Teams agree to cover up ugly noses for 2013

[King Six]

Modesty panel will be a one season solution anyway. From 2014 the noses will come down to 185 mm from 550 mm now and then the high nose design will be history, unless they change it last minute of course.

You called it

I think that's partly why they had such a bizarre 'modesty panel' solution to the step noses, the fact that the rules were changing for 2014 anyway...so they didn't need to think of a 'proper' solution. I think they will mandate a better low nose for 2014, even if they have said the 2014 regulations will be the same as 2012 (or 2013).

[Richard]

For info - there is discussion of the 2014 aero regs being the same as 2012 here http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewto ... ead#unread

[machin]

I think the whole "modesty panel" term is a shot in the foot... and a bit unfair.... as Bhall said what is happening is they've mandated the dimensions of the crash structure inside the nose, but allowed the non-structural "aerodynamic" bodywork to be shaped as the designer see fit. its what should have happened for 2012 if they'd thought it through properly.

[turbof1]

They actually did. Well they didn't expect that almost every team would run the platipus nose, but it was a step towards the 2014 regs, in which they would have dissapeared too. The real shooting in the foot is that they reversed the 2014 rules (on that front; I am actually quite happy that they did).

[gold333]

Why not get rid of the stepped bottom and go back to a proper wide low single seater skirting the ground? That would eliminate this whole nose mess.

[beelsebob]

Why not get rid of the stepped bottom and go back to a proper wide low single seater skirting the ground? That would eliminate this whole nose mess.

I never understand why people refer to these noses as "proper" or other such terms. What you really mean is "the nose design these cars had when I first got into F1."

F1 car noses actually started off high remember:

[Leendert82]

Will the new cover on top of the nose help aerodinamicly with the flow to the back of the car?

[beelsebob]

Will the new cover on top of the nose help aerodinamicly with the flow to the back of the car?

Almost certainly – if a smooth top to the nose didn't work better, we would have seen steped noses before 2012.

[Leendert82]

Will the new cover on top of the nose help aerodinamicly with the flow to the back of the car?

Almost certainly – if a smooth top to the nose didn't work better, we would have seen steped noses before 2012.

I thought the step nose ws required as teams did not wanted to change the design of the chassis that much. Only McLaran did not do the step nose because they did not needed to change the chasis. Wondering how the McLaran will look like in 2013. And if there are teams who rather not use the cover for the step nose.

[beelsebob]

Will the new cover on top of the nose help aerodinamicly with the flow to the back of the car?

Almost certainly – if a smooth top to the nose didn't work better, we would have seen steped noses before 2012.

I thought the step nose ws required as teams did not wanted to change the design of the chassis that much. Only McLaran did not do the step nose because they did not needed to change the chasis. Wondering how the McLaran will look like in 2013. And if there are teams who rather not use the cover for the step nose.

Yes... i.e. the teams wanted a smooth nose, but couldn't do it. i.e. a smooth nose has better aerodynamics, but other compromises were involved.

[raymondu999]

Yep. The teams made the step nose not to have a stepped nose - but to exploit the maximum under-chassis height, to have more air to feed the underfloor.

[gold333]

Why not get rid of the stepped bottom and go back to a proper wide low single seater skirting the ground? That would eliminate this whole nose mess.

I never understand why people refer to these noses as "proper" or other such terms. What you really mean is "the nose design these cars had when I first got into F1."

F1 car noses actually started off high remember

They also started with skinny tires.

With "proper" I mean the culmination of evolution to make F1 cars lower, wider, faster (and to me more beautiful).

This culminated through decades until the year 1992.

It was after that that we had a reduction in tire widths and (due to Imola 94) the stepped bottom (which led to the high noses).

They are all effects that can be traced back to slowing the cars from their peak in 1992.