Red Bull RB8 Renault

[strad]

Im afraid I agree with Crucial_Xtreme. They look like clamps to me.

Yep...I agree...Blown up large enough, my old eyes see that.

[Rikhart]

Haven´t seen any mention of this yet, so here it is:



Virtually identical concept on the RB5. So this is just a refinement of that.

[Richard]

I think the heat shields on the RB8 are easily non-structural, else they wouldn't be held on by hose clamps. However, I doubt they'll be fastened in such a way once the season starts.

Or the simple answer is that the clips are holding a cable or hydraulic pipe in place. We've seen that before.

As for being non-structural, that's easy, you just fabricate the rod in one piece.

[bhall]

That, too. I have no doubt in my mind, though, that those clamps are also being used to secure the heat shields. It's testing, and that's the only logical way to easily trial different solutions. I'm sure the best one will be permanently bonded to the suspension for races.

[Mr.S]

I heard the So-called Cooling Inlet at the break of the Stepped down/up nose has slots of a bifurcation???Is this true?? Merc's new Front Wing F-duct also has 1 Such slot down the middle.

I refused to believe that RBR would use such a gigantic shaped outlet at the break of the nose only for cooling purposes. I think they have taken Mercedes' Front Wing F-duct to the next level.

[dren]

Haven´t seen any mention of this yet, so here it is:



Virtually identical concept on the RB5. So this is just a refinement of that.

Very true. I just saw it at the NAIAS in Detroit last month.

[dren]

I heard the So-called Cooling Inlet at the break of the Stepped down/up nose has slots of a bifurcation???Is this true?? Merc's new Front Wing F-duct also has 1 Such slot down the middle.

I refused to believe that RBR would use such a gigantic shaped outlet at the break of the nose only for cooling purposes. I think they have taken Mercedes' Front Wing F-duct to the next level.

We'll find out soon when pictures of a wing change take place. I'm not counting out your theory.

[Mr.S]

I heard the So-called Cooling Inlet at the break of the Stepped down/up nose has slots of a bifurcation???Is this true?? Merc's new Front Wing F-duct also has 1 Such slot down the middle.

I refused to believe that RBR would use such a gigantic shaped outlet at the break of the nose only for cooling purposes. I think they have taken Mercedes' Front Wing F-duct to the next level.

We'll find out soon when pictures of a wing change take place. I'm not counting out your theory.

Mate when I saw it first, I refused to believe it as a cooling outlet. It's lot easier & shorter path to feed clear air to the diffuser with not so many 90 degree direction changes. Plus the outlet is absolutely huge. Paddy Lowe says he is investigating it too.

[dren]

Yeah, I'm in agreement with you at this point. Just can't quite tell yet. Perhaps it's for both driver cooling AND the f-duct. It's large enough to be split several ways.

[Mr.S]

The other point Dren is that THIS will be very HARD to copy properly & get it working as well. Especially for a team like Mclaren,to create a whole new nose. The weight distribution is fixed. I doubt if the teams can change & move so many parts in the nose to create passage for the air.


This could be hard to copy. Mercedes with such a long & narrow nose can maybe play along with & they are working on it but NOT all teams can do the same.

[hardingfv32]

Do you guys ever apply any common sense to your theories or proposals?

1) We have no evidence that any F duct system has ever been used. We can not even determine what benefit it would provide.

2) Say you want to route air flow back to the front wing, how in the world are you going to accomplish that with air flow that originating with a flow that is going through the front bulkhead into the chassis. This flow must be turn 180 deg and routed thru a second hole in the front bulkhead. Does this sound like something any sane F1 designer would do?

3) IF this is a duct it is for driver cooling. Why reduce the size of the front bulkhead for a duct that can be simply placed in the nose tip. Just not logical.

4) Face the facts, If this is duct then we have not determined a 'logical' use for it.

Brian

[Mr.S]

F-duct has been used. Martin Whitemarsh confirmed it last season & said it has benefits. There has been various reports. It could be seen that in hole in the nose or DUCT there was a splitter down the middle in W02. It was pretty clear.

The whole F-duct stuff gets posted in the Official Formula 1 Website in the technical section.

I think it is clear Mercedes have been using a Front Wing F-duct. No use being in denial mode just because you favourite team might not know how to use that technology yet.

[hardingfv32]

F-duct has been used. Martin Whitemarsh confirmed it last season & said it has benefits. There has been various reports. It could be seen that in hole in the nose or DUCT there was a splitter down the middle in W02. It was pretty clear.

The whole F-duct stuff gets posted in the Official Formula 1 Website in the technical section.

I think it is clear Mercedes have been using a Front Wing F-duct. No use being in denial mode just because you favorite team might not know how to use that technology yet.

1) Can you reference the Whitemarsh quote?

2) All the reports you are putting faith in have a MAJOR flaw: The hole in the nose can be for driver cooling only per the rules. So much for the credibility of those reports. Check the facts for yourself.

3) Sorry to burst the bubble, but 'the Official Formula 1 Website' is not the ultimate source of accurate information. It is written for fanboys.

4) Do some homework and read the Front Wing F Duct threads and see if you can determine ANY consensus about what the benefits of an Front Wing F Duct might be?

Brian

[Gridlock]

2) All the reports you are putting faith in have a MAJOR flaw: The hole in the nose can be for driver cooling only per the rules. So much for the credibility of those reports. Check the facts for yourself.

I did, and couldn't find this reference - can you be more specific? Are you referring to 3.7.8 of the technical regs?

[Mr.S]

You are an educated man capable of posting articulately in an internet forum. Google Whitemarsh's post which ofcourse has more relevance than yours.

While F1.com's articles is not a gosspel it leads food to the discussion about a "POSSIBLE" innovation.

The other bid dude. I am ready to burst your bubble as well. Any Internet Discussion in here means --- to what is going to happen. We are not the FIA & we dont decide what is legal or not. Charlie does. Consensus in something as ridiculous as a Front Wing F-duct in an Internt Forum does not matter.

The other bit since you wanted a Whitemarsh refenrece,I want you to post the rules & tell me how this is ILLEGAL.

The duct is used for Driver Cooling. Hell yea,but why cant they modulate it. Who is going to prove & how that it is not used for cooling???