Williams FW42

[TwanV]

Before we dismiss Williams for this, out of curiosity isn't an alu casing just common sense? what exactly is the benefit of a carbon housing for a gearbox? Aren't cars run with ballast in the regions of the car where the gearbox resides anyway?

EDIT:

[Just_a_fan]

It's just one of those things that F1 teams do. It's carbon fibre so it's good and it's expensive to develop so it's better! Except it isn't, of course. Nothing wrong with an aluminium gearbox casing. It does the job well enough.

You don't have to go with the latest/greatest every time. As Patrick Head said: "titanium is for people who can't design properly with aluminium". I guess his thoughts still shape the ethos of the team even now in some ways.

[TwanV]

As Patrick Head said: "titanium is for people who can't design properly with aluminium". I guess his thoughts still shape the ethos of the team even now in some ways.

Ha! that is a great quotation.

[ScrewCaptain27]

Before we dismiss Williams for this, out of curiosity isn't an alu casing just common sense? what exactly is the benefit of a carbon housing for a gearbox? Aren't cars run with ballast in the regions of the car where the gearbox resides anyway?

EDIT:
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http ... st.png&f=1

Carbon casing is lighter, which means you can place more ballast lower down, which lowers COG and improves performance.

[TwanV]

Before we dismiss Williams for this, out of curiosity isn't an alu casing just common sense? what exactly is the benefit of a carbon housing for a gearbox? Aren't cars run with ballast in the regions of the car where the gearbox resides anyway?

EDIT:
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http ... st.png&f=1

Carbon casing is lighter, which means you can place more ballast lower down, which lowers COG and improves performance.

Given Paddy Lowe's comment that "..the potential benefits don’t outweigh the cost" I have some doubts that this CoG difference between the two is very substantial (with ballast), particularly since this has not been on their priority list since 2007.

I guess it's the way teams with smaller budgets have to survive, the most gains for the least amount of resources.

[Morteza]

Via AMuS

[TwanV]

New diffuser, "bargeboard" parts and rear wing? or is this the same RW as seen yesterday? This one seems to have more spikey bits

[godlameroso]

Lol that tiny wing at the rear of the crash structure.

[Ringleheim]

I finally had a chance just now to take a good look at the new Williams.

It's kind of embarrassing how simplistic certain aspects of the car's design are, with emphasis on the front and area around the cockpit.

Williams was seemingly just trying to bang something out so as to have a new car to present to the world.

It's shocking to me how the mighty Williams has become Minardi. Actually, Minardi turned out cars with more design elegance than this FW42.

[dren]

It's obvious the car is missing bits around the barge board area. Williams has said they don't have all the parts on the car. Let's see what it looks like at the second test.

[dren]

This metal bit looks temporary. I'd expect more to the front of the barge board and under nose area before the season starts.

[Giblet]

Paddy Lowe has gone on record as saying that he’s come around to the Williams view on this - that the potential benefits don’t outweigh the cost.

What that means is there are benefits, and there obviously always is when you move from aluminium to carbon fibre, but Williams can't afford it.

Which is why he says the cost/benefit makes it not worth doing right now.

[ScrewCaptain27]

The mirrors have a weird concave shape:

[jjn9128]

The mirrors have a weird concave shape:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201902 ... 39170e.jpg

Mirror face is curved as well

[Morteza]

FW42 seems to be the only car with such a cutting on the FW endplate

Via @NicolasF1i