Formula One car development blog

McLaren have found the best way possible to reduce drag; just cover up the sidepod inlets. Much of the drag is causes by these inlets, which is why teams try to make them as small as possible, just big enough for cooling. McLaren have either found a very efficient way to provide engine cooling or have decreased the engine's need to be cooled down as the lower half of the air inlet of the right sidepod has been covered up. Previously the change was first seen at the most recent Silve... Read more

Force India have come up with a very elegant solution to add a bit of downforce to the central part of the car. Only three weeks after introducing their new sidepods, the sidepod panel is now connected to the rear view mirror. The new aerofoil can be seen as an evolution of a flipup that many teams used during the Grand Prix of monaco. It helps to create downforce while also pulling up air above the sidepod to improve the rear wing's efficiency.

Having already predicted it several days ago, there is another team that has designed its own shark fin engine cover. This time around it's Toyota. They briefly tested the new part yesterday and today ran it again, although not the entire day.
On Tuesday, McLaren was the first with a new engine cover during this test. Both teams are likely to use the new cover as its benefits have been proven by several other team already during this year's championship. The design meanwhile is simi... Read more

Aside from the shark fins that are being copied quickly by all the teams, there are other elements of interest that teams are eager to test themselves and eventually race them. One such example is the addition of a small wing on both sides of the cockpit, just ahead of the wing mirrors. Renault initially started off in 2006, and meanwhile McLaren and Ferrari have introduced their own version. Now, it's BMW's turn.
Mark the downward direction of the wing. As a result, the wing by its... Read more

I have mentioned it before and will say it again; it stuns me that Honda have mentioned in the beginning of the season that 2008 was just preparation and that they would focus on 2009 while at the same time they come up with new updates every single test.
This time around, the team fitted ears to the cockpit sides, similar to McLaren and Renault. The team also introduced a new barge board which is a compromise between the traditional smooth edge versus the jagged edge design. The ne... Read more

It just appears like every other week a team introduces its own shark fin engine cover, named by McLaren as a "top body dorsal fin". What's in a name. Needless to say, the item works similar as with Red Bull and its copycats, helping to maintain the car's stability while cornering. The rear cut-out around the rear wing's leading edge is at the same time preventing that the rear wing's efficiency would decrease when the car is in considerable yaw.
It's now a waiting game to see when ... Read more

Wheel fairings have become fairly normal by now, and most teams have identical designs. At the rear, every team used a fixed shield with a central opening, both allowing the mechanics to fit the tyres and to provide an exhaust for brake air (and dust).
Toyota have now given a new twist to it as they designed a venting shield. Instead of a closed carbon disc, the element consists of small, identical aerofoils that allow hot air to escape from the wheel. More specifically at the upper... Read more

Just as most other teams, Williams have now also developed a downward extension to the sidepod panel. The approach differs from what is already on competing cars as the lower end does not directly connect to the barge board. Instead, the floor was extended to create a base for a connection point. On the upper side, Williams have also taken the chance to develop their sidepod panel further and enlarged it towards the front wheels.
All in all a very elegant solution to condition the t... Read more

Despite being focused on their 2009 programme, Honda have introduced another aerodynamic evolution to their RA108. This time, they replaced their traditional midwing with a version that connects the engine cover with the T-wings. The midwing itself has thereby moved about 30cm forward and is curved more down than before.
The development is however not new and resembles that of BMW Sauber. That team have had such an item since the beginning of the season, and yet no other team had copied it.

Force India have finally got rid of the huge chimneys that the car is featuring since the inauguration of the team. The team now developed a new sidepod cover that effectively closes the chimneys and adds a considerable amount of shark gills to provide enough cooling for the engine.
The upper image is the new design as seen at the British GP, while below is the version used at the French GP. The image clearly shows how the winglet's outer endplate is now a continuation of the closed... Read more