TECHNICAL NEWS : BAHRAIN GP

Toyota TF108 - front wing revisions

Along with Ferrari, Toyota were the other team to test in Bahrain earlier in the year. However, the Japanese team have taken a very different route to the world champions with their front wing revisions for Sakhir. Their design has a flap which is wider at its extremities (red arrows), ending with a completely horizontal profile (in contrast to the Ferrari's heavily sculpted shape). This configuration increases downforce, improving the car's front-end behaviour and correcting the understeer on corner entry that was an early problem when this car was originally launched. The TF108's balance now looks pretty good, providing smoother handling and translating into quicker lap times, as reflected in Jarno Trulli's P7 grid position.

BMW Sauber F1.08 - rear suspension detail

At the start of the season teams are always eager to get a close look at their rivals' cars and discover how their design concepts have been translated into reality. After its blistering start to the year, the BMW's secrets have come in for particular scrutiny. This car is, without doubt, very sophisticated, the result of an intensive aerodynamic study, both in the wind tunnel and using state-of-the-art CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) tools. Here we examine the F1.08's rear suspension, in particular its lower wishbone assembly, which has been cleverly integrated into the side channel of the rear diffuser. In fact, the section close to the pick-up point (where it connects to the gearbox) has a wing-profile shape, which cleverly follows the form of the diffuser itself (red arrow, yellow line). This ensures that airflow passing through this crowded area of the car does not meet any major obstacle, hence improving air extraction from beneath the car and dramatically reducing drag.

Ferrari F2008 - new rear wing profile

For the same reasons described in the article on Ferrari's front wing changes for Bahrain, the team have also introduced a new profile at the rear. It has a flat central section, with the outer extremities bending noticeably upwards (yellow arrow). The main advantage of this configuration is that it prevents the blocking of airflow in the section close to the endplates, reducing the drag this problem normally generates. At the same time, the flat central section provides sufficient downforce to guarantee rear-end grip, balancing it with the load produced at the front, so as to maintain appropriate handling.

Ferrari F2008 - front wing development

Bahrain is a dramatically different circuit to the first two rounds of the year in Australia and Malaysia. Although it sports a very twisty central section, it's a medium-fast circuit with an average speed exceeding 220km/h. This calls for a completely different aero set-up, so as to maximise high-speed performance without losing the handling capabilities required by the Sakhir layout. Ferrari, who tested extensively here before the start of the season, have introduced a major revision to their front wing, giving it a deeply-sculpted outer edge (arrow) to its flap. This dramatically reduces drag, whilst at the same time improving the delivery of airflow to the sidepod inlets, paramount here as the high temperatures require highly efficient engine cooling.