LM10 wrote: ↑09 Mar 2023, 16:19
ing. wrote: ↑09 Mar 2023, 15:44
I think it is the concept at fault allied to lack of creativity—wow, tiny little S-duct!—and no new ideas. They couldn’t even change the lower SIS tubes so as to eventually try a larger undercut if in-season development required this.
Sure, it's the concept... the concept which worked perfectly last season. But if you say so, it is true, right?
Lack of creativity? The team which has been one of the most creative ones in the last few years?
New ideas? S-duct, lowering the chassis on the front to allow a new suspension geometry, a new front nose and wing, an amazingly tight engine cover... to name a few. In short, many changes which absolutely make sense. These are the obvious ones only.
Lower SIS tube to "TRY" a larger undercut? What?
To sum it up: What are you talking about?
Are you referring to the concept that worked so well that they almost got beat by Merc after they had to fix the floor, post TD? The concept that, after 3 days testing and 3 practice sessions they were still trying to find the proper set-up? The same concept used by Haas to have a stinker of a race? Early days yet—and hope to see an improvement—but doesn’t sound good to me.
Also, I’m not alone in saying it. Here’s Autosport’s take:
“While others have ploughed their own furrow – like Ferrari with its in-wash solution and Mercedes with its zero-pod idea –
the evidence appears to be mounting that the best design for the 2022 rules era cars is what Red Bull has done.”
As for creativity, apart from the high-mounted sidepod inlets—that everyone else copied
—and last year’s car that stopped working after they have to fix their floor trick, they have done nothing innovative. The previous era cars all had the same nose (more or less) year in and year out while the opposition were all trying new designs.
Now, if they decided—like Aston Martin did last year—to go in a new development direction in-season (like Merc are doing) so as not to waste another year and the wind tunnel tells them a deeper undercut (like they did last year) is a big improvement, they won’t even be able to implement it because of the lower SIS location.
You almost always hear other teams say at their launch that they plan their design to allow for development, i.e., give themselves latitude to “try” new stuff—it’s called development—and you need to be able to apply it to the car without a complete redesign.
And just like Ferrari “tried” a new (for them—and again late to the party) single-pillar rear wing which was, sadly, a “flop”, so they’ll now “try” something else, yes?