F1
 

What is the new rules and regs that has prompted so many teams to adopt the
strange (butt ugly) new noses on team cars? Seems these cars are getting stranger looking every year. The front wings were bad enough, now this new nose cone is even more so. Hope the Indy cars don't go this route.

FIA was concerned about nose heights and the possibility of the high noses piercing the cockpit area in the event of a crash. So, the FIA has specified the nose height starting in a very specific area (right around the wheels). This is why we see the horrible looking "drop" there on the top of the chassis.

Now, since most mfgs. are interested in controlling and channeling the air underneath the car, the chassis tends to be a little higher just aft of the front wheel center line, again contributing to the step down in the nose area.

McLaren subscribes to the "lower CG is better" philosophy, so their nose looks good! However, this somewhat limits the amount of air passing under the car and being channeled to the radiator ducts, etc.

It'll be interesting to see what solution works well. The new Red Bulls (Adrian Newey designed!) uses the step down as an air inlet for driver cooling (and other things most likely).

Fun stuff! Love this time of year and all the new innovations!

Al

Thanks ALgs911, great explanation. So it would seem there must be a lot to gain
with this ugly nose thing. So McLaren choosing not to use it in favour of a nicer looking car might be a step in the wrong direction. I hope not as I am a McLaren fan and was looking forward to them battling at the front once again. You're right, it's a great time of year, waiting and watching at all the new developements. Some good,
some not so much.

Mclaren have alot of development in their low suspension mounts, and although explored changing the design they see it as not an advantage to what they already have that is working, as a result their car doesn't look like princess vespas old nose......

A few years back Mclaren went on a happy path different from the pack and ended up two years behind.
I'm not a fan of Mclaren so I hope this is just another example.
Too bad they don't have a spy at RedBull (we all remember the Ferrari tech theft) to keep their technology on pace with the best.

Well, McLaren is following a different path. It's a fine balance between lowering the center of gravity and controlling the air moving under the car. McLaren's nose is already really low, hence the "not step" design.

The idea holds merit, so we'll see who's quick this year (pre-season times mean little, although I'm excited about Lotus-Renault and Kimi's times!).

Should be a fun season (as always)!

Alan

I am also looking forward to watching "mumbles" show what car control he may have learned sliding around in the dirt.

I agree that it will be fun watching the "best of the rest" race for second.

Hey, have you ever seen that video of Kimi the smiling happy guy? I think F1 makes him grouchy. I wouldn't have gone back, but then I'm not driven to race like those guys. Geez, Michael.

When they went to those ridiculously tall and narrow rear wings and huge front wings a few years back, we all thought the cars looked awful, and what, 2 year later they look kinda normal.

I think the designers are conducting an experiment in ugliness perception ;-) I wonder how long it'll be before those ugly platypus-nosed cars start to look normal to us. Hopefully never, but I betcha it happens after a few races...

I'm curious to see what happens... Much of Newey's car advantage was based on stuff that was taken out this year. And the teams seem to have caught up on the drooping wings "material". I actually think Red Bull won't quite run away with it as they did last year. Hoping anyway, nothing personal, just for the good of the show.

If you look at a section view of the car with driver, the driver's feet are up level with his chest. Like sitting in a LazyBoy recliner.

Not that many obvious innovative solutions in this years new cars as the FIA keep closing down areas to exploit.

Saying that, there are still a few loopholes in the rules which have allowed some quite clever designs to get around these ;) It will be interesting to see how far the FIA let the teams push these before anything is banned.

No passin in the right lane

LOL, too late :)

I agree. I was reading an article this morning pointing out that the biggest question mark is how teams (and the FIA for that matter) will interpret the revised exhaust rules.

One unnamed team Technical Director was quoted as saying "The blown diffuser is such a big drug that its hard to wean yourself off it. The performance was that big."

Pics of the new Mercedes on www.racer.com/F1. Step down nose like all the rest. Not pretty. Also Trulli out Petrov in at Caterham.

That's about to be a rare picture. Trulli is out and replaced with Petrov at caterham. Probably deservedly so.

What is, to you, the prettiest generation of F1 cars? Pictures would be appreciated.

The only pretty F1 cars, have been the ones that win, or looked like the winners, or had a close battle to almost win.

If it weren't for winning, pretty much all F1 cars would be ugly. There are VERY few years with good looking F1 cars.