Ferrari F138

[jaba.hut]

While that's true, we've seen both inserts...
http://i.imgur.com/YBKhNYh.jpg
Pay no mind to the arrow; it's not mine.

...and veils shielding the radiators from direct flow.

[...]
http://i.imgur.com/CIGBqZN.jpg
(Right click to enlarge)

[...]

The only topless picture I've seen around here is this one. But, given everything, it doesn't appear the team are very concerned with direct flow onto the radiators.
http://i.imgur.com/IQUbfsH.jpg

Now, I have no idea what any of this...

I wanted to point out that it's a trade off between cooling efficiency and drag. The diffuser geometry controls the velocity of the air flow and aims to prevent the separation. Ideally you would only create turbulation at the core surface to enhance thermal transfer. The cooling core efficiency itself depends on three parameters; core pressure drop coefficient, velocity ratio and drag coefficient of the core.

...means in that context, because I'm not that smart. But, what I do know is that if the inlet chokes, nothing that happens within the sidepod behind that choked inlet matters anymore as far as the car's external aerodynamics are concerned. It's as if it all disappears, and the sidepod becomes just another bluff body being dragged through the air.

This would be very helpful for a car with top speed issues.
Ferrari has clearly improved the [F2012] a lot in traction out of low speed corners, which helped in Barcelona and Monaco and will help out of the chicanes and hairpins of Montreal. However another key weak point is straight line speed and this is not straight forward to fix.

However, there are risks to running such an aggressive cooling strategy.

http://www.trf1.net/files/216734_215855176.jpg

Gearbox, was it?

http://i.imgur.com/ouSyLHK.jpg

Such risks would be eased considerably by larger sidepod vents...

[...]

BCN T03 Day 3
http://i.imgur.com/6xXJY2o.jpg

...and an auxiliary inlet, which would combine to help kickstart, if you will, the system back into action.
http://i.imgur.com/yu3KBuX.jpg

Basically what I'm trying to say here is that I think they're "stalling" the sidepods.

Now I see what is inside. You could be right with this theory. Make sense.

[wesley123]

Stalling sidepods are too far fetched imo, certainly if these same sidepods are really important to give the downwash needed for the exhaust to work.

[bhall]

I suppose that's a valid concern. But, I mostly wonder why the team would worry itself with maintaining exhaust-derived downforce, or any downforce for that matter, at top speed. They would seem to be conflicting goals, yanno?

[Callum]

Autosport says that Mass has just lost a wheel going down the straight...

http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/559

15:41

[Dyanxx]

I saw it on Sky, it was a definite WTF moment.

[stefan_]

Barcelona (Test 3, Session 2) - Day 3 (02.03.2013)

[flyboy2160]

...the aggressive horizontal angle of the front of the sidepods just screams separation and "drag" to me....I don't see a smooth transition for air....

It looks like the front of the sidepods will be pushing its way through incoming air rather than moving through it.

if you're talking about the front lower portion of the sidepods near the floor, i agree, especially in these latest pictures. perhaps they're using a vortex to try to bring that flow back to the direction the car is going.

[stefan_]

F1 Zone says that Massa's wheel nut exploded. What could have caused this?

[ringo]

Maybe they are blocking the inlets just test how much smaller an opening they can use. This may be for future upgrades. The other purpose I can think of is a flow diffuser simply to have more efficient flow to the radiators. The radiators may be angled in a way the cooling may not have been distributed DVD ly over the radiator surface.

[.poz]

F1 Zone says that Massa's wheel nut exploded. What could have caused this?

are they made in magnesium ?

Cold, vibration and magnesium don't mix very well together

[Forza]

BCN T03 - Day 3

[bhall]

I saw it on Sky, it was a definite WTF moment.

Had you seen it in resplendent Sky 3D, it would have made more sense. Pure promotional exercise, nothing more.

[stefan_]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGP2wV5k8qg[/youtube]

[froggy]

The last shot of the wheel, the rim looks bent. Could it have been a rim failure???

[jaba.hut]

Suspension upright is to blame for nut failure:

Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/stor ... ce=dlvr.it