Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis
Styrian GP: Latest key F1 technical developments
Join us as we delve into the latest technical developments on display ahead of the Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, courtesy of Motorsport Images.
Click on the arrows on the images to scroll through them…
McLaren MCL35 floor detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
McLaren briefly tested a new floor arrangement on Carlos Sainz’s car during Free Practice which features a horizontal flap above the floor that meets with the vertical floor strake, much like the design seen on the Ferrari. The team painted flo-viz on this area before it was tested.
Carlos Sainz Jr., McLaren MCL35
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
A rear view of the McLaren MCL35 with a new engine cover and cooling outlet which not only alters the cooling capacity of the car but also the rear aerodynamics, as flaps can be seen on the trailing edge of the cover.
McLaren MCL35 engine cover detail
Photo by: Mark Sutton
Here’s a view of that flap over the top of the engine cover outlet from the front too.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF1000, floor
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Ferrari’s new floor features nine angled holes ahead of the rear tyre and shorter longitudinal slots as a consequence. Also note the flap above the floor ahead of the rear tyre, which is not new but has been redesigned with more surface area offered up to the connection with the vertical tyre strake.
Alex Albon, Red Bull Racing RB16
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Alex Albon’s RB16 outfitted with the new nose solution introduced last weekend and the new rear wing endplates that arrived for this weekend.
Red Bull Racing RB16 rear wing endplate
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A close up of the new Red Bull rear wing endplates which draws inspiration from designs already seen from Mercedes, Haas and AlphaTauri.
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
Photo by: FIA Pool
This shot over the shoulder of Sebastian Vettel in the garage also affords us a good vista of the cockpit cooling solution favoured by Ferrari in Austria, with a louvred panel and panel transition outlet for heat rejection.
George Russell, Williams FW43
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
George Russell behind the wheel of his Williams FW43 which features a new T-Wing this weekend, complete with longer endplates.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF1000
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
A great view of the Ferrari SF1000’s rear end with the shape and contours of the diffuser illuminated particularly well. Also note how large Ferrari’s cooling outlet is in order to help with the temperatures and altitude of the Red Bull Ring.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W11 EQ Performance
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Comparatively speaking, the Mercedes W11 is much more tightly packaged at the rear with a smaller cooling outlet. Also note the use of the double wing pillar arrangement on Hamilton’s car, rather than the single one used last weekend.
Romain Grosjean, Haas VF-20
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
The rear end of the Haas VF-20 and a good look at the diffuser too, note the small vortex generators mounted on the trailing edge of the plank to help energise the flow off the kickline.
Equipment mounted on the car of Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo Racing C39
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Kimi Raikkonen’s C39 outfitted with a large kiel probe rake in order to collect data regarding the performance of the diffuser and the interacting flow structures of the wheel wake alongside.
Equipment mounted on the car of Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo Racing C39
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
A side view of the rake mounted to the side of Kimi Raikkonen’s Alfa Romeo during Free Practice 1.
Robert Kubica, Alfa Romeo Racing C39
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Robert Kubica has flo-viz painted along the side of the chassis while deputising in the Alfa Romeo C39
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes F1 W11 EQ Performance
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
A top-down overview of the Mercedes W11’s bargeboard region shows off just how complex it is, with an abundance of aerodynamic furniture ahead of the sidepod to control the airflow and deflect any unwanted turbulence created by the front wheels
Alex Albon, Red Bull Racing RB16
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Alex Albon ventures out onto the circuit with the new rear wing endplates installed on his RB16 combined with the older nose configuration.
Esteban Ocon, Renault F1 Team R.S.20
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
The top-down overview of the Renault RS20 gives us a good view of both the new front wing and bargeboards introduced last week.
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari SF1000
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Sebastian Vettel tries out the new aerodynamic package that Ferrari have rushed through, which features a new front wing and floor.
Equipment mounted on the car of Daniel Ricciardo, Renault F1 Team R.S.20
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Renault with a kiel probe array mounted behind the front wheels to capture airflow data, as the team hopes to gain a better understanding of the wake turbulence created by the front tyre.
Sergio Perez, Racing Point RP20
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
The Racing Point of Sergio Perez outfitted with two large pods either side of the airbox which enclose thermal imaging cameras that are focused on gathering data during Free Practice on the behaviour of the tyres.
Jack Aitken, Williams FW43
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The Williams FW43 with flo-viz applied to the rear wing in order that the team can better understand the flow characteristics over the wing and use that data to improve their design methodology going forward.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Lando Norris’ McLaren MCL35 with additional infra-red cameras mounted within the pods on the side of the airbox to capture footage and data on the front and rear tyre temperatures.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Max Verstappen’s RB16 outfitted with a kiel probe array behind the front wheel and flo-viz painted on the outer corner of the diffuser.
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About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Event | Styrian GP |
| Author | Giorgio Piola |
