Williams FW38 Mercedes

[LookBackTime]

[LookBackTime]

Williams test "radical" new rear wing
By: Jonathan Noble, Formula 1 Editor
22 minutes ago
Williams caused a stir on the opening day of the first in-season test at Barcelona in Spain on Tuesday with a radical rear wing.

The double decker design was fitted to the car for the first run of the day by Alex Lynn – and features an extended wider plane ahead of the main wing elements, with extra winglets.

As well as the extended rear wing, the Williams was also fitted with extra carbon fibre devices at the front of the car too.

The height and shape of these devices - which extend beyond what is allowed in the regulations - would suggest that they are not actually being tested ahead of an actual introduction later this year.

However, it may be that they have been fitted to the car to allow the team a better understanding of aerodynamic loads and balances as it continues to try to improve its chassis.

The likely increase in aero loading delivered by the wings would, for example, help Williams better understand the implications of greater downforce on the car and the tyres.

This work would help both with 2016 and 2017 design concepts with teams now hard at work in preparing for next year's cars.

[djos]

Tobi Grüner
Williams testing special rear wing with extra winglets. Not legal. Only for high-downforce simulation. #AMuS

Is that to simulate 2017 down force levels?

[LookBackTime]

Tobi Grüner
Williams testing special rear wing with extra winglets. Not legal. Only for high-downforce simulation. #AMuS

Is that to simulate 2017 down force levels?

"
By Chris Medland (F1i):
Alex Lynn took to the circuit with a rear wing which featured additional wings above the standard design. The front wing also features some additional components, with Williams telling F1i the designs are "to gain a better understanding of the car aero balance over a lap" and relevant to both this year and 2017.
"

[zioture]

More photos here ....
http://www.newsf1.it/foto-test-barcello ... 17-maggio/

[LookBackTime]

[zioture]

http://www.newsf1.it/foto-test-barcello ... 17-maggio/

[LookBackTime]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CipHqW_UgAAWCC2.jpg:large

deflection measurement or vibration measurement?

[RicME85]

Is it? I thought it was directly over the RWCL so looking at the effect of added downforce at that point rather than past the RWCL which obviously acts as a pivot point

:edit:

Hmm, the post I was referring to has disappeared.
The post said the rear wing additions looked the same height at width of the 2017 rear wing

[Sevach]

The 17 rear wing is suppoused to be lower than the current version, not higher.

[RicME85]

Hence my comment about the RWCL

[RZS10]

So what is that at the front? Sensors? Device to push/pull the wing down/up?

[Martin_F]

What's interesting to observe, is that they are using the old nose/front wing.
If you were trying to prove something out for this year, wouldn't you want to use your current race setup and then add things to it? Makes me believe all this is for development of next years car.

On another note, are they allowed to use a separate power unit for testing?

[RicME85]

I assume its because they have more data on the old parts from all the pounding around the circuit they did the other month

[scarbs]

So what is that at the front? Sensors? Device to push/pull the wing down/up?

Yes wing adjusters, you can see the usual FFA missing from the outer part of the wing