Formula One car development blog

Despite the stringent regulations that specify just where bodywork is allowed, Ferrari have still found a way to mount its outboard wing mirrors. The new solution looks like a combination of the sidepod panel on the Red Bull RB4 with an added mirror. Renault previously tried to put its mirrors on the sidepod panels back on 2007 but reverted from the solution because of vibrations.
The Ferrari design clearly shows that the sidepod panel has two aligned parts from fairly thick carbon ... Read more

Ferrari have just released its new 2009 car to the public, officially named F60. The new car is extraordinarily interesting as it is the first race-ready 2009 car to be launched, although Ferrari have already confirmed that a lot of updates are coming ahead of the first GP.
Amongst others, one of the most striking features of the new Ferrari is its long and pointy nose cone. This change is no doubt influenced by the rules that specify the front wing to be moved forward. As such, the... Read more

One of the positives of the new regulations will no doubt be the return of ungrooved, dry weather tyres. While the FIA has moved to drastically reduce the aerodynamic grip of the car and hence lower the apex speed in fast corners, the increase of mechanical grip will allow the cars to go faster in the slowest corners.
The change isn't however as simple as one may expect, as the tyre compounds and structure will be different. It has also emerged that because of this change, teams wil... Read more

One of the most striking changes for 2009 will certainly be the smaller but higher rear wing. Its new maximum width is now defined to be 750mm rather than 1000mm, while the maximum height is set to 950mm above the car's reference place.
While such change may not be aesthetically pleasing, it basically is based on the rear wings of the early nineties. Over the years, the FIA tried to reduce downforce by lowering the rear wing, but analysis have showed that the teams have made such pr... Read more

At this week's Barcelona test, Honda showed a front wing conforming to the 2009 specifications. While there is a lot more to it than just the central section, this is the most interesting - or boring - part. In recent years, teams came up with various different spoon shapes in the middle part of the front wing, but they won't have to bother anymore. A change in the regulations stipulates that the central part of the front wing (500mm of it to be exact) must consist of a single eleme... Read more

In the winter series developments we'll be looking at the changes incurred by the drastic regulation changes that rule Formula One for 2009 and beyond. First off it marks the end of the shark gills, which came widely into use after the sidepod of the championship winning Renault R25 was completely covered with these hot air exhausts.
While they have caused interesting point of view into the car's cooling, any opening in almost the entire sidepod area is banned with article 3.8.5, ex... Read more

Despite knowing that late aerodynamic developments are useless in perspective to 2009, McLaren have brought some interesting changes to Brazil. Most important is the new rear wing, specifically developed for this circuit. At both sides, the rear wing has upward curves, and while that in itself is not very new, the upper plane follows the same curve and extends to the leading edge of the end plates. While this is hard to explain without detailed CFD analyses, the new shape is most li... Read more

Ferrari have put most of their attention all year on introducing tweaks and tiny updates to an already excellent aerodynamic package. As of Japan, the Ferrari F2008 is equipped with a modified link between the barge board and the sidepod panel.
On the left in the image is the Belgian version, while on the right a picture taken at the Japanese GP. The new update clearly shows a more curved item that direct more air around the sidepod towards the rear end of the car. Such small develo... Read more

Renault are on the winning path again, and it quickly shows in the way their development goes. During the season, the team concentrated on improving tire management to allow for a more consisent pace during the race. Recently they also made 'reliability' progress on their engine, but now there's more.
An interesting idea that Renault now came up with is to actually use part of the hot air exhaust gases to heat up the rear tires. The R28 now features a modified rear wheel shield with... Read more

A single event and two weeks after Red Bull introduced their delta wings, Toro Rosso have them too. The design is very much known from BMW Sauber and McLaren although shows most familiarity with the Swiss version.
The wings are built to improve cooling performance and increase downforce, both at the front and rear end of the car.
Also note that the front wing's bridge at Fuji was attached by the older strut, rather than the newer version.