March 08, 2009
The New Noses
As we're all aware, F1 has some new aerodynamic rules that have, for the most part, made the cars look pretty much alike. While doing the "F1 Pr0n" series of posts, though, I've noticed that there's one place that the teams have been showing a surprising amount of individuality.
That's the nose, and particularly how the front wing is mounted to the pointy end of the car. There seem to be three main schools of thought on how the wing should be attached under the new rules, and we'll take a close look at them in a second.
First, however, let's take a look at how the nose of a F1 car has been designed over the past three seasons:
The 2006 Ferrari nose came with an extra element slung beneath the wing, but had a simple short mounting.
The 2007 SuperAguri nose had a fairly complex, medium-length mounting system, and of course a raised bridge-style wing.
The 2008 BMW nose had a short length mounting, and a very convoluted wing.
Now onto the 2009 noses!
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
09:34 PM
| Comments (4)
| Add Comment
Post contains 605 words, total size 5 kb.
1
What's the purpose of the front wing? It's hard for me to judge good/bad if I don't know what they're trying to accomplish.
As a guess, the purpose is to control airflow over the front tires in order to minimize turbulence and drag. Is that it?
Alternatively, the purpose is to produce down-force so that the front tires have better traction for steering.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at March 08, 2009 11:20 PM (+rSRq)
2
Downforce is the primary reason for the front wing, Steven. Anything in the way of airflow control is an extra benefit (and one that I'm sure they design for), but keeping the front tires stuck to the ground is the main goal.
A F1 car without the front (or rear) wing can still be driven, but it becomes very difficult to steer, and impossible to steer at higher speeds. It's no surprise that when
Honda went to Bonneville a few years ago to run their car up to 400kph, they had taken off as much front wing as they could (and replaced the rear wing with a tailfin)... they needed little drag and just enough downforce to keep the wheels on the ground. Of course, on the salt flats you don't need to turn.
At a place like Monaco, though, they crank on the wing for as much downforce as they can get. It's a slow track, so the drag caused by the wings doesn't affect the top speed much, and it lets the car hold onto the street like a cat on a shag carpet.
Posted by: Wonderduck at March 08, 2009 11:39 PM (tMdKd)
3
If anything should remind you about F-4U, it's McLaren. Remember that F-4U received a lot of benefit from wings meeting the fuselage at the right angle, which is exactly what McLaren's bent mounts are for.
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at March 09, 2009 06:37 AM (/ppBw)
4
Good analysis of the nose types. I think I prefer the Brawn nose for the highly technical reason that it looks nicer. Red Bull, for instance, looks like it's attached with paper clips, although that may have been the angle of the picture or the lighting or something.
Looking forward to race day!
Posted by: Mallory at March 10, 2009 06:47 AM (3sife)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
March 07, 2009
F1 Pr0n: Brawn Racing BGP001
Hello, world...
Well, that's it. That's the only picture that's been released of the new BGP001, in this case being driven by Jenson Button. Just noticed that the front wing mounting to the nose is completely different from everybody else's... curious. I might have to do a post on that, compare and contrast for each team...
I rather like the plain white-with-neon-yellow livery, but there's not a chance in Hades it's gonna stay that way, not if the team wants to last more than one race.
Posted by: Wonderduck at
10:48 AM
| Comments (4)
| Add Comment
Post contains 91 words, total size 1 kb.
1
I find your post confusing in a couple of ways. For one thing, to my uneducated eye, the front fin mounting looks exactly the same, and I don't get the sense that you're being snide.
For another, I can't figure out why the team's longevity would be a function of the paint color.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at March 07, 2009 05:45 PM (+rSRq)
2
1. Everyone else opts for a high nose this season.
2. WD is talking about sponsor logos. The basic livery is already approved by FIA, it's said.
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at March 07, 2009 06:35 PM (/ppBw)
3
Regarding the livery, Pete's right, though when I made the post, I didn't realize that what we were looking at
was the race livery. I assumed it was their testing colors, much like McLaren's classic "
Gulf Orange" preseason paintjob in 2006.
Further reading has revealed that the team is, apparently, going to run exactly as we see it above: no sponsor logos other than the F1-mandated ones.
Regarding the front-wing mounting, there's a post coming. Turns out there's quite a wide range out there.
Posted by: Wonderduck at March 07, 2009 07:40 PM (tMdKd)
4
BTW, they are racing without logos because original Honda didn't have them (due to the enviro livery), and finding new sponsors takes time and effort. But the management was busy rescuing the team. Brawn said yesterday that they will seek sponsors, but didn't set any targets when it's going to happen.
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at March 11, 2009 11:06 PM (/ppBw)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
February 28, 2009
F1 Pr0n: Force India VJM02!
Why the long face?
It took them long enough, but the new Mercedes-powered, McLaren-influenced VJM02 has finally debuted, and here's a shock... it doesn't look like all the others! The vertical frontwing braces is similar only to
Toyota's. All the others have a chunkier, shorter system. However, it's my guess that if there's a team out there you don't want to emulate, it's Toyota. Could be wrong, however; the new rules may have flattened the playing field. Or not.
It took the team long enough to roll their car out, which is never a good sign. The team hasn't had any track time in comparison to the other challengers, and thereby are behind in the testing battles. Where (let's say) Ferrari has already shaken their chassis down and found weaknesses they could work on in the runup to Australia, Force India still has yet to discover their problems.
Kudos for working their team colors into the livery, though. While I liked the gold and white of
last year's livery, this is more appropriate to the "national" flavor of the team. Orange, green and white are the colors of the Indian flag, after all... they just need the wheels to have 24 spokes.
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
09:14 PM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 264 words, total size 2 kb.
1
Interesting looking car and thanks for explaining the significance of the colors. It ought to be easy to spot on the track.
:-)
Posted by: Mallory at March 03, 2009 07:57 AM (3sife)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
February 09, 2009
F1 Pr0n: Red Bull RB5!
So... it's been nearly three weeks since the last rollout, but today Red Bull debuted their Adrian Newey-designed 2009 racer, the RB5. Just look at that nose shot...
spindly doesn't begin to describe it. And to be honest? From some angles, these cars are ugly as sin.
Not that one, though.
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
11:00 PM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 195 words, total size 2 kb.
1
The front stabilizers this year just look weird to me, like they're only barely held on and just looking for any opportunity to fall off and go under the front wheels.
It seems like they could rock side-to-side, and touch down, for example. As soon as one end hits the pavement, it gets pulled back right into, and under, the wheel.
Presumably the designers recognize the danger and have made them plenty stiff, but it still looks strange to my engineer's esthetic.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at February 10, 2009 01:33 PM (+rSRq)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
January 21, 2009
F1 Pr0n: BMW F1.09!
It's the one we've all been waiting for: the car that'll bring BMW up to the level of the big guys, the one that's... um...
...exactly the same as all the others.
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
12:51 AM
| Comments (2)
| Add Comment
Post contains 227 words, total size 2 kb.
1
In the first picture (the head-on view), I thought the new car had a mean look. But compared to last year's Tchotchkemobile, it looks pretty tame.
Posted by: Mallory at January 21, 2009 07:42 AM (3sife)
2
Nah, they'll be faster. They've got "Intel inside"!
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at January 21, 2009 08:09 PM (+rSRq)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
January 19, 2009
F1 Pr0n: Williams FW31 + Renault R29!
Two rollouts today, both so low-key that pictures are really thin on the ground. How scarce? Williams posted
renderings of their car on their website, that's how scarce! Well, let's take a look, shall we?
Okay, not a rendering, granted. It's also the only decent photo of the Williams FW31 available. As much as I like the color scheme, it won't stay that way for the season, alas. Now for a rendering...
Wow. Exciting, huh? I'll keep looking, maybe I can actually dig up a REAL photo or two.
Now, Renault...
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
08:02 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 203 words, total size 2 kb.
January 16, 2009
F1 Pr0n: McLaren MP4-24!
I have to admit that I'm disappointed with McLaren's rollout today. Practically no glamour shots (which makes the job of presenting F1 Pr0n difficult), just a car on an angled podium. Still, it's the new edition of the Glare On Wheels, so here we go...
A more involved nosewing than that on the Toyota and Ferrari with a two-element flap system (the red parts). Only the upper unit can be adjusted however, as per the tech regs.
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
08:07 PM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 366 words, total size 3 kb.
1
Thanks for the photo comparison with last year's car. It is much sleeker. Still, Ferrari gets my award for purdiest 2009 so far. :-)
Posted by: Mallory at January 17, 2009 11:12 AM (WJ2qy)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
January 15, 2009
F1 Pr0n: Toyota TF109!
Pretty. Loser, but pretty.
The F1 rollouts continued today with Toyota debuting their 2009 charger, the TF109, with a full multimedia blitz. If you're interested in seeing their faux-movie trailer,
The 2009 Contender, just click
HERE. There's some very well-done movies there, including a video of glamour shots that's actually well-worth watching if you like F1 Pr0n. Jarno Trulli's acting will amaze you...
Let's look at some still shots of the car...
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
05:41 PM
| Comments (4)
| Add Comment
Post contains 298 words, total size 3 kb.
1
I agree that the new cars look a lot cleaner.
Are they permitted to charge the KERS before the race begins? So that they can use it at the start?
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at January 15, 2009 06:35 PM (+rSRq)
2
According to the
2009 Technical Regulations, the KERS may be used at any time during the race, but the total energy use per lap "may not exceed 400kJ." The relevant
Sporting Regulations entry only says that the KERS cannot gain power when the car is unmoving (i.e., in the pits).
Near as I can tell then, it can be charged and ready to go when the lights go out, as long as it charges on the track. Leastwise, the rules don't specifically prevent it, and even if the KERS was bone-dry when the car left the pits, it'd get two full laps (recon and formation) to charge before the race started.
Posted by: Wonderduck at January 15, 2009 08:51 PM (sh9fy)
3
Well, then, that should make the starts even more exciting, eh?
If it takes a lot of braking to charge it up during those two laps, I wonder if we'll get accidents when people rear-end others who are aggressively charging?
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at January 15, 2009 10:19 PM (+rSRq)
4
Another sleek look, although it's hard to look much sleeker than the new Ferrari.
Can't wait to see the new McLaren.
Posted by: Mallory at January 16, 2009 07:58 AM (3sife)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
January 12, 2009
F1 Pr0n: Ferrari F60!
Oh. Oh yes. Yes, please.
It's rollout season for the F1 Circus, and as is usually the case, Ferrari is first out the gate. This year, however, it actually means something, as this is our first official look at the new aerodynamic rules on a car.
More pictures below!
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
08:56 PM
| Comments (5)
| Add Comment
Post contains 221 words, total size 2 kb.
1
The way that front wing is placed, if anything goes wrong with it, it's going under the front tires. It seems more accident prone than the previous ones were, and the piece that's going under the tires is gonna be bigger. But yeah, it looks a lot cleaner, overall.
Seems they changed the front suspension quite a lot. And it looks to me like the wheelbase is wider. Is that just an optical illusion?
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at January 12, 2009 10:47 PM (+rSRq)
2
I
think it's an optical illusion. I don't remember seeing any rules changes regarding the wheelbase or -width. It doesn't help that the comparison photos aren't to scale with the F60. The suspension for sure is different, but that may not be a rules change, it might just be Ferrari deciding to build in a different suspension style.
Regarding the wing going under the tires, yeah, probably so. Last year, though, it was the wing going under the forward fuselage and jacking the front wheels off the ground, so the result is the same. That first turn at Melbourne should be interesting...
Posted by: Wonderduck at January 12, 2009 11:48 PM (sh9fy)
3
In a word: SLEEEEEEK!
(Sorry, I'm a diehard Ferrari fan.)
I caught a glimpse of the McLaren, and it looked awfully red. Can't wait to see what it really looks like.
Posted by: Mallory at January 13, 2009 08:04 AM (3sife)
4
Here is a composite image done to scale for comparison of the F2007 and F60.
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/4239/f60vsf2008ua9.jpgIn general I love the new look, but the rear end certainly looks funny with the tiny wing, and the sidepods merging in earlier without any of the gills, etc. removes some character.
Dropping the front wing down into ground effect and adding slicks should have a very interesting effect on passing, as will making it harder to deliberately dirty up the air behind the car.
Posted by: David at January 13, 2009 12:51 PM (Gb/o4)
5
Did I hear correctly? I heard that the front wing is now adjustable from inside the cockpit! That should make for some interesting action/mistakes, along with the KERS based push-to-pass button.
I'm looking forward to seeing the new BMW as their cars always look a little bit different from everyone else.
That being said with the current rules I imagine the cars are going to look more similar than they have in a few years.
Posted by: buttons at January 15, 2009 02:27 PM (VjS5e)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
November 19, 2008
F1 Pr0n: Barcelona Testing!
So while the season is done, F1 never really rests. The past three days have seen the teams congregate in Barcelona, Spain, for the first round of Winter Testing. Partially this is so the teams can work out prospective new drivers, like Bruno Senna and...
...I'm sorry, I can't restrain myself. SUPERSATO!!!!!11!eleventy1111! He's up for a seat with Toro Rosso, one of three going for two drives,
and the only one with F1 experience. If there's any justice in the world, he'll be back in 2009.
But that's not the IMPORTANT news coming out of Barcelona. Y'see, here's what F1 cars look like now:
McLaren's MP4-23Yeah, we've seen it a gazillion times, right? Well, things are gonna change a little bit in 2009, and BMW brought their version of the new car out...
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
11:26 PM
| Comments (6)
| Add Comment
Post contains 334 words, total size 3 kb.
1
Seeing slicks is the strangest thing of all for me. While that'll make for a faster race on dry, it'll also mean that if there's
any wet at all, there'll be lots and lots of accidents.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 20, 2008 01:37 AM (+rSRq)
2
I agree. Those front and rear wings look weird. Maybe if they find a different way to attach them they'll look better.
And a big YAY! for Sato!
Posted by: Mallory at November 20, 2008 07:52 AM (3sife)
3
What happened to Webber? Did someone else hire him away?
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 20, 2008 11:56 AM (+rSRq)
4
No, Webbo is still with Red Bull. He'll be teaming with Driver of the Year candidate Sebastian Vettel, who'll be replacing David Coulthard's Chin.
SeaBass is fighting with TAKU~! and Sebastien Buemi for the two Toro Rosso seats... and what is it with Toro Rosso and drivers named 'Sebastien/Sebastian' anyway?
Having typed that, I realized I made an oops up in the text. Duh.
Posted by: Wonderduck at November 20, 2008 03:51 PM (hplPV)
5
Then that's how I got confused: "Toro Rosso" isn't the same team as "Red Bull".
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 20, 2008 04:05 PM (+rSRq)
6
Correct. They're both owned by Dieter Materschitz, the 'creator' of Red Bull energy drinks, though, and are essentially the "A" team (Red Bull) and "B" team. The junior team has had a lot more success than the big team, however, which I find amusing.
Posted by: Wonderduck at November 20, 2008 06:29 PM (hplPV)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
October 18, 2008
Mark Webber Goes Boom!
As mentioned, Mark Webber had an engine failure in P3 in Shangai this morning. Reportedly it was somewhat spectacular.
Yup.
Boom. Splat.
Who's got the marshmallows?Yup, that's a kablammo all right.
Posted by: Wonderduck at
07:42 PM
| Comments (4)
| Add Comment
Post contains 36 words, total size 1 kb.
1
The very definition of kablammo!
Posted by: Mallory at October 18, 2008 07:50 PM (WJ2qy)
2
That looks like something you'd see in Top Fuel.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at October 18, 2008 08:11 PM (+rSRq)
3
That's what happens when 19000rpm goes bad!
Posted by: Wonderduck at October 18, 2008 09:02 PM (AW3EJ)
4
And when it's burning gasoline. (When nitro burns, it doesn't have a visible flame.)
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at October 18, 2008 10:04 PM (+rSRq)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
March 12, 2008
F1 Pr0n: Toyota Put One Over On Us!
F1 UPDATE! has discovered that Toyota was spoofing earlier when they rolled out their so-called "
TF108." Jarno Trulli debuted their REAL car today in Melbourne, and we've got an almost-exclusive picture! Click below...
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
09:10 PM
| Comments (2)
| Add Comment
Post contains 54 words, total size 1 kb.
1
LOL!!!
I didn't realize F1 had a line of compact cars, too. ;-)
Posted by: Mallory at March 13, 2008 06:54 AM (YwBI6)
2
It's got slicks, it's not legal.
Posted by: Buttons at March 13, 2008 06:56 AM (VjS5e)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
March 07, 2008
F1 Pr0n: Williams FW30!
T3h 3\/1L!
Looks aren't everything, but the new Williams charger, the FW30, has an aura of menace and nasty around it. It's been a while (Minardi '05) since we've had a black and white car on the grid, it's kinda nice to see.
On second thought, maybe Williams doesn't want to invite comparisons to Minardi...
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
09:12 PM
| Comments (8)
| Add Comment
Post contains 309 words, total size 3 kb.
1
I love this paint job! It looks elegant (which, I guess, is an odd word for a race car). Less than a week to go until we can see it on the race course.
YAY!!!!
Posted by: Mallory at March 08, 2008 09:21 AM (WJ2qy)
2
We can't really tell what the paint job looks like, because all those pictures are B/W. What does it look like in color?
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at March 08, 2008 10:02 AM (+rSRq)
3
*snort* You have a point there.
(Unless, of course, you're serious, Steven, in which case I direct you to the Bridgestone logo on the nose.)
Posted by: Wonderduck at March 08, 2008 12:10 PM (UdB9M)
4
That was photoshopped in. Notice that it isn't in color in the last picture.
Also note that your closeup isn't in black-and-white.
What they did with most of those pictures was to drop the saturation to zero, and in the case of the two with the colored logo those parts were either excluded using a mask, or (my opinion) recolored afterwards.
I wonder why they did that only for the Bridgestone logo? The AT&T logo should be blue, not black.
I won't believe that the paint job really is black-and-white unless I see a picture of the car in a colored setting.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at March 08, 2008 04:07 PM (+rSRq)
5
Also note that the Bridgestone logo isn't colored in the fourth picture.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at March 08, 2008 04:08 PM (+rSRq)
6
Also note that I'm using lousy quality pictures; in the source (easily found online) photo, it IS colored.
I won't believe that the paint job really is black-and-white unless I see a picture of the car in a colored setting.But, Steven, why in the world would Williams photoshop their car's livery to make it look black? Especially when I'm not using
pictures that show the drivers standing next to (or sitting on) the car? Sure, you can mask them, too, but
what's the point? One good reason, that's all I'd ask for.
(For the record, some websites say that it's not black, but a very dark blue. Okay, I can buy that; I don't have the greatest monitor in the world. Close enough, though.)
Posted by: Wonderduck at March 08, 2008 11:20 PM (AW3EJ)
7
OK, having seen those pictures, now I buy it.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at March 09, 2008 12:42 AM (+rSRq)
8
Is it me or does that front wing look like a recipe for decapitation?
Posted by: Simon at March 09, 2008 08:01 AM (rmH/k)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
February 12, 2008
February 07, 2008
F1 Pr0n: Force India FJM01
Yowza! Force India debuted its race livery today in Bombay (or do you say 'Mumbai'?), and while I don't like it as much as their
testing colors (where'd the crimson go?), this is still a very handsome car.
Officially, the colors are white, gold, and titanium (the stripe running from the cockpit to the nose and back). I've racked my brain, and I can't think of another team that used gold at all... should be an interesting contrast with the McLaren.
Unfortunately for us, the rollout didn't have any good shots from the side or top, but click below for the centerfold: it's worth it.
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
10:45 PM
| Comments (11)
| Add Comment
Post contains 291 words, total size 2 kb.
1
I suppose it's okay, but I loved that earlier paint job. Why two paint schemes in one season, I wonder?
Posted by: Mallory at February 08, 2008 08:07 AM (3sife)
2
Eh. The first one wasn't the official paintjob, just something they had while they were doing tests.
It's like Honda's all black car from testing in 2006, or McLaren's safety orange from the same year.
Too bad, though.
Posted by: Wonderduck at February 08, 2008 08:18 AM (UdB9M)
3
I don't know if it has been mentioned here before, but an old axiom of ship building was: If it looks right, it is right. That later carried over into the aeronautics industry, and I'm sure race car design. I've also heard it stated as: If it looks fast, it is fast (or will be). Modern aircraft and F1 car design spends a lot more time on math and wind-tunnel testing these days and as a result we end up with things that look like they will never work, but do. (I would mention the F-117, but apparently that files about as well as a bucket of bricks. Though they managed to get the stealth part right by eyeballing it.)
I have a feeling that due to a much smaller budget and what have you, Force India is going back to the old way of designing aero.
Posted by: Buttons at February 09, 2008 08:44 AM (VjS5e)
4
"If it looks fast, it is fast." It's a nice idea, but it's a crock.
Remember the P-51 Mustang? Gorgeous plane, wasn't it? Looks like it'd scream?
When the first ones were built, they didn't scream. That's because the Allison engine originally installed wasn't as powerful as you'd like. The Brits got some of the original version for flight testing and their conclusion was emphatic: it's a magnificent airframe, but it needs the Rolls Royce Merlin engine.
And once they changed the engine, then it screamed.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at February 09, 2008 04:25 PM (+rSRq)
5
Ah, but
Farce Force India doesn't have that excuse, Steven... for they've got the same powerplant that Ferrari uses in their cars.
Allegedly. In the world of F1 customer relations, the general rule of thumb is "we'll take your money and give you the very best of what we're not going to use ourselves."
I'm going to make up numbers here, but let's say that the engines going into the red cars generate 900hp. I'm willing to put good money on
Farce Force India's engines putting out about 875hp or so. High-tech engines are like computer processors: you can have two come off the assembly line within minutes of each other, yet one will just be faster than the other. The same is probably true of engines.
Maybe not a huge difference, really, but enough that Ferrari will always be faster than a customer car.
Posted by: Wonderduck at February 09, 2008 10:03 PM (AW3EJ)
6
These guys are buying major component assemblies from people they're racing against?
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at February 09, 2008 11:19 PM (+rSRq)
7
Yup. Hey, Toro Rosso and SuperAguri buy whole CARS from their competition...
Posted by: Wonderduck at February 10, 2008 10:14 AM (AW3EJ)
8
I would mention the F-117, but apparently that files about as well as a bucket of bricks. Though they managed to get the stealth part right by eyeballing it.
There's an interesting story behind that. The science behind the shape is based on the work of a Soviet radio engineer. The Skunk Works used his method for calculating the reflective properties of a geometric shape to design the worlds worst radio antenna. Then they just had to figure out how to make it fly.
That story starts on page 19 of this book. It's a great read.
Posted by: Will at February 10, 2008 10:44 AM (P2D1U)
9
Allison was a great engine, it just needed a turbo like the one P-38 had.
Posted by: Author at February 11, 2008 01:06 PM (cFJHG)
10
"Allison" was the name of a company that designed engines. And
the Allison V-1710 did have a supercharger. But the problem was that to make it fit in the fusilage, they had to use an inadequate one. As a result, performance dropped off above about 17,000 feet.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at February 11, 2008 04:52 PM (+rSRq)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
January 29, 2008
F1 Pr0n: Honda RA108
First the good news: that
gawdawful "myearthdream" livery is (mostly) gone. The bad news is that it appears that Honda doesn't go in for glamour photos.
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
07:59 PM
| Comments (7)
| Add Comment
Post contains 294 words, total size 2 kb.
1
Good question about the sawtooth edge. Every tip generates a little vortex in the same way an end of a deployed flap does in an airplane, which takes some energy off the main vortex at the ving tip. That may be the idea.
Posted by: Author at January 29, 2008 11:17 PM (cFJHG)
2
It's not bad looking, but it's no Force India. And looking at a closeup of the Honda, the green blobs on the sides look like Mother Earth vomited on it.
Posted by: Mallory at January 30, 2008 07:51 AM (3sife)
3
This is for you. (Via)
Those older cars look more aerodynamic to me. The modern ones have all kinds of bars and fluff sticking out, which should cause turbulence vortices out the wazoo. The older ones were fully covered with a skin designed to create smooth air flow.
And I like the one that has four front wheels.
Presumably all that cool stuff was made illegal by the governors, right? (I know they're no longer permitted to have skirts that brush the pavement.)
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at February 03, 2008 11:51 AM (+rSRq)
4
Steven, I'm not disagreeing. I prefer the older cars as well, as do my stepfather (Ph.Duck) and Vaucaunson's Duck (occasional commenter and friend since grade school).
The newer cars, though, do everything the old cars could do, but they do it better aerodynamically. Yeah, they've got those odd fiddlybits that make the chassis look like a model car put together at random, but...
The six-wheeled Tyrell was a clever idea: a way to increase the tire grip without increasing the drag. So, they shrank the front tire to 10", so as to fit behind a faired front wing. Of course, that reduced the grip, so they jammed a second set of tires behind the first. It actually won the Swedish GP in 1976 (in fact, they came 1-2).
The FIA then changed the rules to define a car as having four wheels.
The FIA is famous for killing clever ideas (like ground effect skirts, or the
fan-car), but F1 engineers have always figured out a way around the rules.
Posted by: Wonderduck at February 03, 2008 07:51 PM (AW3EJ)
5
It's a shame they're such fuddy-duddies. The sport would be a lot more fun if the engineers were given more leeway to experiment.
If someone comes up with a radical innovation (e.g. 6 wheels) that works really well, why not let them use it? Next season a lot of other people will adopt the same thing, so it's only a temporary advantage at best. Sigh.
(Seems to me we had this discussion once already.)
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at February 03, 2008 09:05 PM (+rSRq)
6
Thinking about it, I bet I know what the F1 rules committee is thinking: "Is this a race between engineers, or a race between drivers? If we allow too much experimentation, the engineers will dominate the sport, and drivers won't matter very much."
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at February 03, 2008 09:10 PM (+rSRq)
7
If I had to hazard a guess why they've introduced extra vortex-inducing sawcuts into the front aero package, I'd say they're distributing the energy loss across the front end while putting the turbulence of those vortices to use.
Turbulent air is terrible for friction drag, but great for form drag. The free-stream flowing over blunt bodies (and for all their sweeping lines, F1 cars are still quite blunt) in turbulent air separates far later than a smooth free-stream. If you can shift a bit of the turbulence produced by the front wing out in front of the suspension, you may see a significant reduction in the stagnant/turbulent (form-drag producing) region behind each suspension member. Or those vortices may be meant to interact with some other part of the car farther back. The longer you can get the free-stream to hug the body of the car, the less form drag you have to deal with.
Posted by: Will at February 04, 2008 05:54 PM (WnBa/)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
January 20, 2008
F1 Pr0n: BMW F1.08
The Great White Hope
There are days where writing this blog is tough, where it's hard to think of anything clever or witty to say. On days like that, it's easy to let the pictures do the talking.
This is one of those days. Fortunately, the BMW F1 Team has given us some sweet automotive hardware to drool over.
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
11:25 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 405 words, total size 3 kb.
January 10, 2008
F1 Pr0n: TF108!
Another day, another rollout! Today, it's Toyota, with their 2008 car, the TF108... and to be honest, I'm somewhat underwhelmed. There's some change from the TF107, such as the McLaren flying nose, but truthfully, it's a minor evolution over last year's car.
Which doesn't mean the car isn't photogenic...
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
11:41 PM
| Comments (4)
| Add Comment
Post contains 148 words, total size 1 kb.
1
Tell us about those 15 lights. Presumably they indicate things like acceleration, gear, braking, so as to permit you to follow someone closely without rearending him.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at January 11, 2008 12:22 PM (+rSRq)
2
Steven, I'm afraid it's nothing so exciting. Those lights are turned on and flashing when the car has the pit-lane speed limiter engaged, or during wet conditions (I presume they'll be on during the first ever night race, coming this season, too), so as to make the car that much more noticeable... if you look at
this photo, you'll notice the car going backwards has a bright red light under it's tail. That's the "hazard flasher".
Posted by: Wonderduck at January 11, 2008 06:40 PM (DcSb+)
3
It doesn't seem to have helped him any.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at January 11, 2008 11:21 PM (+rSRq)
4
That was at the 2007 European Grand Prix, during the ridiculous downpour at the beginning of the race. Adrian Sutil just lost control in the rain, with nobody bumping him or anything... he could have had a rotating spotlight on a trailer behind him and he still would have ended up in the kittylitter that day.
Hm... a F1 pulling a mobilehome... heh.
Posted by: Wonderduck at January 12, 2008 03:33 AM (UdB9M)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
January 07, 2008
F1 Pr0n: MP4-23!
Ohhhh-
boy! Remember what I said earlier, that Ferrari does build 'em purty? Well, they ain't got
NUTHIN' on McLaren. Their 2008 charger, the MP4-23, debuted earlier today, and to be honest, it looks pretty much like the MP4-22... without the flyover bridge nose wing, though.
But who cares? Let's get to the pr0n!
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
09:16 PM
| Comments (5)
| Add Comment
Post contains 234 words, total size 2 kb.
1
Ouch! That overhead shot is definitely one wicked photograph. The amount of artistry in something designed completely for function, is amazing
Posted by: madmike at January 08, 2008 09:38 AM (xwTH1)
2
The A-10 and SR-71 are also great examples of the beauty of pure function.
I think they should have used some black trim around the "vodafone" and 23. The small bits of black trim between the silver and orange make the orange really stand out.
Back when I worked at a local hobby shop, we held weekly R/C car races. I was always amazed at how wound up some kids (and adults too) could get into, what was to my mind, over-blown toy racing. That being said, some of those guys turned out awesome paint jobs. There was one car in particular that had a silver base with black/orange trim scheme, like the McLaren, but it also had a bit of royal blue trim mixed in. It looked amazing.
Posted by: Will at January 08, 2008 01:00 PM (WnBa/)
3
I dunno about the A-10. It's got a face that only a mother could love.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at January 08, 2008 03:57 PM (+rSRq)
4
Oh I wouldn't say that. Grunts love her. (I hear rumor that soldiers regularly treat Hog drivers to rounds at the bar.) And she has such a
lovely singing voice.
Posted by: Will at January 08, 2008 10:12 PM (E3UGR)
5
Wow that's beautiful. Though I must say there were some shots I received from Monaco and I think Spain in which, as slow as it was the Spyker was just fantastic looking. I'm interested to see what it will look like once Force India gets done with it.
Posted by: Buttons at January 11, 2008 10:16 AM (VjS5e)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
January 06, 2008
F1 Pr0n: Ferrari F2008!
Oh, baby...
It's that time of year again, when a young F1 fan's thoughts turn to sensuous curves, pert rears and cute noses... it's ROLLOUT SEASON!!!
As has become traditional of late, Ferrari was the first to bring their steed to the masses, debuting the F2008 today. Click below for more glamour shots and some thoughts on the beast...
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
09:02 PM
| Comments (5)
| Add Comment
Post contains 662 words, total size 5 kb.
1
Guess that explains the pit limited mystery--oventimers.
You're absolutely right--Ferrari does, indeed, build purty cars.
Posted by: Mallory at January 07, 2008 07:47 AM (3sife)
2
È bella!
Is that first photo actually taken inside the factory? That's rare. For many years photos/film of the inside of the factory were not allowed.
First thing I noticed in the comparison is that she's definitely shorter in wheelbase and in overall height. They had a good base to work from, so we'll see what happens.
Posted by: madmike at January 07, 2008 11:00 AM (o+iiH)
3
I don't think the new car's shorter so much as the 2008 pics (both top and side) seem to be taken from farther away. The tires in the overhead shots look like completely different sizes.
Posted by: Will at January 07, 2008 03:02 PM (WnBa/)
4
Will's right, the two comparison photos are probably taken from different distances. My main goal was to get the pictures to be 500px across, not to have the cars be to the same scale. Sorry about that.
For what it's worth, I read somewhere (grandprix.com?) that this year's Ferrari is going to be HEAVIER than the F2007, but the enginerds think they've made it up on aero. Take that as you will.
Posted by: Wonderduck at January 07, 2008 08:20 PM (AW3EJ)
5
Actually I was looking at the differences in size because I read somewhere that they had shortened the wheelbase of the new car "significantly" (according to said article).
Posted by: madmike at January 08, 2008 09:34 AM (xwTH1)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
81kb generated in CPU 0.03, elapsed 0.1244 seconds.
61 queries taking 0.1033 seconds, 218 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.