would have applied to last years cars too and no one chose big side pods to get less drag last year!
Is anything other than a conventional radial turbo compressor allowed by the rules?Stu wrote: ↑25 Mar 2022, 09:13I was just thinking the same thing, a pair of longitudinal charge coolers would work.vorticism wrote: ↑25 Mar 2022, 00:51If it turns out to not be split turbo, then the next question is, why do the plenums run down the front of the engine? So in either case it's looking like maybe the intercooler is now low down in front of the engine. Whereas other years it was higher up. In which case, how would they connect a rear mounted compressor to a low front intercooler? The charge pipe would either be routed thru the vee as in previous years, or run along the crankcase. Maybe even two charge pipes either side of the crankcase, connecting to two individual charge coolers leading to the pipes visible in the photo.
Another alternative is a a ‘semi-split’ turbo with the compressor inside the V. This would compromise the diameter, but if they are using an axial compressor; as opposed to the more conventional radial type, it could work. It still looks as though the oil tank is mounted directly to the front of the engine (visible behind the air pipes).
In the example you gave a good engineers thinking would be like this:DiogoBrand wrote: ↑26 Mar 2022, 03:56I'm not an aerodynamicist so I can't tell if you're right or wrong. But the sidepods could be used this year for functions they didn't have last season simply because you don't have 718 (I counted them) flaps and vanes in front of the sidepods to control the incoming airflow.PlatinumZealot wrote: ↑26 Mar 2022, 01:08I don't think it's that simple because this would have applied to last years cars too and no one chose big side pods to get less drag last year!
Next to reducing drag, i think the bird bath is keeping the cooling looses up as high as possible and to the centerline. This would result in more clean airflow to the beamwing and on the sides of the car.PlatinumZealot wrote: ↑26 Mar 2022, 06:09In the example you gave a good engineers thinking would be like this:DiogoBrand wrote: ↑26 Mar 2022, 03:56I'm not an aerodynamicist so I can't tell if you're right or wrong. But the sidepods could be used this year for functions they didn't have last season simply because you don't have 718 (I counted them) flaps and vanes in front of the sidepods to control the incoming airflow.PlatinumZealot wrote: ↑26 Mar 2022, 01:08I don't think it's that simple because this would have applied to last years cars too and no one chose big side pods to get less drag last year!
"Ok i am using these flow structures here to reduce drag from the rear tyre in 2021."
Then
"Alright, for my 2022 model I cannot make the flow structures any more because that aero is banned, I must find a way to make a similar effect."
I think if the Mercedes and McLaren engineers missed this out they are incompetent. They should be fired. It's just to obvious to overlook for it it to something so fundamental to an open wheeled car.
And this is why I said I think that bird bath side pod is likely doing something more complex than simply reducing drag from the rear tyre. Something new to 2022.