2026 car comparisons

[GrizzleBoy]

driver position relative to axles :

https://i.ibb.co/HDq1HVd8/2026-driver-p ... risons.png

I think the Mercedes PU lends itself to tight packaging in the y direction and hence both Merc & McLaren are the closest of the lot to 50% position. Ferrari seems like an extreme case while Redbull is in between the two cases.

Driver line for Ferrari seems a bit off compared to the reference point of the others no?

[SB15]

Mercedes and Aston looks to have a similar solution to how they operate the active aero on the front.

[Seanspeed]

driver position relative to axles :

https://i.ibb.co/HDq1HVd8/2026-driver-p ... risons.png

I think the Mercedes PU lends itself to tight packaging in the y direction and hence both Merc & McLaren are the closest of the lot to 50% position. Ferrari seems like an extreme case while Redbull is in between the two cases.

I think all those examples are way too dissimilar to be useful to analyze anything.

And yea, that Alpine sure is a pig. lol

[AR3-GP]

https://ibb.co/Kj893y1z

the Alpine's rear wing tilts instead of opening

Interesting! The Audi RW flaps look as though they pivot at the chord centre (or thereabouts), good to see some new thinking.

I wonder if it allows them to achieve a greater AoA reduction within the rear wing box.

[venkyhere]

driver position relative to axles :

https://i.ibb.co/HDq1HVd8/2026-driver-p ... risons.png

I think the Mercedes PU lends itself to tight packaging in the y direction and hence both Merc & McLaren are the closest of the lot to 50% position. Ferrari seems like an extreme case while Redbull is in between the two cases.

I think all those examples are way too dissimilar to be useful to analyze anything.

Yes, that's the point - they are all dissimilar. The lines are just 'guides' but they do show the relative positions. The idea is to not determine exact 51:49 or 58:42 positions, it's to provide a sense of what the drivers might talk about.

[pronopheus]

driver position relative to axles :

https://i.ibb.co/HDq1HVd8/2026-driver-p ... risons.png

I think the Mercedes PU lends itself to tight packaging in the y direction and hence both Merc & McLaren are the closest of the lot to 50% position. Ferrari seems like an extreme case while Redbull is in between the two cases.

I think all those examples are way too dissimilar to be useful to analyze anything.

Yes, that's the point - they are all dissimilar. The lines are just 'guides' but they do show the relative positions. The idea is to not determine exact 51:49 or 58:42 positions, it's to provide a sense of what the drivers might talk about.

But your Ferrari line at the middle is way off.

[venkyhere]

Driver line for Ferrari seems a bit off compared to the reference point of the others no?

But your Ferrari line at the middle is way off.

oops!
My bad, the smallness of the pic I grabbed led to the mistake. Careless.
I have corrected it now, thanks for pointing it out.

[vorticism]

Sidepod is floating. Totally straight g-line. No concern for outwash, it seems. Straight shot to the diffuser front the front of the floor. Very interesting! I had been guessing at use of blunt sidepod outwash to work the floor boards. RB22 sort of provided that, but here there is no concern for it.

This is significant. AMR brought the polar opposite of the RBR sidepod. The two teams where Newey most recently worked brought the extremes of interpretations of the sidepod regulations. RBR with a tall, blunt sidepod and curved groundline, while AMR have no lower sidepod and a straight groundline. This will become a primary focus of analysis over the season.

[vorticism]

https://i.postimg.cc/59YKnhSf/2026louve ... ssmall.jpg

Nice to see a napkin sketch from seven months ago come to fruition.

[GrizzleBoy]

https://i.postimg.cc/59YKnhSf/2026louve ... ssmall.jpg

Nice to see a napkin sketch from seven months ago come to fruition.

https://i.postimg.cc/W4DfYYG6/floorboar ... ticism.jpg

Was wondering where youve been. Been waiting to see your aero analysis.

[yinlad]

https://i.postimg.cc/59YKnhSf/2026louve ... ssmall.jpg

Nice to see a napkin sketch from seven months ago come to fruition.

https://i.postimg.cc/W4DfYYG6/floorboar ... ticism.jpg

Was wondering where youve been. Been waiting to see your aero analysis.

He’s been here 24/7 man what do you mean where has he been

[GrizzleBoy]

Nice to see a napkin sketch from seven months ago come to fruition.

https://i.postimg.cc/W4DfYYG6/floorboar ... ticism.jpg

Was wondering where youve been. Been waiting to see your aero analysis.

He’s been here 24/7 man what do you mean where has he been

Oops maybe its me who's been away then

[Emag]

I was just browsing around this thread again, and honestly, looking back at this image, it seems to me that it is really close to the Ferrari/Merc/Aston concept. It's just very "immature" and completely devoid of details. However the general philosophy is something the FIA seems to have predicted themselves with this render. Downwashing sidepods that keep the undercut undisturbed all the way to the diffuser, while also utilizing the same diffuser hole the aforementioned 3 teams (plus RedBull) are using.

[AR3-GP]

https://i.postimg.cc/WpSnkDHV/image.png

I was just browsing around this thread again, and honestly, looking back at this image, it seems to me that it is really close to the Ferrari/Merc/Aston concept. It's just very "immature" and completely devoid of details. However the general philosophy is something the FIA seems to have predicted themselves with this render. Downwashing sidepods that keep the undercut undisturbed all the way to the diffuser, while also utilizing the same diffuser hole the aforementioned 3 teams (plus RedBull) are using.

That render was "revealed" in December. It's likely been "designed" after the FIA saw what teams have been up to. Not a case of the FIA "predicting" any designs.

The original render (from 2024) was devoid of any features.

[Seanspeed]

driver position relative to axles :

https://i.ibb.co/HDq1HVd8/2026-driver-p ... risons.png

I think the Mercedes PU lends itself to tight packaging in the y direction and hence both Merc & McLaren are the closest of the lot to 50% position. Ferrari seems like an extreme case while Redbull is in between the two cases.

I think all those examples are way too dissimilar to be useful to analyze anything.

Yes, that's the point - they are all dissimilar. The lines are just 'guides' but they do show the relative positions. The idea is to not determine exact 51:49 or 58:42 positions, it's to provide a sense of what the drivers might talk about.

No, the angles and distances of the photos are dissimilar. That makes any analysis of 'relative positions' extremely flawed, to the point of uselessness. And your 'line drawing' is also hilarious off. I respect plenty of your posts here, but you get ahead of yourself too much sometimes. This is not your best work.