PlatinumZealot wrote: ↑09 May 2022, 20:26
So much for low drag sidepods. Evidence so far shows these side pods are made for downforce!
They definitely help the rear of the car to work in they way Ferrari intended, so they are "made for downforce", but simulations also showed how they reduce the drag by easily managing the front tires wakes and more importantly the drag from the rear tires. I do not think that sidepods are giving lot of drag just because they are large.
Red Bull seems to have done a better work on the overall drag (or better put: aerodynamic efficiency), but it is difficult to point to a single part of the car. There is also the possibility that Red Bull is simply very efficient with mid-low downforce levels, an area in which Ferrari is struggling. This may explain why Ferrari is consistently using higher levels of downforce, maybe in an area in which their efficiency (downforce/drag) is better.