Team: Tim Goss (director of engineering), Paddy Lowe (TD), Neil Oatley (DRD), Martin Whitmarsh (TP), Jonathan Neale (MD), Sam Michael (SD)
Drivers: Jenson Button (5), Sergio Pérez (6)
It's certainly subtle. I think what they did was to notch out a bit of the curve, but it's difficult to tell from those photos.JimClarkFan wrote:Maybe it is my bad eyesight, but I can't really see much a change?
I would have said that the sidewalls are less stiff from what we saw. Perhaps stiffer sidewalls allow lower pressure while maintaining the same stationary ride height, so you get more movement in the tire?Unc1e_M0nty wrote:Seems strange to me because according to Pirelli this years tyres have much stronger side walls, running low tyre pressure maybe ?
I don't believe they had much of a curve. If you look at the overhead shot of the F138 you can see how the floor curves with the rise & expansion outwards of the top of the floor/diffuser.Pup wrote:It's certainly subtle. I think what they did was to notch out a bit of the curve, but it's difficult to tell from those photos.JimClarkFan wrote:Maybe it is my bad eyesight, but I can't really see much a change?
Certainly possible, but also possibly just the difference in angle.Crucial_Xtreme wrote:I don't believe they had much of a curve. If you look at the overhead shot of the F138 you can see how the floor curves with the rise & expansion outwards of the top of the floor/diffuser.Pup wrote:It's certainly subtle. I think what they did was to notch out a bit of the curve, but it's difficult to tell from those photos.JimClarkFan wrote:Maybe it is my bad eyesight, but I can't really see much a change?
Now to me if you look at the MP4-28 in the same area it looks to me that there's no way they had as much space between the floor & the rear tyre. Looking at the amount of floor material close to the outer most part of the sweep out of the diffuser and comparing to the Ferrari, I just don't see it.
Maybe it's just me. There is a pic of this area from AUS which I think shows what I'm saying. I'm at work but will post it later.
GlenP wrote:I don't know about this tyre shape story. I'm sure it makes a difference, but not compared to front wing design, for example.ATM_Andy wrote:Little differences have a big effect.
Someone from McLaren told me it wasn't him FYI. I think I know who it is but nobody in F1.Pup wrote:FWIW, ATM Andy on the autosport boards (purportedly Andy Latham of McLaren) gives us this typically cryptic comment...
GlenP wrote:I don't know about this tyre shape story. I'm sure it makes a difference, but not compared to front wing design, for example.ATM_Andy wrote:Little differences have a big effect.
The Sidewalls are actually less stiff this year, whilst the tread platform has been made more stiff, that's why we are seeing so much deflection as the tyres corner. It's all in order to give up more contact patch as the 2012 suffered with wearing the shoulders under load.Unc1e_M0nty wrote:I saw the same clip in HD and you could see the lower half of the rim prodruding under heavy load.tok-tokkie wrote:Martin Brudel commented that the rear tire on the Red Bull looked as if it might pop off the rim it was moving so much under cornering forces. I was watching on a poor internet feed but did see it after that.Pup wrote:There was a slo mo shot of the Red Bull coming out of a tight corner this weekend and at first I thought that they had a broken rear suspension because the car was moving around so much in the rear. But it was actually all in the tires - I was really surprised how much they were deforming. So the gap between the tire and the floor must be changing a good bit throughout a turn as the tires move side to side, and I'm guessing that gap has to be 'tuned' with the exhaust flow to be its most effective. Too narrow or too wide and the effect is lost. If so, then surely they've widened that gap so that the percentage change is decreased; i.e., they're choosing lower overall downforce and greater predictability over greater downforce 'peaks' and less predictability as the tires move around through the corner.
Seems strange to me because according to Pirelli this years tyres have much stronger side walls, running low tyre pressure maybe ?
Crucial_Xtreme wrote:Mark Hughes says there's an airflow detachment problem in the under-floor, primarily in the diffuser area.
http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/new ... -s-season-
Pup wrote:Sho 'nuf, Mr. Hughes, but why is the diffuser stalling - that's the question.
Simple... the AoA of the start of it is too steep, and the air detaches... why is that hard to understand?JimClarkFan wrote:Crucial_Xtreme wrote:Mark Hughes says there's an airflow detachment problem in the under-floor, primarily in the diffuser area.
http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/new ... -s-season-Pup wrote:Sho 'nuf, Mr. Hughes, but why is the diffuser stalling - that's the question.
So a change in the floor layout and diffuser is likely by China. I don't really understand how the airflow suddenly detaches, I assume it caused by a stall in the airflow which prevents clean air for passing underneath, but how does that happen in the first place?
