Motors The Official bit-tech F1 2012 Thread - Post season

I will reserve judgement unitl I see photos at Testing.
My initial reaction based on the two renders was "ZOMFG! Kill it with fire!".
The renders make it seem like the ugliest car yet...

 

Never mind the front, I want to see what they've gone for in terms of exhaust layout!

Hopefully there will be some Newey brilliance in there somewhere, just not enough that it can't be beaten.

 

Apparently it looks a bit different in the video... I'll wait for the Media tomorrow to make a decision, I reckon.

From the looks of it, I reckon the vent in front is KERS cooling, exiting just behind the drivers' heads.
We'll see what it looks like IRL, I suppose... which is when we'll also see the exhausts.

 

The new Toro Rosso is following in the veins of last years' car, with the twin floor/undercut sidepods. Another Ferrari car with relatively tiny inlets though, wonder what they're doing with that engine. Also note the gaping inlet under the airbox, and the very skinny nose.

 

that nose is super skinny indeed.
So testing starts this morning, and I am eagerly awaiting photos of the McLaren (afetr the plastic car they unveilled), as well as the Red Bull.

 

Live report from Jerez is up and ruinning here:
http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/435

Also, Williams launched their car in the Jerez pitlane half an hour ago...
Stepped nose, exhausts that (though it's hard to see with that paintjob) seem to be blowing the wing endplates (like the Sauber)

 

Another Ferrari-esque box section step does not a pretty nose make. The rear end is very tightly packaged though, hopefully they can get some performance from it this year.



An old name is currently topping the timesheet, already faster than the fastest Jerez lap in testing last year. Although that was by Rubens in the Williams



edit - the McLaren non-plastic exhaust looks...interesting.

 

That exhaust exit is, umm, interesting. That can't be final design, surely. Why would they want the exhaust gasses directed straight at the rear tyres? It's clear they're aiming to use the exhaust over fins on the rear brake ducts, as it was suggested some teams would do, but that doesn't look right to get it. Meh, maybe they're just keeping things under wraps still

 

The Lotus guys are a lot more sensible than me then. Positively ordinary.

The Williams back looks nice again.

This is a surprise if every there was one:


Or is it lament.

You can see a nice asymmetric bulge on the top of the tub there.

 

Alguersuari has had an interview telling how he was dropped from STR.

Jaime not happy

 

Eugh I do detest Hemut Marko, one of the worst things in F1 behind Ecclestone.

This video proves it all.

 

Anyone else look at the pics of the McLaren and think "WOW button is sitting low down".
http://www.autosport.com/gallery/photo.php/id/13290495

Some of it is definitely angles, but browsing through the pictures, it seems that Raikkonen and Button are a better fit for the cockpit and seem lower down than the rest of the drivers...

 

If you think about the airflow at that point of the car it's all flowing towards the rear wing and a large amount of it flowing inwards to feed the diffuser centre etc - you've got to aim the exhaust out a little to compensate for drift before it reaches the ducting.

 

True, good point. It's going to be really interesting once they're racing to see who's exhaust solutions are more or less affected by turbulance from following too.

Pics are up on formula1.com of the testing.

 

With the slots in the top of the exhaust 'pods', could they be trying to blow the rear wing, as has been suggested by ScarbsF1?

 

It looks to me like the exhaust exits at the start of that channel, and then is directed along it. You can just about see a shiny ring forward of the channel that looks like it could be the end of the exhaust. If that's right, maybe they can direct the flow at angles outside those required by the regulations...or maybe they can quickly swap out the pods to try different directions?

 

So testing day 1 done, and various teams are happy to varying degrees.
Autosport reports that Jenson Button is happy, stating that the car has a good feel and "no niggly bits", which is encouraging.
Kimi Raikkönen is also reasonably happy in his typically understated demeanor.
Heikki Kovalainen has said that the CT-01 already seems faster than last year's car, and that they will sort out a cooling issue which cost him running time yesterday.
Adrian Newey has doen the typical thing and downplayed expectations from RBR this year, but has commented on the slots, calling them "driver cooling".
And teams are still on edge about the new exhausts, mentioning the technical directive, which would seem to make McLaren the ones pushing it this year.

 

Yep, the exhaust ends right at the end of the sidepod itself, then the hump will be used to direct and merge the airflows. As you say they'll be trying different designs to see which gives the best result (for whatever they're trying to do).

 

Anyone else think the Mercedes W02 actually looks acceptable or even - dare I say it - nice with its stepped nose?

 

The W02 is last years car. Mercedes are not launching until later in the month.