Spanish GP: Latest key F1 technical developments
Click on the arrows on the images to scroll through them…
Mercedes F1 W11 rear wing detail
Giorgio Piola
Mercedes returns to the double pillar arrangement in combination with the high downforce rear wing.
Alfa Romeo Racing C39 rear wing detail
Giorgio Piola
High downforce rear wing for Alfa Romeo as it looks to utilise the more prominent swan neck-style double pillar arrangement.
Alfa Romeo Racing C39 rear detail
Giorgio Piola
Alfa Romeo is still an outlier when it comes to the design of the engine cover sail, with a shorter version preferred when compared with the rest of the grid.
Renault F1 Team R.S.20 rear wing detail
Giorgio Piola
Renault’s high downforce rear wing for Barcelona features no dipped central zone in the mainplane, and also has a hooped T-Wing with a slot inserted the entire length of the lower element.
Renault F1 Team R.S.20 front wing detail
Giorgio Piola
Renault’s nose design which has the original narrow, caped design seen over at Mercedes for several seasons.
Ferrari SF1000 front wing
Giorgio Piola
As in Hungary, it appears that Ferrari will utilise the first iteration of their front wing in Spain.
Ferrari bodywork technical detail
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
This close up of Ferrari's T-Wing shows how the upper element has a different shape in the central portion when compared with the lower element.
Mercedes F1 W11 sidepods detail
Giorgio Piola
Side shot of the Mercedes W11 as the mechanics practice pit stops outside the garage.
Red Bull Racing RB16 detail
Giorgio Piola
The higher downforce rear wing available to Red Bull makes a return for Barcelona but the sinuous endplate louvres have now been painted in red, rather than being left black when they first appeared.
Haas VF20 rear detail
Giorgio Piola
Haas VF20 rear end shot with the obligatory high downforce rear wing and T-Wing combination but note the size of the cooling outlet too, it’s significantly larger in order that the heat generated by the power unit can be rejected.
Haas VF20 sidepods detail
Giorgio Piola
Another shot of the VF20, this time from the side, gives us a good view of the bargeboard and deflector package which rather than being their own independent structures, Haas has decided to combine them (not a new feature).
Ferrari SF1000 rear detail
Giorgio Piola
The Ferrari SF1000 from behind with a suitably large rear cooling outlet to help dissipate the heat generated by the power unit.
Ferrari pit stop practice
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Pit stop practice at Ferrari gives us a view of the rear brake drums, the design of which has been relatively unchanged in recent seasons, as it continues to sport ridges that direct the air that passes in the gap between it and the wheel rim.
Ferrari pit stop practice
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
between the brake drum and wheel rim to funnel air that’s captured by the inlet and dispatch it out of the face of the wheel. Note the small control blade which alters the airflow path, think of it like a flipper on a pinball machine!
Tyre protector on Williams FW43
Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Protective covers have been used by Williams this season in an effort to keep all of the tyres in tip-top condition, as ordinarily teams will use a set of tyres whilst pushing the car around the pitlane and to scrutineering during the build up to the weekend.
Racing Point RP20
Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Lots going on in this picture of pit stop practice for Racing Point, as we can see the rear end of the brake drum and the measures taken there for heat management, as mechanics alter the front wing angle and we can see the gentle curvature of the under wing strakes.
Racing Point RP20 being pushed in the pit lane
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Having used its lower downforce, spoon-shaped rear wing design during the last round at Silverstone, Racing Point have returned to their higher downforce arrangement for Barcelona.
Mechanics push the Red Bull Racing RB16 in the pit lane
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Another view of the RB16’s rear wing, which has carefully sculpted swan neck style rear wing pillars that gradually merge with the mainplane.
Renault F1 Team R.S.20 brake and front suspension detail
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The Renault front brake assembly features a large inlet in order to capture airflow not only for cooling purposes but also aerodynamic ones.
Nose detail of the Red Bull Racing RB16
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Red Bull’s nose, used at the last few events is a development of the original design introduced by the team and features one larger opening on the ramped section, rather than two.
Renault F1 Team R.S.20 brake and front suspension detail
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Without the drum on the brake assembly we can see how they’ve designed their bell with numerous shapely apertures to reduce weight and influence the airflow passing through.
Ferrari pit stop practice
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The top-down view of the Ferrari SF1000 bargeboard region illustrates how teams must mirror slots on the reference plane in the aerodynamic surfaces above for legality purposes.
Ferrari rear suspension detail
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Top-down overview of the Ferrari rear brake duct winglets on the upper front corner of the main brake duct fence.
Renault F1 Team R.S.20 brake and front suspension detail
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
In this shot we can see Renault’s inboard front suspension elements
Renault F1 Team R.S.20 brake and rear suspension detail
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
At the rear of the RS20 without the drum on the rear brake assembly we can see the internal pipework used to deliver cold air to the caliper.
Williams front suspension and brake detail
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
This front-end shot of the Williams FW43 during the build up gives a good view of the brake and suspension assemblies.
Red Bull Racing RB16 front suspension detail
Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Inboard front suspension detail of the Red Bull RB16, noting of course the heave/third damper.
Mercedes F1 W11 rear detail
Giorgio Piola
A great top-down shot of the Mercedes W11 rear end shows how much more tapered the rear bodywork is this year.
Ferrari SF1000 rear detail
Giorgio Piola
Top down overview of the Ferrari SF1000 shows the return to a high downforce rear wing and double T-wing.
Read Also:
F1 technical update: Racing Point, Mercedes, Red Bull & Ferrari Hamilton: F1 engine mode ban won't "get the result they want" McLaren cooling problem a "question mark”, says Sainz
