Force India tweaks front wing design

Sahara Force India have introduced a considerably aerodynamic upgrade for its VJM07 at Austria, including several front wing tweaks. As indicated in the image comparison, the front wing endplates now have one additional separate turning vane in an attempt to get more airflow outboard of the front wheels. The underside of the endplates have also slightly changed, dropping an edgy curve in favour or a nicely rounded profile.

Interestingly, the team have also opted to move the attachment points of the front wing forward, requiring a modification of the front wing pillars. It's no secret that the pillars are important to manage airflow underneath the nose, but in this case it looks like the mounting points have been redesigned for additional stability of the front wing. The wing is fixed by two titanium screws on each pillar, and imagery has shown the screws are now farther away from the other as well, reducing the possibility for the wing to rotate - albeit marginally - under load. Contrary to what it may look like, the team did not modify the nose cone and only the pillars were redesigned to connect to the front wing about 5cm more forward.

Note that the team also added a winglet above the front wheel brake ducts, most likely to create a vortex that will influence airflow onto and around the sidepod further downstream.