Blackout wrote: ↑21 Feb 2023, 07:19
Then my theory about these new outlets might be right: I think they are mostly cooling exits on steroids, that will keep pumping hot air from behind the radiator better than the shark gills
AR3-GP wrote: ↑21 Feb 2023, 08:15
I disagree. I don't think the primary focus is radiator cooling. I think the primary function is like the old nosecone s-ducts
Well, the team did confirm it's a duct, so any cooling it may have (or maybe not, it's not clear of which of the rule boxes the duct was explained as part of) is likely very limited and designed to minimise the losses. Looking at the back and the tight engine cover, it may also have a purpose of keeping the flow attached along the engine cover, especially in yaw (overall geometry looks mostly ok for straight line conditions).
We should remember the louvres follow the flow lines, so there is an upward (Z axis) velocity component in this area, caused by ambient pressure in the tubs "forcing" the air to go up for a bit.
I guess the overall tighter bodywork explains why the tubs are now shallower, they had to add a bit of volume somewhere. I don't think tubs' excessive depth can add more downforce and, in Ferrari/Haas execution, this downward slope also has a limited effect on reducing drag. So it would make sense the team chose to tighten the engine cover to "expand" the ambient pressure zone in the tubs.
Something like this, SF-23 is at a different angle so the length of ambient pressure zone is the same but shown according to the photo available. Regarding the width, I think this is why the team narrowed the engine cover further - to expand the ambient pressure zone laterally and further reduce the drag over the engine cover. The exact pressure distribution is not like this, this is just my rough estimate.