Williams FW44

[F1_CoolFan]

I heard a pundit years ago state that using large amounts of flow via can indicate problems with correlation from tunnel to track. Is there any truth in this? Hoping for a good year for Williams. Car looks good.

Possible there is some truth to this, but they're probably looking at the integration of the entire aero package and how it works/flows together more that there's an issue. Who knows I guess

[jumpingfish]

I heard a pundit years ago state that using large amounts of flow via can indicate problems with correlation from tunnel to track. Is there any truth in this? Hoping for a good year for Williams. Car looks good.

It sounds quite logically, because when I saw this photo, my first thought was: "Looks like they need to look at the flows, but don't they see them at the factory?"

[Mr Brooksy]

I heard a pundit years ago state that using large amounts of flow via can indicate problems with correlation from tunnel to track. Is there any truth in this? Hoping for a good year for Williams. Car looks good.

It sounds quite logically, because when I saw this photo, my first thought was: "Looks like they need to look at the flows, but don't they see them at the factory?"

I would imagine on the first session on the first day of testing it's probably more to do with checking real world correlation vs any kind of issue... But with our luck over the past half decade... Who knows!

[NtsParadize]

I heard a pundit years ago state that using large amounts of flow via can indicate problems with correlation from tunnel to track. Is there any truth in this? Hoping for a good year for Williams. Car looks good.

Yes.

[paulo_f1]

They could be in trouble, who knows at this stage. The pecking order and who's direction is right/wrong will probably not be 100% clear until the Bahrain GP is done and dusted, it may take even longer for the full picture to emerge.

What is clear is this is testing, and the first day of a completely new and very complex rule change. Every car is covered in aero rakes and flow vis, you just have to look at all the car threads to see it. What you want to know is does the air go where the CFD and tunnel says it does, do the components interact the way they should in the real world.

Personally, I'd wait and see what the times look like at the end of the test, plus what the teams key people say, before jumping to any wild speculative conclusions...

[PlatinumZealot]

The flow structures to the bodywork are much simpler than last year so they should not be in trouble design wise. Possibly just checking correlation to wind tunnel.

[continuum16]

I don't think there's cause for alarm when the team runs a lot of flow-vis on the first day of testing. In 2018, they were still doing that at the mid-season test in Hungary, by which point it became clear that they had a very poor understanding of their car's aerodynamics and that their correlation was way way off. If I remember, the 2018 Williams was supposed to be a "downforce beast" in the simulations but as we saw on track it was a mess. If the team are still running full flow-vis in three months we should be concerned.

[GrizzleBoy]

How do you check flow separation/direction/strength/deflection/etc in a brand new aero regulation formula to know of you even have correlation issues without looking at the flow?

[atheonr]

Looks like there is a hole in the middle of the sidepod.

[Moctecus]

AMuS

[jjn9128]

can we post sources with images so we know who they belong to?!

[Moctecus]

AMuS finally captured a good picture of the vent panel from behind

[godlameroso]

Very bluff floor.

[tomazy]

EDIT duplicate picture from above... Just imagine how small the sidepods would of been without the upper aero part

[west52keep64]

AMuS finally captured a good picture of the vent panel from behind

https://i.imgur.com/Kg9Meei.jpg

I'm struggling to understand how this hole is legal?