Pre-Season 2012 New Car Images & Discussion

[FB]

One other point, there were many complaints last year that drivers couldn't see the ends of the wings. Looks like this year they won't have the foggiest clue where the end of the nose is either. Well done the FIA, made a bad situation even worse.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Maybe McLaren just stuck last year's nose on it to hide the fact their new one is even worse!

 

[Road of Bones]

It seems to me that the "dolphin" noses are a solution to maintain the aerodynamic chassis height behind the front axle while complying with the new lower nose height regs. What McLaren appear to have done is remounted the front suspension wishbones lower, and instead of using the lower chassis behind the front axle for aero purposes, have employed the snowplough turning vane ahead of the front axle beneath their low nose to redirect the airflow into the sidepods. I think it's a rather elegant and aesthetically pleasing solution, and typically McLaren.
I'm rather looking foward to seeing Red Bull's take on it now...

 

[Brogan]

Compared to the Ferrari and HRT, I think the Force India looks OK.
I quite like the colour scheme.

http://www.skysports.com/gallery/detail/0,,12837_7478355,00.html

So far, in terms of looks, I would rate them as follows:

1. McLaren
.
.
.
11. A mangled mess
.
.
15. A polished turd
.
.
22 Force India
.
.
30 Ferrari
.
.
.
.
.
1,867 Caterham

 

[Greenlantern101]

Does one mean Caterham rather than HRT ?

 

[Brogan]

One did.

One has edited one's post

 

[Josh]

I don't know why but the Ferrari reminds me of a box... Ugly as hell.

 

[Galahad]

I'm rather looking foward to seeing Red Bull's take on it now...

Indeed, it feels as if only then we'll know who's "right" and "wrong".

Presumably, given so many McLaren staff have gone over to Maranello, Ferrari knew what McLaren were doing and decided to have the 'step' nose anyway? Or perhaps its too early to say. Or perhaps the final version will be totally different.

Bah! Launches, what a waste of time!

 

[sobriety]

After seeing these, I'm almost glad that I can only watch half the races

 

[Galahad]

 

[sushifiesta]

McLaren must have evaluated a platypus nose at some point and for whatever reason decided it's not the route for them. They might get a bit nervous if none of the other teams have gone down a similar route though...

 

[GeoffP]

When Ilook at the front of the Ferrari I can't help thinking that a nose like that is really going to help clean up the track - obviously the car will fill with crap, but the track will look lovely...

 

[GeoffP]

One thing - if you were a sponsor, where would you like your name?

Obviously the car needs to works, but to exploits Brogan's terminology would you want your name on a McLaren or a Polished Turd?

The only one that would ring true would be Virgin...

 

[Brogan]

The new Ferrari has pull-rod front suspension - first time since a Minardi about 10 years ago, apparently

https://twitter.com/#!/andrewbensonf1/status/165387239856144384

 

[Galahad]

Goodness me, so it does! I certainly didn't expect that.

 

[Road of Bones]

Lawks! How can we have missed that? It's obvious when you look at the front elevation...
Is it a packaging issue perhaps? The front of the tub may have needed to be even higher to accomodate a push-rod layout (or perhaps they have steepened the mounting angle of the front wishbones to accomodate the pull-rod layout?).
Fascinating...

 

[Vortex]

Jeysus christ! That Ferrari looks like it was born in Chernobyl.

 

[Galahad]

I'm sure it is a packaging issue. I think it wasn't favoured in the past because the dampers would have created a blockage in the airflow under the nose, which is critical to the sidepods and diffuser. Maybe Ferrari have got around that, or are happy to accept the compromise?

The geometry must be a compromise to some extent as well, I should think?

 

[KekeTheKing]

Wow, these stepped noses look more like medieval weapons than race cars. There must be a big benefit there, as there can be no doubt they've sacrificed aesthetics. If Newey's designed a stepped nose, I'll be wondering about McLaren.

 

[canis]

I have just been looking at the front end of the McLaren and the Ferrari there are some obvious differences. Ferrari appear to have gone for a higher mount of the suspension parts, which means the drop nose they have, but they have a very thin nose to the car creating a large gap underneath to the floor. The McLaren doesn't have this gap creating a lower profile nose.

I would guess that this is to do with the flow of air under the car. Ferrari are trying to control it and push more air under there so relying on the floor (which appear to be set back) to create a large amount of downforce. McLaren appear to be trying to limit the flow of air under the car so must be relying on other devices to create their downforce elsewhere. A cas of swings and roundabouts, just really a question of whose answer is the most efficient in race terms. Though there is something about the step down to the drop nose rather than the nice clean lines of the McLaren that doesn't appear to be that aerodynamically efficient, the flat step must produce some fairly large interference with the natural flow of the air?