1) I know it's hard to believe that the front wing is pushing the air around the tires and not over them, but this is what it does and there is no drag penalty(Coanda effect).Here is interesting info that I found for Toyota MR-2 MR2 SW20 (90-96) aero parts.I know it's not a F1 car but description of spoilers is very interesting:
"Gracer Aero parts are the first point to receive airflow resistance; the design of the front spoiler determines the final handling of the vehicle. The Gracer front lip spoilers are designed to reduce airflow going beneath the vehicle and also direct air to critical areas such as the radiator and intercooler.While driving, air turbulence occurs around the front tire, this turbulence can disturb airflow all the way to the back of the vehicle were it can reduce the function of the rear spoiler, the Gracer side skirts is designed to smooth out the air turbulence towards the back of the vehicle, to achieve save handling of the vehicle."
Here is the picture of Toyota(http://skrci.me/zvlyY)).
2) Maybe this is also part of a story about RBR front wing.In 2010,FIA have outlawed the carbon fibre wheel fairings that became so popular in 2009.Ferrari have instead incorporated an integral aero device into the design of their wheel rim. The device is detachable, but to be legal it is made from the same material as the rim itself. Wheel rims have to be homologated and can't be changed during the season.The purpose of integral aero device go like this:
"Ferrari’s innovative rim design extracts hot air coming from brake components in such a way that effects less the outer cooler airflow towards the rear,decreasing vortexes and improving aero performance of the car.Rival teams had to deal wheel fairing ban by developing sophisticated front wing endplates to clean airflow around front wheels profile."
Now here is my speculation - because RBR couldn't create and homologate new front wheel rims with this integral aero device, in the middle of the 2010 season,they created bending front wing,who is reducing turbolent air behind the front tires by pushing the air around the tires for cleaner airflow.Today only Mclaren and Ferrari uses this integral aero device(http://skrci.me/GjbDX & http://skrci.me/pkQ0G),but not RBR (http://skrci.me/crHJY),because they have much better solution - bending front wing.
3) "just because a book is published doesn't mean it isn't crap" - True, but book is still a book and you have to read it, understand it and compare it with other similar books,if you want to declare it for a crap
.Here is a better picture,without comments(http://skrci.me/pGD5S).Besides take a look at Coanda effect and Bernoulli's Equation.This two rules are golden in F1 aerodynamic.Maybe I'm using wrong words,when I say "pushing the air around the front tires" and instead I should say: "away from the center of the car".But then again the purpose is the same.They are not splitting the airflow like they do at Mclaren(http://skrci.me/orxrK).
