2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX : Technical News

McLaren MP4-23 - reduced sidepod inlets

As in Belgium, in China the cross-sectional area of the McLaren's sidepod inlets was reduced, decreasing cooling capacity but increasing aero efficiency. At Spa the low ambient temperatures made this change feasible. In Shanghai it was possible - albeit to a slightly lesser degree - thanks to the cooling provided by the two long, high-speed straights. A specially profiled 'insert' was added to the bottom of the inlet, making the inlet smaller. This cuts drag and turbulence immediately in front of the sidepod, aiding the car's top-end performance on those long straights.

BMW Sauber F1.08 - front wing development

BMW Sauber have adopted a revised front wing assembly for the Japan and China races. The wing's main profile features a new lip, which protrudes to the rear. Visible thanks to its natural carbon fibre colour, this lip extends about 20mm under the flap entry edge (see yellow arrow and inset). Increasing the pressure of the airflow passing between the profile and the flap (and hence accelerating it), this modification helps enhance the efficiency of the entire barge board assembly, placed at both the level of the front suspension and in front of the sidepods. This slightly increases the level of downforce generated by the bottom of the car, without the team needing to adjust the angles of the flaps, and thus provides a more stable front end.

Ferrari F2008 - revised sidepod winglet fins

Ferrari has replaced the vertical fin (blue arrow) that connects the winglets in front of the sidepods to the rear edge of the barge boards with a heavily curved one. This results in less disruption of the airflow passing close to the winglet, dramatically reducing turbulence and generally providing better airflow management towards the rear of the car.

Ferrari F2008 - rear diffuser development

The central side section of the diffuser (circled) has been made narrower, with its reduced horizontal base now ending with a vertical fin. In turn, the Gurney tab (in yellow) along the main exit edge of the diffuser has been extended towards the centre of the car. This change is to reduce the sensitivity of the rear end to ride-height variations by maintaining a constant downforce level regardless.