Ideas on 2011 Formula One innovations

[carvetia]

I thought it might be nice to have one thread where people could propose (and have shot down ) half-baked ideas about what innovations could possibly appear next year (loop-holes that could be exploited etc). This is as opposed to just discussing what implications the new regulations have for existing designs... in what area do you think we're going to find next year's must have gimmick?

Personally, I was wondering if Mercedes' blade and Ferrari's wheels will become widely adopted now that everyone has a chance to implement them. As a natural extension of the blade idea, could teams start moving the intakes to even more creative locations? Perhaps wrap it around the safety cell to exploit a high-pressure area under the nose?

As for the poll, who do you think is going to bring next year's F-Duct or EBD? Something tells me it's going to be Mclaren again, though Renault is my outside bet

My only hope is that everyone is not to busy fretting over KERS to pull out anything else more interesting...

[Shrek]

so far i can think of 1 ways F-duct could be back: press a button on the steering wheel and it activates it. An idea that I quickly shot down was by controling it by the computer when you're going full throttle, but then it will do it at turn 8 at istanbul so it would'nt be very good and a potential hazzard if there is a short somewhere.

[donskar]

With Rory Bryne (SP?) retired and John Barnard doing furniture (!), it's genius (Newey) versus committee (McLaren and Ferrari). I'll put my money on genius.

[marcush.]

first of all .my idea of Newey is that of a conceptual worker not really as strong in getting things finished ...remember him as failing genius with Leyton house...where he just not had the strength in depth in the company to make his ideas work.
Only a big team has what it needs to support someone like him ...as was the case with Barnard ...who was more than once slammed for starting NASA programmes..

I do not think that Mclaren as an entity is lesser ,really.They came up with clever ideas and a car that worked this year but simply missed the boat by half a length in terms of flexy bodywork.For that rather big void they did bloody well and were able to close the gap to RedBull fighting with the stronger of the two
Bulls for the win in the last race (so it was not just Hamilton magic)

[xpensive]

What will be interesting to see next year is just how far teams are prepared to go in xploting the x-Brabham spannerman's inability to enforce FIA's technical regulations. A flexing rear wing would seem to be the obvious next step?

[machin]

so far i can think of 1 ways F-duct could be back: press a button on the steering wheel and it activates it.

That can't happen for two reasons:-

1, "moveable aerodynamic devices" are banned (except the front wing flaps this year and the rear wing flap next year -the loop hole with the F-duct is that the FIA decided that the driver isn't a "device").

2, The shark fin isn't allowed to join the rear wing next year.

[Richard]

Third reason - the teams have agreed to not run it next year. You'll not see any blown wings.

It is just like the FOTA decision to not use KERS, that sort of agreement based on intent and concsensus is more effective than any rule based on textural analysis.

[Formula None]

I imagine we may still see some fluidic switches tucked away in the cars next year, using main input air either from the airbox inlet as practiced this year (but routed down the spine of the engine cover since connected shark fins are out), the radiator inlets or exhaust gases directly.

We'd be left with blowing either the beam wing or the diffuser (unless feed air was routed back up the RW endplates or center pillar which Merc were supposedly doing).

The switching, I assume, can no longer be done by the driver's appendages (this would seem to make the most sense for banning any f-duct like systems). The only alternative I can think of then would be to locate the switch inlet in proximity to next year's movable RW flap. It could be plugged/un-plugged directly by the movement of the flap, or possibly the changing pressure gradients alone of the moving wing would be enough to mimic the effect of a hand over a hole. Either way, it would function only under passing maneuvers. So, a pointless innovation playing on a stupid rule...

What about an exhaust blown rear wing? A portion of the exhaust gases routed up a center support pillar to blow through the wing (not for stalling but to increase efficiency, so entering the airstream tangentially through a slot like in CCW wing). Or, simply exiting on the either side of the wing similar to blown flaps on aircraft. Seems like throttle-dependability was sorted out this year with ignition retardation. Beam wing could be done as well, but I'd be more worried about heat acting on that member. Maybe we'll see an EBD with directly plumbed in full-width slots on the low pressure side, instead of the indirectly fed exterior inlet holes we saw this year?

Unless there will be a test for it, the flexibility of the RW could be altered based on its position (extra flexy in passing mode?).

Active ballast to circumvent the new mandatory weight distribution rule?

Aside from that, I think its been mentioned here already, more adoption of the Merc single keel rollover hoop and rear pullrods to mimic the RBs.

Let me know if I've broken any established rules, but this seems like the thread to do so.

[machin]

Active ballast to circumvent the new mandatory weight distribution rule?

Is that definitely in for next year?

[n_anirudh]

so far i can think of 1 ways F-duct could be back: press a button on the steering wheel and it activates it.

That can't happen for two reasons:-

1, "moveable aerodynamic devices" are banned (except the front wing flaps this year and the rear wing flap next year -the loop hole with the F-duct is that the FIA decided that the driver isn't a "device").

2, The shark fin isn't allowed to join the rear wing next year.

Yep, that is correct, but a passive F-duct like Merc is sort of accepted.

[godlameroso]

I think next year the sidepods will move forward and be sculpted to feed the beam wing which I imagine will be quite sophisticated for next year. Does anyone know the size the tires will be next year? Will they have the same proportions as in 2009, or will they be the same as 2010?

[Formula None]

Active ballast to circumvent the new mandatory weight distribution rule?

Is that definitely in for next year?

Pretty sure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Formu ... al_changes

How about: tungsten spheres or cylinders lined up in fluid filled tubes routed through the chassis, change the pressure on either side of the chain to make them travel along the length of the tube. You could have ballast piped anywhere you want. Or are the tungsten blocks they used spec'd already?

[n_anirudh]

...

Active ballast to circumvent the new mandatory weight distribution rule?
.

Wouldnt that be akin to a mass damper banned in 05/06???

[wesley123]

so far i can think of 1 ways F-duct could be back: press a button on the steering wheel and it activates it.

That can't happen for two reasons:-

1, "moveable aerodynamic devices" are banned (except the front wing flaps this year and the rear wing flap next year -the loop hole with the F-duct is that the FIA decided that the driver isn't a "device").

2, The shark fin isn't allowed to join the rear wing next year.

Yep, that is correct, but a passive F-duct like Merc is sort of accepted.

Pressing an button on the steering wheel to activate it isnt quite passive.

[godlameroso]

In the regulations it states that ballast must be securely fixed, and requires tools to remove or put in.