Nurburgring 2003

It was the second 1-2 finish ever for BMW.Williams, and it was certainly one to remember. First of all, Ralf Schumacher drove a solid race, which was however not that difficult. A start on the best side of the track allowed him to pass his brother, and 30 laps later, leading driver Kimi Raikkonen saw his win melt away when his engine blew up. Some more effort was needed from Juan Pablo Montoya to get in second place. He managed what Ralf was apparently not capable of in Montreal, by passing Michael Schumacher on the outside of the 7th corner. With this, Schumacher got a little push on his front wheel, loosing control and 6 places. Michael Schumacher extends the lead in the championship to 8 points, but the moral winners are Williams, who got the second place in the constructor's championship, in front of McLaren.

Few changes at Ferrari

Once upon a time, there was a Ferrari team that came up with a new front wing at every Grand Prix and ended a season with a slightly different car than with which it started. These days seem to be gone so obvious, that it almost looks like all Ferrari engineers are sleeping at the factory in Maranello. Hardly could any aerodynamic changes be spotted since the introduction of the F2003-GA. Although an aerodynamic is announced, probably for Silverstone, changes at the moment are not much more than copies from other teams of necessities from factors produced by the mechanics. As stated before, cooling needs are asymmetrical, which is why the shark's gills to get lost of hot air in the sidepods are larger at the right compared to the left. The image comparison shows how the fins form larger openings for air cooling on the right side of the car (right picture). Another novelty is a bent-up first rear wing element, which is mainly used to prepare the airflow towards the other rear wing elements. A similar bent has been used by B.A.R. for several Grand Prix already.

Williams up in front

Patrick Head's FW25 did not just get in front because they had the best tyres. There was more to change about the car to get it where they wanted it to be. Just that is what they did, with particular changes in the rear part of the car. The following three images show how aerodynamics have evolved right in front of the rear wheels. On the left is the FW24 at the hungaroring 2002, the FW25 in Monaco in the center and the current situation on the FW25. The change may appear new, but as you can see, the flipup is now much alike the FW24's flipup, although without the wheel protector at the inside of each rear wheel in front of the rear wing. The chimney is said to be the main difference for the chassis, as it allows the BMW engine to operate cooler and thereby generate more power. The aerodynamic disadvantages of the blue painted chimney are very small, the more because it is small and shaped just like at Renault.

Other aerodynamic changes on the FW25 can be found in the rear wing endplates, where a corner has been cut out to attract more air onto the wing instead of letting it pass by. A similar cut out is already regularly used by BAR, Toyota, McLaren, Minardi, ... The second image shows an extra air outlet just before the flip up in front of the rear wheel. Williams apparently thinks a combination of their very thin chimney with this outlet is a better solution that a thick chimney. Wind tunnel testing must have proven so, or will prove otherwise in their coming tests.

Renault breeds more horses

While Renault is talking down the expectations after Williams is making such a strong performance during the last few races, they are still rapidly developing their current package. The following two images show the differences between the Montreal configuration (on the left) and the car at the Nurburgring. Note that the rear wing looked a little more usual, and again the wide chimneys were used, just like in Monaco. These chimneys are wider and have a slightly larger drag, but allow more hot air to escape from the sidepods.

One more important development was the introduction of the spec E engine. The Renault team itself stated there is a noticable gain in performance from this revised version. “Improving the output of the engine can be done in two ways: optimising the filling, or increasing the engine speed,” says Denis Chevrier. “We have decided to opt for the first solution by working a great deal on the high engine. From the airbox to the combustion chamber, numerous parts were redesigned. The performance, over the whole range of the engine, is better, without compromising reliability and without requiring a higher engine speed.” On the Nürburgring, from tomorrow onwards, the new RS23 should give an extra 0.2 seconds over the ‘D’ specification used until now.

Improvements to the RS23 will continue until the end of the season, several steps forward have been planned between now and the end of the season. “They have already been planned, and some will be applied imminently,” says Denis. “The 2004 project does therefore not handicap this season’s engine.”

Other remarks

• Following multiple other teams that use the bent rear wings, Sauber has also developed such a wing, and introduced it at the European Grand Prix. Note that for example Renault uses a usual or bent up wing on circuits that need high downforce, such as the Nurburgring. It is strange that just at such a circuit Sauber introduces such a wing.
• The FIA regulations set a minimum height of the borders aside the helmet to ensure the driver's safety in a crash. As this would bring extra drag, multiple teams make these 'cockpit shoulders' a little lower, and put small vertical carbon plates on them to be conform to the FIA's regulations. In McLaren's case, these elements are in 2 parts to allow removal of the cockpit's shoulder as the FIA prescribes.
• Minardi on their hand also introduced their chimneys again. The upper of three existing winglets was now fixed onto the chimney.