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THE SECRETS
2015 F1 TECH
What’s been happening behind the scenes as designers perfect their challengers for 2015?
CRAIG SCARBOROUGH gives us a guide to five key technical themes to keep an eye on
42
PREVIEW
OF
THE S-DUCT AIDS UNDERFLOOR AIRFLOW
S-DUCT NOSE
SEASON
With the larger nosecones, airflow over and
under the raised section of the chassis is
even more important this year.
Red Bull has retained an idea it took from
Sauber, with its ducted nosecone. A ‘U’ inlet
duct under the nose captures airflow and
routes via an S-shaped duct to vent the air
over the upper part of the chassis.
This cleans up the airflow both
under and over the nose, while
also making the nosecone
cross-section slimmer.
NEW NOSE RULES
With more changes to the nose
regulations demanding morespecific dimensions to be met by
the frontal crash structure, the
crop of 2015 noses are, so far,
refreshingly different to each
other. These new regulations
demand not only a 9000mm²
nose-tip cross section, as we
had last year, but also demand
a cross section of 20,000mm²
100mm behind that. This
prevents teams having the
unsightly noses seen last year.
The nose is now also subject
to a more-severe crash test. The
front 150mm of the nose must
42 AUTOSPORT.COM MARCH 5 2015
meet a deceleration target when
testing, forcing the teams to make
the nose tip more substantial.
Most teams have opted for a short
nose. While this makes it more difficult
to pass the crash test, it prevents the
nose tip compromising the front wing
and allows more airflow to pass under
the chassis’s raised section.
Williams has been
very aggressive in the
way it has shrunk back
the nose, with its shape
taken back tightly
around the two
regulatory crosssections (as
highlighted). This creates
the short thumb-tip that
extends from the main
nose structure.
Williams has
worked hard to twist
the front-wing mounting
pylons into an aero device to
aid airflow around the car.
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A 20,000MM²
CROSS SECTION
REQUIRED HERE