Technical News : MONACO 2008

Ferrari F2008 - nose hole development

For the second time in three races, Ferrari have utilised their vented nosecone assembly in Monaco. The solution, which improves the car's overall aero balance, works best at high-downforce tracks like Monte Carlo, and the Italian team have further refined it with the addition of two triangular, inclined winglets (inset) at the base of the nosecone. These are designed to help divert away turbulence generated by the front-wing pillars and hence enhance the efficiency of the bottom hole.

Honda RA108 - front wing development

For Monaco Honda introduced a series of small changes, in various areas of the car. A couple of the most interesting were to be found at the front (compared here to the configuration from the last round in Turkey). Two inclined trapezoidal winglets were added to the inner face of the front wing's endplates (lower arrow), not to increase downforce, but to better control the airflow directed towards the flaps of the wing and the front suspension elements. The extra winglets work in conjunction with the 'elephant ears' added in Spain, which for Monaco featured a small rounded endplate on each side (upper arrow). These two changes helped the front-end sharpness of the car's handling - crucial in the confines of the Monaco streets.

McLaren MP4-23 - slitted sidepod winglets

Compared to last year's McLaren, the MP4-23 boasts a longer wheelbase and a slightly revised layout and weight distribution. Changes to its aerodynamics, however, have been much less radical and more of a refinement of those found on its predecessor. For Monaco the British team have added side slits (inset) to the endplates of the car's sidepod winglets. Similar to a revision introduced by Renault last year, they are designed to reduce any extra turbulence generated by the larger Monaco-spec winglets - and consequently ensure maximum downforce gains.

Williams FW30 - long shark-fin engine cover

At Monaco high downforce is key and to improve the FW30 in this respect, Williams have followed the trend set by Red Bull and followed by Renault and Toro Rosso by introducing a shark-fin engine cover. The fin is very long and extends towards the rear wing, eventually tapering down to draw level with the main wing profile (yellow arrow). It increases the efficiency of the rear wing and provides a huge amount of downforce. Attached to the rearmost tip of the fin is a small winglet (red arrow) which is designed not to add downforce but to keep the cover stable and prevent the fin from bending.