Good to see Alfa have done something different with the roll bar. Since the reintroduction of turbos the air duct has been essentially unnecessary other than for cooling. I'm not sure what the ultra tight regulations allow but I've often wondered why teams haven't lowered the ducts while maintaining the mandatory roll bar height to allow more air to flow across the rear wing.
It would appear that, because the Alpine engine package takes its cooling predominantly through the roll bar duct (see my earlier post above) then Williams are able to use the upper half of the side pod ducting purely to vent air down on to the rear of the floor area.
I'm starting to disagree with FB, while the differences in design may outwardly not be blindingly obvious I think these new regs have produced the largest variation in design strategy that we've seen for years. The only problem is that we need technical experts such as Scarbs to be able to explain the differences.
The back end of that Williams is so tight. I had, originally, been a little concerned about the lack of cooling outlet on the Williams - but understanding that most of the cooling is coming from the top explains a lot... Mind they are beginning to look like:
I should stop being so cynical as there are subtle differences between the cars. I do still think the formula is over prescriptive with too many of the major design elements.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.