The 2011 cars

[Brogan]

Someone's got a sense of humour

 

[teabagyokel]

Anyone look at that livery and think:

Super Aguri are back!!!!!!!!

Taku for the second seat!

 

[sportsman]

I remember hearing/reading that the Virgin was running over the weight limit until mid-season last year, so I don't think we should assume that they could incorporate KERS without getting into similar trouble again...even if there was an off-the-shelf system available, which there isn't.

I rather like the HRT. Aerodynamically it looks somewhat more convincing than the Virgin to me, though they're using the same tub as last year.

Magnetti Marelli make and sell a complete KERS system for F1.This is the same system as used Ferrari,Sauber, Red Bull and Renault.

 

[Galahad]

Magnetti Marelli make and sell a complete KERS system for F1.This is the same system as used Ferrari,Sauber, Red Bull and Renault.

I stand corrected, thanks

 

[snowy]

How has Force India gotten round the regulations banning blade-style roll hoops?

http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2011/0/816.html

They even describe it as a blade in their blurb!

“The most obvious visual change is that we’ve gone away from a conventional roll-hoop to a blade. This gives us a small packaging improvement compared to a more conventional style.

 

[Pyrope]

There was no ban on "blades". All the rules state is that the roll structure must have a cross sectional area of 10,000 sqmm at 5 cm below its highest point, with a maximum width or length of 20 cm. That means it only has to be 5 cm in the other dimension, which is still much more blade-like than a traditional airbox.

 

[snowy]

For 2011 the FIA has decided such solutions could prove dangerous in incidents of cars rolling on a soft surface such as grass or sand, where the blade could cut into the ground. A minimum cross section has thus been imposed, to discourage similar designs.

It appears the regulations weren't that discouraging.

Except that Mercedes have binned it!

 

[teabagyokel]

Anyone reckon it was crap?

 

[Grizzly]

Anyone reckon it was crap?

Brawn said it was just a compromise, as all things...

 

[teabagyokel]

Brawn said it was just a compromise, as all things...

Just wondering why FI are spending their time copying the silver when the blue was in front.

 

[Grizzly]

I thought the same. They are technical partners too

Maybe between the three of them (Merc/FI/McL) they decided to do a full program with it...

 

[snowy]

I like this thought from Williams technical director Sam Michael:

And I think the other thing that shows up this year is there is not much that you can't do. And because of whats happened with Formula One with restrictive bodywork regulations, people are becoming more and more extreme, either in the aero or mechanical solutions they are coming up with. There are things on the car now, ours included, that you'd look at two years ago and you'd say, "oh that's impossible, you can't do that" and we're doing them all. And other teams are doing them aswell.

It would seem the tighter the restrictions the more slippery the designers become.

 

[snowy]

It appears that McLaren have already tried a number of exhaust options including a possible FEE, though no one yet knows where that exit might be.

Sort of conventional blowing over the diffuser:




Ubend to a possible FEE?



Search me? It's gone walkabout!

 

[no-FIAt-please]

In the last picture the exhaust is just above the lip of the diffuser(about 3/4 to the right) ... isn't it?

 

[snowy]

There is an alarming amount of gaffer tape on the rear suspension in that last shot!

 

[Speshal]

There is an alarming amount of gaffer tape on the rear suspension in that last shot!

Don't whatever you do look up Speed tape you would not believe how many planes are held together with it.

 

[snowy]

McLaren earlier told @glenn_autosport that its delays today have been due to running short on certain parts.

 

[snowy]

More on McLaren's mysterious exhaust system from Scarbs. He still hasn't pinned it down though!
http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/

During testing today (day one) in Barcelona, Scarbs also speculated on Twitter that McLaren were running yet another configuration. This time exiting midway along the sidepod:


Photo: http://www.f1today.nl/fotos/barcelona-18-februari-2011.html

 

[Grizzly]

Thanks Snowy

 

[Pyrope]

How on Earth would that work? I can see how the front exit exhaust is being used to accelerate airflow around the sidepod, but an exhaust placed such that the exhaust gasses flow orthogonally to the airflow around the sidepod will disrupt flow to the beam wing, not enhance it... odd.