Formula One car development blog

Renault was apparently not joking when they claimed to update their in every race. The team did not introduce a major update in Spain but has brought new updates at every single Grand Prix, each of them effectively used as they were all found to be consistent with windtunnel data. Together, Renault's car has already improved 0.75s since the first Grand Prix.

This time around, the team had another new front wing development, an area where they admitted to be lacking last year. The ne... Read more

Virgin Racing have brought a number of updates on its only modified car, the one of Timo Glock. Due to the delays in air traffic in recent weeks, the team were unable to complete the second extended wheelbase chassis in time, which is why Lucas Di Grassi will race it for the first time at Turkey.

Glock however tried a new shark fin cover on Friday morning, but eventually opted against it for the race. Also note, as marked by the arrow, that the rear wing features an additional slot ... Read more

Sometimes in Formula One it doesn't have to be complicated. For many it appeared like the Lotus T127 was an underdeveloped car with only the front wing having enjoyed some thorough development. In their Spanish update however, the team are running a much simpler front wing, which apparently proves useful for the drivers.

While the previous front wing endplate had several vertical panels attached to each other with small winglets, the new version is a basic endplate, a flat floor pan... Read more

Days before the first Grand Prix of the season, McLaren's MP4/25 grew an air inlet on top of the chassis. It turned out to be a feeder for its F-duct system. An air channel is contructed through the chassis, along the driver's legs and through the shark fin into the rear wing. By carefully controlling the airflow with his knee, the driver can now cause the rear wing to stall, allowing up to 10km/h advantage on a straight.

When Jenson or Lewis put their knee onto the channel, they fo... Read more

Now that the diffusers have become so much more important, the whole floor of the car has a much increased importance towards the efficiency of the whole car. Renault haven't missed out on that aspect and have added a double floor to its R30.

The team introduced a huge aerodynamic step at Sepang, including new sidepod panels, barge boards, a modified diffuser and a double splitter. Apart from its normal function of splitting air from in between the front wheels to the left and right... Read more

One of the aims of last year's aerodynamic regulation changes was to reduce the interest in aerodynamic developing by limiting the possible development areas, including the front wing. The problem with F1 designers and their teams is that they live for every single tenth, and hence rather then stepping back, a regulation change empowers them to look for other solutions.

Red Bull's RB6 front wing for instance is a development of the RB5 front wing. While Newey traditionally designed ... Read more

Force India VJM03 had its sidepod panels revised at Barcelona. The revised panels had a larger cut on their top rear end to let more air bleed between the panel and sidepod, aiming mainly to drag reduction. Moreover a small winglet was added lower on the panel to improve airflow towards the rear sides of the car. The VJM03 retained these revised panels for Bahrain Grand Prix.

BMW Sauber already had louvers last year in this area, and this time around it's Force India and McLaren that have extended on this concept. At both teams, the car is fitted with an extra cooling opening on both sides of the cockpit. Just like at McLaren, it's an open outlet with the sides covered with shark gills.

The cooling elements' position is strictly defined by the regulations, as anything farther away from the centre of the car is bound to be a continuous shape, hence not al... Read more

Lotus are currently restraining themselves to develop a traditional aero package without taking too much risks. Because the team has quite some catching up to do, copying other solutions is the easiest and quickest way to move forward.

The new Bahrain package includes a new front wing with an additional central element, copied from previous Toyota and BMW Sauber cars. Only in the central 15cm of the rear wing, it is allowed to have more than 2 elements in the rear wing, and so an ad... Read more

Toyota look to be back where they were early on in the season, close to the front runners. After a mid-season struggle, the team introduced several updates that shaved a few tenths off the car's pace. Currently, Toyota's TF109 is running with a double deck diffuser much alike that of Brawn or McLaren with a downward bend in the centre. Previously the double deck diffuser had a design similar to Williams' initial design, but the Japanese team quickly understood the advantages of the ... Read more