lundi 27 avril 2009

Bahreïn : Technical news

Williams FW31 - revised rear wing

Perhaps surprisingly for one of the three original double-diffuser teams, Williams have taken the lead from a single-diffuser team (Red Bull) with this revision to their rear wing in Bahrain. As on the RB5, the endplates now come down to meet the outer walls of the diffuser. In doing this they have slightly reduced the total width of the diffuser's side channels.

Renault R29 - revised diffuser design

Introduced only on Fernando Alonso's car in China, Nelson Piquet also has Renault's revised aero package in Bahrain, with new bodywork and a double-decker diffuser. As you can see from the drawing, the diffuser's central channel is very wide, with the second upper deck channelling airflow from an opening in front of the rear axle, where the reference and step planes meet.

McLaren MP4-24 - revised diffuser design



For Bahrain, McLaren have kept their diffuser from China. An update of the Australia/Malaysia design, it is more than just a double-deck version, with a small additional flap (red arrow) designed to improve the efficiency of the central section. In the heat of Sakhir, the MP4-24 is running with wider bodywork on both sidepods (not just on the left as was seen at Sepang) but retaining the asymmetric solution for the exhaust exits (narrow on the right, wide on the left).

Red Bull RB5 - rear aero package


While Adrian Newey is working flat out on a B-version of the RB5, others have copied this feature of his car - extending the rear wing endplates to meet the diffuser. Note the sculpted floor (usually flat) near the rear tyre. This works in conjunction with the hole introduced in the floor in front of the tyre, reducing the drag created by the tyre and improving the efficiency of the diffuser's side channels.

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