FIRST LOOK: Formula 1’s 2021 car in the wind tunnel

[H3M370L4]

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... TBxtS.html

[roon]

Looks like they integrated the brake duct winglets with the diffuser.

[MtthsMlw]

Do we know if the tyres change in size besides the rim diameter?

[jjn9128]

Do we know if the tyres change in size besides the rim diameter?

Rims are 18"x13.2" front and 18"x16.9" rear. Tyres are 270/720-18 and 405/720-18.

[jjn9128]

Looks like they integrated the brake duct winglets with the diffuser.

Sort of. The vane on the "brake duct" is positioned to stop squirt getting into the diffuser. Being on the brake duct just means their position relative to the ground is fixed.

[TAG]

[Zarathustra]

On the second picture the car looks like to be higher of the ground- at the rear, then at the last picture.

Have a look at the diffuser edge and the ‘brake ducts’.. on both pictures, there is a difference.

Are they going to use active suspension or movable aero?

[TAG]

On the second picture the car looks like to be higher of the ground- at the rear, then at the last picture.

Have a look at the diffuser and the ‘brake ducts’.. on both pictures.

Are they going to use active suspension or movable aero?

The second picture is of a stationary not loaded car. Watch the video, a lot more fluidity and compression when moving.

[Zarathustra]

On the second picture the car looks like to be higher of the ground- at the rear, then at the last picture.

Have a look at the diffuser and the ‘brake ducts’.. on both pictures.

Are they going to use active suspension or movable aero?

The second picture is of a stationary not loaded car. Watch the video, a lot more fluidity and compression when moving.

Sounds plausible

[RicME85]

“Through our Amazon Web Services (AWS) connections, we’re using their super computers and they are running an awful lot more computing cores. In CFD, we have to split the environment up into lots of little cells and we solve equations for each one of those cells. In a typical team environment, they are using 192 cores to solve 95 million cells.

“In our current configuration, we’re using 1152 cores and we’re solving up to 550 million cells. And next year we have potential to move up to 2300 cores. We have more than an order of magnitude more of computer power that we’re throwing at it than the teams might use, and that allows us to use the two-car simulation.”

[Just_a_fan]

I wonder how much that simulation time is costing them...

[jjn9128]

On the second picture the car looks like to be higher of the ground- at the rear, then at the last picture.

Have a look at the diffuser and the ‘brake ducts’.. on both pictures.

Are they going to use active suspension or movable aero?

The second picture is of a stationary not loaded car. Watch the video, a lot more fluidity and compression when moving.

No. The 2 images are simply from different points on the aero map. The overhead strut moves to pitch/roll/yaw the car in the working section to test the effect of attitude. In a wind tunnel the car should not move with load, otherwise you have no idea where it is spatially. Obviously nothing infinitely rigid and there is some compliance in the load cell.

[izzy]

“Through our Amazon Web Services (AWS) connections, we’re using their super computers and they are running an awful lot more computing cores. In CFD, we have to split the environment up into lots of little cells and we solve equations for each one of those cells. In a typical team environment, they are using 192 cores to solve 95 million cells.

“In our current configuration, we’re using 1152 cores and we’re solving up to 550 million cells. And next year we have potential to move up to 2300 cores. We have more than an order of magnitude more of computer power that we’re throwing at it than the teams might use, and that allows us to use the two-car simulation.”

it is awesome isn't it. I can't help thinking the FIA are designing the car tho, an awful lot, instead of setting limits and letting the teams design them. I mean it's great they're trying so hard to get good racing with following and passing, but they do seem to be producing 'the car'.

[Just_a_fan]

I can't help thinking the FIA are designing the car tho, an awful lot, instead of setting limits and letting the teams design them. I mean it's great they're trying so hard to get good racing with following and passing, but they do seem to be producing 'the car'.

The teams have failed to do so for the last few rule changes. They watered things down and kept the status quo, aerodynamically, for too long. If the cars end up being effectively a standard aero package and do your own PU / suspension setup then that might be the price required to keep "the fans" happy. The teams (looking at you mostly here, Ferrari) can take it or leave it.

Of course, some people are happy with F1 as it is, from a technical point of view, but they aren't the fans that FOM etc seem interested in.

One thing a standard aero package would do is effectively bring in a budget cap. Suddenly the teams don't need big aero departments and expensive CFD / tunnels - unless the FIA is just going to say "you have to use this floor and these wings but you can do your own sidepods". The teams will need to have some input in to the sidepods in order to get their own cooling packages to work properly. But even that would be a big resource reduction.

[roon]

“We have more than an order of magnitude more of computer power that we’re throwing at it than the teams might use, and that allows us to use the two-car simulation.”

“We have more than an order of magnitude more of computer power that we’re throwing at it than what we allow the teams to use, and that allows us to use the two-car simulation.”

Fixed their quote for them.

Looks like they integrated the brake duct winglets with the diffuser.

Sort of. The vane on the "brake duct" is positioned to stop squirt getting into the diffuser. Being on the brake duct just means their position relative to the ground is fixed.

No, I would call that integrated. Compared to the current brake duct-diffuser area on the current cars decided by arbitrarily sized and positioned legality boxes. And why wouldn't it be, it's a clean sheet design.