Lotus E22 Renault

[Blackout]

IMO Less rear wing on the E22 compared to the RB10

[Afterburner]

Difficult to judge, they look very similar, RB doesn't uses gills ( don't know if it's only vortices related or not, i suppose gills may give some downforce also) on the rear wing but the lower wing profile seems to "catch" more air than the lotus one.

[bhall]

I think they're two different philosophies, really.

The flap on the Lotus wing is smaller than what's allowed (light yellow, below), or maybe just positioned lower than normal, to reduce the wing's frontal area, which reduces drag at the expense of reduced downforce. It's also possible the team just ripped off a gurney flap at some point during the race; the net-result is the same.

The leading edge of the main plane is flipped up (light gray) perhaps to slow down air flow over the wing (see: inset velocity gradient), which would increase static pressure directly behind it, since static pressure is highest where speed is lowest. That could make up for some of the loss of downforce caused by a reduction in wing area.

Basically, I think it's an attempt focused on improving L/D.



The lack of end plate slots on the Red Bull increases the dynamic pressure of the flow over the wing. That makes more downforce, but also increases drag, because "excess" pressure is normally bled off through those slots. I think the larger slot-gap might be one way to address that, as it would allow the wing to bleed pressure in much the same way as end plate slots, but to do so in a way that doesn't reduce downforce as much. (There are also three small slots on each end plate lying perpendicular to the underside of the flap, and I think those might be to address the stronger drag-inducing tip vortices that will result from the greater pressure differential between the top and bottom of the wing. But, I could be wrong about that, as others disagree.)

So, I think the RB10 wing is primarily an attempt to increase overall downforce.

(All to be taken with the usual grain or 36 of salt, of course.)

[Hail22]

Bahrain Grand Prix 3rd April

[Blackout]

I think they're two different philosophies, really.
....[edited Please don't repeat the entire post just to give it a thumbs up. That's what the upvote is for. Flyboy Steve]....(All to be taken with the usual grain or 36 of salt, of course.)

[stefan_]

Bahrain 2014 - Thursday (03.04.2014)

[Blackout]

From Melbourne. But they couldnt test it.

[FrukostScones]

http://images.adrivo.com/images/950/q_8 ... 570254.jpg

http://images.adrivo.com/images/700/q_8 ... 570253.jpg

multi bizzaro device?

[stefan_]

Bahrain 2014 - Friday (04.04.2014)

[beelsebob]

Wow, what a crazy structure they have under there. I have no idea what they must be doing with it.

[dren]

The supports for it are really bulky, so is the bottom piece. The only guess I have is they are doing something similar to what Mclaren did a few years back.

[beelsebob]

The supports for it are really bulky, so is the bottom piece. The only guess I have is they are doing something similar to what Mclaren did a few years back.

I don't think this is a snow plow, no. The triangle shape of the supports suggests they're trying to either force air outwards, or to increase pressure and speed by effectively making a jet nozzle in there. But I'm not sure why they'd want to do either. The former seems to move air away from the splitter. The latter I guess makes some sense, but I bet that's not the whole story. For a start, I don't understand why there's multiple pillars, and not something akin to a mini-splitter.

[flyboy2160]

Wow, that is the strangest looking thing I've seen in a while. My only guess is that is has to do with reducing side-to-side air airflow when the car sees yawing airflow or when the wheels are turned.

edit. And it's surely a drag nightmare.

[joseff]

Now it looks like Zoidberg

[ringo]

I've created and tested a similar device like this back in the McLaren snow plow days. Not sure if I can find the thread, but it's eerily similar..
The whole point was to pull a suction from underneat the snowplow by virture of those gills.
This is slightly different in the shape of the gills and snow plow. But we're talking different regs and maybe 3 to 4 years difference.