CjC wrote: ↑21 Mar 2024, 14:52
The article also suggests mechanical updates as well… mwillems might be right about some suspension changes… time will tell
I just think it might be minor changes to accommodate the airflow from the front. They will be necessary if the front suspension hasn't already been designed with this in mind.
The article is pretty heavy on the idea that it is a mechanical issue. I really don't think it is. I never really thought it was to be honest. I thought it was Aero causing the issue, which is of course supported by a good mechanical platform. I'd like to hope the platform is there, it's just that we haven't put the new Aero on the car that will take advantage of it yet.
We may not need changes to the front suspension and so I don't think it is a big deal if we don't see it. I'd be more concerned with the front wing and the aero parts behind the front wheels. Getting this area to work properly will benefit the car all over, potentially also on the straights.
I know Vanja spoke about the car just having a big rear wing and being dissapointed about its development, but the Aston Martin tech head recently posted a nice description of what makes DRS efficient, and this was how the RW, BW and diffuser work together along with the cooling package and cooling exits.
“For a base drag level, when you open the DRS, other components also come into play, the loading of the flap, the loading of the main plane, the interaction with the beam wing and the floor,” he said.
“The interaction with all the bodywork, the shape of the engine cover, the cooling loss and how you design your cooling package.”
https://www.planetf1.com/news/aston-mar ... ast%20year.
This is probably the best explanation we've had from the paddock so far, although it still leaves the relationships between those parts as a bit of a mystery in places.
I suppose the best way to look at it is that when your wing is open, it puts a focus on how good a job you'd done on some of the other areas. Air flowing through the cooling package is a big part of drag, so sorting this out will always help the car, but then you'd imagine that there is a use for that hot air in how it energises the air over the engine cover and gets to the right place at the rear in a particular way that benefits the car when DRS is open.
