JPBD1990 wrote: ↑15 Feb 2020, 02:46
At first glance I wondered if the sf1000 was a little under baked, but having seen the cars from the other big players - it seems we’re right on trend with everything. Also interesting to see Mercedes move to Ferrari style sidepod inlets after so long, and their front wing has a bit more of an out wash concept too. Who knew that even though we aren’t winning a great deal, that these ideas clearly have merit! Let’s be reassured by that if nothing else.
Question for people smarter than me:
The sf1000 front suspension is much lower on the nose/tub, and angled a bit more downwards as it meets the wheel (instead of almost straight across like merc for example). Is that a positive or a negative, or neither? What does that change about the kinematics of the suspension?
There are some kinematic differences for sure.
Probably Mercedes generates more camber while steering, has a higher roll center, is more reactive to the track surface and the suspension "lifts" the car more (maybe they mount the pushrod with an offset to balance this effect). But, these differences must be pretty small and can be balanced. Aerodynamics is the main reason for the different front suspensions, as both cars work the airflow differently. There's no superior concept, both have advantages and disadvantages and are suited for their respective cars.