AUSTRALIA GP : TECHNICAL NEWS

Ferrari F2008 - steering wheel revisions

With the F2008's overall balance looking strong since its debut, Ferrari have concentrated their efforts on the car's finer points. One interesting improvement has been the revised layout of the steering wheel's switches, which have been changed to better suit the drivers' preferences. The switch that manages the mid-corner differential set-up (1) has been placed at the top of the central column, while the switch for the corner entry differential set-up remains in the same position. The commonly-used control for managing the differential on the exits of corners (2) has been moved to the top right, while the 'mix' (4) and 'revs' (5) switches have been moved to the left-hand side, as they are used less frequently.

Red Bull RB4 - 'shark-fin' engine cover

During testing in Barcelona, Red Bull introduced a striking 'shark fin' extension to the RB4's engine cover (red arrow). The modification dramatically increased the surface area of this section and was introduced to provide better airflow to the rear wing and maximize the car's stability under braking. The new cover interacts in a very complex way with the rear-end aerodynamics of the car and its full potential has not yet been completely exploited. Such radical solutions are often hard to tune, though hopefully not so hard as to outweigh the benefits.

Renault R28 - barge board detail

It is interesting to note how quickly BMW Sauber's barge board solution for the F1.08 was adopted by Renault on their R28 (circled and red arrow). This area is crucial, as it manages the flow of cooling air to the car's radiators and can also be used to divert air towards the rear wing to create an almost continuous horizontal flow. Depending on the aerofoil configuration, this can generate significant amounts of downforce, without increasing drag.