Williams FW44

[Stu]

That design in interesting. The medusa would make it lighter, no?

No, manifolds themselves would be heavier, turbine housing would also be heavier*

*engineering get-out clause… utilising basic hand-calcs!

[PhillipM]

Especially since they'd all have to be clamped/bolted joints for install and now you have 6 of them, much heavier

[jagunx51]

from Bahrain

[PlatinumZealot]

Especially since they'd all have to be clamped/bolted joints for install and now you have 6 of them, much heavier

Not much heavier?
They would maybe give up 150 grams for 20 more horsepower!

[PhillipM]

8 extra flanges, 4 more gaskets, 4/8 more clamps/bolts?

I'd think that'd be a fair hunk of weight. I also don't really see it adding more power over a usual split pulse

[SiLo]

Has there been any news from the team on why they aren't using the sidepod cutouts we saw from their media days? They appear to have been closed in Bahrain.

[vorticism]

I think they're for cooling. In the hot desert weather they wanted to force all the air they could through the side pod.

[PlatinumZealot]

8 extra flanges, 4 more gaskets, 4/8 more clamps/bolts?

I'd think that'd be a fair hunk of weight. I also don't really see it adding more power over a usual split pulse

Replacing two big couplings with six small ones. Yeah a bit more weight.

But remember the power units have a minimum weight. If what we hear is true most teams already add ballast. So a couple hundred grams might not even register.

[AR3-GP]

8 extra flanges, 4 more gaskets, 4/8 more clamps/bolts?

I'd think that'd be a fair hunk of weight. I also don't really see it adding more power over a usual split pulse

Replacing two big couplings with six small ones. Yeah a bit more weight.

But remember the power units have a minimum weight. If what we hear is true most teams already add ballast. So a couple hundred grams might not even register.

More places to leak.

[PlatinumZealot]

That's a quality control matter.

[timbo]

Is it me, or the sidepod holes were closed?

[Moctecus]

Is it me, or the sidepod holes were closed?

Yes, they were last open on day 1 of Bahrain testing. We probably won't see them open again until a race in cooler conditions.

On Saturday, Williams became the latest team to add floor stays to their car:

[axle]

An aero benefit thats wholly governed by cooling needs is a massive compromise over a season. The design needs to be open at all times or not at all.

I feel like there should have been a way to better pull air into the rads. From the top down, bit like the Ferarri/Alfa(?) solution in a previous year.

Can the FW44 adopt the Merc solution without significant re engineering? It seems that the Merc solution is the same but taken to the extreme...or maybe there's some middle ground yet to be seen?

[Moctecus]

An aero benefit thats wholly governed by cooling needs is a massive compromise over a season.

Is it about creating an aero benefit, though? Apparently, FX Demaison suggested to F1's Sam Collins it was more about cooling, which sounds believable.
Usually, teams can only adjust the cooling exits for specific tracks, while the intake side is more or less set in stone. Being able to easily adjust both, could give them more options to efficiently meet a wide variety of cooling requirements.

[Moctecus]

At the Australian GP, Williams provided a long list of modified components under the show-and-tell format, which many misinterpreted as the team bringing a significant upgrade. However, reading the descriptions they are really just very minor alterations:

• Front wing: Modified, enlarged Gurney flap for better balance (use optional, in response to the also modified beam wing).
• Front axle: Modified air deflectors on the brake ducts for better airflow to the entire car behind them.
• Underbody: Modified support strut between gearbox and underbody, now made of different material, as a direct result of damage to both cars at the race in Saudi Arabia
• Beam wing: Slightly enlarged elements with realigned angles of attack for more downforce, also in combination with the rear wing.

(via motorsport-total.com)

Looking at pictures of before and after the "upgrade" I couldn't tell a difference.

A more striking change that wasn't included in the list is a significant reduction in paint on Albon's car. Dave Robson told AMuS, this was, unsurprisingly, done to save weight.