Pre-Season 2012 New Car Images & Discussion

[Mephistopheles]

HRT have just released images of their 2012 challenger....

 

[Mephistopheles]

Personally I think it's got potential...

 

[Andrea_Moda_Rules]

Do you really expect that nose to turn up at Valencia/Melbourne? It is very likely that that is an interim nose.

Unless I'm very much mistaken, and I'm usually am. The step effect is created on the monocoque and not the nose cone itself. The Monocoque has to be homolgated and cannot changed through out the season. So no stepped nose Mclaren
all of a sudden i've become a McLaren fan hehe.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Unless I'm very much mistaken, and I'm usually am. The step effect is created on the monocoque and not the nose cone itself. The Monocoque has to be homolgated and cannot changed through out the season. So no stepped nose Mclaren
all of a sudden i've become a McLaren fan hehe.

You are not mistaken but with a proviso,, it can be changed (Mercedes 2010) but it will have to pass the crash tests again...

 

[Mephistopheles]

Innovative and dramatic are just two of the adjectives used by the bbc to describe the the noses of the Ferrari and the Force India.

I think ugly and uglier are better..

 

[no-FIAt-please]

It certainly is becoming noticable that front wing design is becoming rather similar, both Force India's and Ferrai's front wings seemed to have evolved into what Red Bull have pioneered, but of course seeing as Red Bull are miles in front it's not unusual for their ideas to be copied.

Whatever happend to that double Ferrari/McLaren floor?

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

Am I being very stupid? I thought the purpose of brake ducts was to cool the brake discs. So if Ferrari or anyone else are blowing hot exhaust gas over or into them, how does that work?

 

[Mephistopheles]

I suppose the brakes work at a lot higher temperature than exhaust gases are so the only benefit would be to try and keep the temperatures up on the straights and to warm them up initially.

just a guess..

 

[Jos the Boss]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/16872627

 

[Josephiah]

HRT have just released images of their 2012 challenger....

View attachment 3342

Platypusses look fairly aerodynamic... Anything in the rules about legs rather than wheels?

 

[ATL11]

Well after Caterham's launch and the gasps and sniggers, we had McLaren were we believed normality returned, this ruse of duck Billed noses was a myth a joke to get us F1 fans stirring......

Hell No......Uglyville population has now increased to 3 with Force India and I can't believe I'm saying it Ferrari join the growing township.

Dear God, these cars are ugly damn ugly, imagine this sport on Sky HD in 3D, stand back from the screen or you'll end up with black eyes!

The Aero boffins must be doing something with the undersize of the nose to counteract this uglyness! Surely the air will just go straight up, ermmm can I ask a few maybe daft questions:

1) Will the top left & right hand corners of these Duck Bill section not cause vortices and obscure the drivers view (see attached McLaren picture below)?
2) I assume they have tested these cars in the rain to see what the Duck Bill bit does for the drivers sight, this isn't going to throw up a solid screen of water is it?
3) My best one - Thinking laterally, could the Tip vortex (think that's what it's called) caused by the Duck Bill not actually suck the drivers head towards the nose as the air is reversed?

 

[Kewee]

F1 cars stopped looking pretty a long time ago. Don't really car as long as they're quick and reliable. I've never seen two cars more different than one another than the Ferrari and McLaren, in almost every detail. You'd have to believe with all their resources there's more than one way to skin a cat and hopefully they're both right and have designed very quick cars. It's going to be hugely disappointing if one of them has got it completely wrong, and very embarrassing for the team concerned if that were the case.

 

[bogaTYR]

Our good friends at Marca came up with a funny little thingie... Compare parts of Ferrari over the years

http://www.marca.com/2012/02/03/multimedia/graficos/1328269686.html

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

That's pretty interesting bogaTYR - shows how little the cars have changed over the years. I'm quite surprised at the gentle evolution.

 

[Jos the Boss]

So could Mercedes have stole a march here by releasing their care later? Pre season testing they can see who's going best!

 

[Mephistopheles]

I'm surprised how much longer the wheel base has become..

 

[Zed Ali]

Be interesting to see which philosophy works best when following another car. Will the low nose be less sensitive to turbulance?

 

[Jos the Boss]

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/274156/turvey-completes-mp4-27-shakedown/
Lewis and JB won't be happy!

 

[Kewee]

canis......"the flat step must produce some fairly large interference with the natural flow of the air."
I think they've got a wind tunnel to measure such things.

 

[Westy]

I am glad that at least the Mclaren looks different from the other cars we have seen so far this season. Of course there are risks with going down the road less traveled. However, it is refreshing to see diversity on the cars. Obviously F1 cars have always had small differences in design, but this is clear to see. I am hoping for a closely contended season that keeps us guess the whole way through.

I love this time of year, so many questions and hopes for every team. I'd love to see a midfield team make some huge gains and challenge for podiums if not wins.