diffuser wrote: ↑09 Nov 2018, 18:59
M840TR wrote: ↑09 Nov 2018, 17:49
diffuser wrote: ↑09 Nov 2018, 17:19
Yeah, that isn't it... I think that's actually working. My guess would be sidepods. Saw alot of flowvis around those.
But the sidepod deflectors did improve pace. Unlike the suspension, they could do a lot back to back testing and seemed to be satisfied with the incremental updates since Bahrain. Flo-viz doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't work; could just be them trying to understand the aero better.
If you're referring to the vortex generators on top, from what I remember, in Baku they did testing with and without those. Obviously they wouldn't have raced it if it didn't work.
Someone said it here that the change they made to the back was just a change in geometry and likely wouldn't have had any effect on the rear traction(it's Math and it's easy to calculate). We keep bringing it up cause it's something we can see. IF they do have rear traction issues, it's probably around whatever they've done to replace FRIC or what teams call HPC (Hydraulic Pitch Control) suspension.
I think the whole sidepod isn't working like it should.They often put flowvis on the back of the sidepod. Around where that small square panel (looks to be 5-8cms square) is. It is just above floor about half between where the sidepod start and the back of the car. We even saw turbulence there in the Flowvis. It's where the flow of air that goes over the sidepods meets where the air that goes through the under cut. They often put flowvis there when they were trialing all those front wings with bottom plane without the "C".
There is quite a good chance it's both. If you look at the rear suspension, they combined the angle of RedBull and the mid-way pickup from Ferrari, on paper it works probably but in reality the forces and movement are so far away from where they originate, that even a little flex in any suspension part, will destroy rear traction. RedBull put this point forward to clear up the space at the back to have the diff as smooth as possible, generating more free flow which helps to activate the diffuser. But if the side pods don't work as calculated (or because the Renault a different kind of space), the projected flow isn't there. So good chance they have a compromised rear suspension and a compromised airflow.
To me, the rear suspension looks like a design choice from the aero department, who I assume are much more theoretical and rely more on simulations then suspension engineers who "feel" the limitations of the materials they work with. There is a reason that RedBull still got their suspension pickup near the wheel instead of half way down the wishbone and Ferrari haven't moved the spring so much forward.
The whole McLaren rear suspension to me looks a lot like pull-rod front suspension. In theory it's better, cleaner airflow... but nobody can make it work because the angles are just too shallow for the materials and forces to react in a good way.
