FIRST LOOK: Formula 1’s 2021 car in the wind tunnel

[strad]

They could borrow this one...
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the ... california

[Just_a_fan]

They could, if they could fit a suitably large rolling road section to it...

[jjn9128]

They could borrow this one...
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the ... california

Well if it's good enough for Mythbusters...

[strad]

I knew there was one ..Took me a few minutes to find it. Ganassi owns this one...I couldn't find it because I thought Penske owned it...:
https://www.racecar-engineering.com/art ... urel-hill/

[markc]

Nice Strad, I thought of Laurel Hill, however, you beat me to it! Also a new one is being built in the UK according to the last paragraph of the article you shared, in Catsby, Northampton, approx 15km away from Silverstone Circuit, which I find very interesting!

[Just_a_fan]

Catesby.

https://www.totalsimulation.co.uk/compu ... by-tunnel/

[markc]

Those pesky e's! I didn't even notice Google maps correcting. Also a bbc vid from 2017 on same:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-englan ... acing-cars

[carisi2k]

The problem with the rear wing is that there is too much of it. The only way to get air to flow through is to remove as many obstacles as possible in it's path. So the lower element and the elongated end plated need to go as far as I am concerned if they want to reduce turbulence to the car behind.

[jjn9128]

The problem with the rear wing is that there is too much of it. The only way to get air to flow through is to remove as many obstacles as possible in it's path. So the lower element and the elongated end plated need to go as far as I am concerned if they want to reduce turbulence to the car behind.

Not to be rude, but that's based on what? Have you got the fabled CFD eyes?

If you actually read any of the articles associated with these images you'd see the purpose of the rear wing is to thrust the low pressure "turbulent" air upwards, allowing higher pressure air to fill the void from the sides. The actual rear wing wake is high enough that it won't affect the following car, and how is affects the rest of the wake is extremely beneficial. If you didn't have it then the wake of the rear wheels and floor just sort of hangs around and affects the following car more, the exposed wheels BTW are the most significant part of the wake when it comes to dirty air/turbulence.

[Smokes]

Does anyone know how or if the FIA would calculate/measure the volumetric fill rate of the wake ?

I assuming is the generated wake is 0.6bar of turbulent air it should fill to .9 bar of slightly less turbulent air assuming 1 bar is atmospheric.

I wonder if this could set by the FIA to stop teams building cars with a shed loads of wake.

[carisi2k]

yep I have cfd eyes. We shall see but the motorsport series with the best racing tend to have very little aerodynamic appendages. Look at motogp or mid 1980's F1 cars and how simple they were for inspiration. It was when adrian newey introduced the lower beam wing in the late 80's and early 90's on the march and williams when things started to get difficult for overtaking. They also need to reduce the width of the cars as well. That high pressure air from the sides will be turbulent as well because it will be moving to fill the void created by trying to push turbulent air over the top.

I do like the simplification of the cars and the removal of the barge boards and all of those unnecessary appendages but that lower beam wing needs to go as do the long end plates.

[jjn9128]

yep I have cfd eyes. We shall see but the motorsport series with the best racing tend to have very little aerodynamic appendages. Look at motogp or mid 1980's F1 cars and how simple they were for inspiration. It was when adrian newey introduced the lower beam wing in the late 80's and early 90's on the march and williams when things started to get difficult for overtaking. They also need to reduce the width of the cars as well. That high pressure air from the sides will be turbulent as well because it will be moving to fill the void created by trying to push turbulent air over the top.

I do like the simplification of the cars and the removal of the barge boards and all of those unnecessary appendages but that lower beam wing needs to go as do the long end plates.

CFD eyes but no understanding of aerodynamics

[cmiguelpinto]

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... TBxtS.html

https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fo ... /image.jpg
https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fo ... /image.jpg
https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fo ... /image.jpg

I have already seen the AutoCAD files of this prototype... Will try to search them on my pc again

[FW17]

So finally after 25 years we say goodbye to the stepped floor?

Maybe they should have put the step on the outer edge of the floor, may look better than the curved floor edge in the model

[FW17]

Will they continue the research on a pair of actual cars on track to validate their wind tunnel results?

The mule can be a pair of formula 2 cars built by dallara