2012 Formula 1 Official Australian GP Banter Thread
Mar 16, 2012 | 10:11 PM
#32
Teamspeed Pro
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,205
From: Tampa, FL
The vent has a few experts questioning where the air really goes (it's not just for driver cooling as RB has explained), but their exhaust is by far the most complex setup on the grid.
From another forum, here's the popular theory & pics for you to decide for yourself:
And an illustrated theory:
This happens at cornering speeds:
The bridge allows the red air (exhaust) and the green air to trade places, and also guides the exhaust to where it is needed to help seal the sides of the diffuser so the RB8 can run at greater rake angles and generate more downforce.
This happens at straightaway speeds:
The exhaust is blown more straight aft (aided by the naca duct), reducing the sealing of the diffuser, therefore the downforce, and therefore the drag.
Any of you F1 nuts should definitely check out the F1technical.net forum, I've been blown away by some of the knowledge shared on that site.
From another forum, here's the popular theory & pics for you to decide for yourself:
And an illustrated theory:
This happens at cornering speeds:
The bridge allows the red air (exhaust) and the green air to trade places, and also guides the exhaust to where it is needed to help seal the sides of the diffuser so the RB8 can run at greater rake angles and generate more downforce.
This happens at straightaway speeds:
The exhaust is blown more straight aft (aided by the naca duct), reducing the sealing of the diffuser, therefore the downforce, and therefore the drag.
Any of you F1 nuts should definitely check out the F1technical.net forum, I've been blown away by some of the knowledge shared on that site.
Mar 16, 2012 | 10:28 PM
#33
Teamspeed Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 417
From: NY
^ good catch, thanks for the site.
i found this very interesting.
from f1technical.net
i found this very interesting.
Side by side: Red Bull RB8 and McLaren MP4-27
On Red Bull RB8 At Barcelona
At the final day of testing, with cars now approaching they race specifications for Australia, it was time to have a look against what are likely to be two of the strong teams at the beginning of the season.
Hence, we compared them with images from f1zoom, aligning the cars on lines A, B and C. Although we should be careful from drawing too many conclusions from image comparisons due to their slightly different perspectives, there are a few interesting bits we can notice.
First of all it is clearly noticeable that the driver is positioned more forward in the Red Bull chassis compared to the McLaren. This feature allows for longer and narrower sidepods, creating more freedom for the aerodynamicists working at the rear of the car. It is also likely moving the centre of gravity of the car forward, although this can be re-adjusted with ballast.
Secondly, it also appears that the Red Bull is slightly shorter than the McLaren (note markers G and H).
Marker D finally shows how much forward Red Bull have moved the exhausts, allowing the gases to be pulled down onto the diffuser. The latter is apparently considered crucial for performance by both teams.
A highres version is available in the gallery at http://www.f1technical.net/gallery/2012 ... /rb8-mp427
On Red Bull RB8 At Barcelona
At the final day of testing, with cars now approaching they race specifications for Australia, it was time to have a look against what are likely to be two of the strong teams at the beginning of the season.
Hence, we compared them with images from f1zoom, aligning the cars on lines A, B and C. Although we should be careful from drawing too many conclusions from image comparisons due to their slightly different perspectives, there are a few interesting bits we can notice.
First of all it is clearly noticeable that the driver is positioned more forward in the Red Bull chassis compared to the McLaren. This feature allows for longer and narrower sidepods, creating more freedom for the aerodynamicists working at the rear of the car. It is also likely moving the centre of gravity of the car forward, although this can be re-adjusted with ballast.
Secondly, it also appears that the Red Bull is slightly shorter than the McLaren (note markers G and H).
Marker D finally shows how much forward Red Bull have moved the exhausts, allowing the gases to be pulled down onto the diffuser. The latter is apparently considered crucial for performance by both teams.
A highres version is available in the gallery at http://www.f1technical.net/gallery/2012 ... /rb8-mp427
Mar 16, 2012 | 11:26 PM
#37
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,205
From: Tampa, FL
Mar 16, 2012 | 11:31 PM
#38
Thread Starter
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 31,976
From: Minnesota