Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis
Latest tech updates from F1 test as new Ferrari wing appears
Ferrari SF1000 rear
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The Ferrari SF1000 ran with a new engine cover this morning. The new design creates an enlarged shark-fin area and more tapered bodywork for the cooling outlet, which itself is minimised too.
Ferrari SF1000 rear wing
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Ferrari have a new wing to test for the second week of pre-season testing, as they look to trade-off some downforce in favor of drag reduction. The wing features a gentle curvature to the outer edges, creating a spoon-shaped design, much like the ones we've seen from Ferrari and other teams in the past.
Williams FW43 front wing
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A new front wing on the Williams FW43 for the first day of the second test in Barcelona, as the team looks to understand the changes early on. The modifications include cuts added into the inner flap tips, whilst the geometry of the upper flap is also different.
Alex Albon, Red Bull Racing RB16
Photo by: Franco Nugnes
Top-down overview of the Red Bull RB16 with flo-viz applied to the halo so that the team can assess how airflow is moving over the structure.
Alex Albon, Red Bull Racing RB16
Photo by: Franco Nugnes
A picture showing some of the flo-viz on the rear of the car that’s migrated from the main application point on the halo.
Renault F1 Team R.S.20 rear
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Renault also has kiel probe rakes fitted to the RS20, with rakes mounted ahead of the rear wheels too. Note the difference in frequency of kiel probes on the Renault rakes, as it looks to collect the data in a way that suits its specific criteria.
Carlos Sainz Jr., McLaren MCL35
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
McLaren with a kiel probe rake mounted behind the front wheels too, note how its design differs in layout too.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W11
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Mercedes out early doors with a kiel probe rake mounted behind the car, recording data that can later be analysed for correlation and performance improvement purposes.
Alfa Romeo C39 front wing
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A close-up of the Alfa Romeo C39’s front wing, which carries the main DNA of last year's wing, utilising the ‘unloaded’ style outer section. This week's variant currently has a shallower top flap than the one used last week though.
Haas F1 Team VF20 front suspension
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A close-up of the Haas VF20’s under nose/chassis turning vanes which are less complex than their predecessors at this stage, owing to the removal of the hedgehog fins mounted on the footplate.
Haas F1 Team VF-19 turning vanes detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
As a comparison the VF19’s turning vane arrangement.
Lance Stroll, Racing Point RP20
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
The Racing Point RP20 with the bullet-style camera housings mounted on the side of the airbox. Enclosed within are thermal imaging cameras that capture data from all four tyres as the driver circulates and can be used by the team to understand how to improve wear and increase performance.
Red Bull Racing RB16 rear detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The Red Bull RB16 with small chequered stickers on certain points on the rear wing, which are used as reference points for high-speed cameras that are mounted on the car and recording footage of how the wing moves around.
McLaren MCL35 diffuser detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
McLaren has a new diffuser for the second test, this one much less squared-off in the outer section than its predecessor, with the Gurney-like extensions also following suit.
Red Bull Racing RB16 rear wing detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Another view of the Red Bull rear wing and the chequered stickers placed around the assembly to help the team understand where it’s flexing.
Racing Point RP20 detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A close-up of the Racing Point rear wheel rims, which you'll note have a knurled surface to help with heat dissipation.
McLaren MCL35 front wing end plates
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A good look at the footplate design introduced by McLaren on the last day of the first pre-season test. The footplate itself is much flatter than before, with only a small arc present on the underside of the element, whilst on the upper, now flatter surface, an L-Shaped Gurney like extension has been added. The bluff outer body appears to have a clam-like shape, allowing airflow to migrate under the surface.
Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT01
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Alpha Tauri with a kiel probe rake mounted on the rear-end of the AT01, measuring flow around the sidepods, engine cover and floor.
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari SF1000
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Ferrari utilised some flo-viz paint in the early phase of the morning session, collecting visual data on the airflows performance from the nose, cape and turning vanes on the inboard section of the car, whilst also paying attention to the brake ducts too.
Alfa Romeo Racing C39 detail
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Alfa Romeo arrived with these new 'bunny ears' on top of their chassis for the second pre-season test, having used a different solution in 2019. The new design features two L-shaped elements utilised, which are then split into two more surfaces in the horizontal region.
Alfa Romeo Racing C38 fins
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Last season, Alfa Romeo used a different solution to the rest of the field in this region, opting for these hedgehog fins instead.
Robert Kubica, Alfa Romeo Racing C39 in the garage
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
In this picture of the Alfa Romeo C39 we can see how the team is playing around with its brake cooling, using foil tape to cover off certain apertures in order they can get the best aero, cooling and braking performance for the current conditions. Note how that means closing off the window above the brake disc entirely on the left-hand brake drum.
Nicholas Latifi, Williams FW43
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Williams with a smaller pair of kiel probe rakes behind the inboard section of the wing to gather data for back-to-back analysis, as this is where most of the changes have appeared on their new wing.
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari SF1000
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Another rearward shot of the Ferrari SF1000, showing off its spoon-shaped rear wing and the changes made to the bodywork around the cooling outlet, which is also now finished with a laquered paint effect, rather the matte finish on the rest of the car.
Mercedes F1 W11 diffuser detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Mercedes with flo-viz paint on its rear wing, as the team still focuses on correlation work in the second pre-season test.
The second and final pre-season Formula 1 test at Barcelona got underway this morning with teams already rolling out their latest parts.
Here, Giorgio Piola and Sutton Images bring us bang up-to-date with all of the technical details from the pitlane as they emerge.
This gallery will be updated during the day.
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About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Author | Giorgio Piola |
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