Nowhere to hide for latest F1 technical tweaks in Bahrain test
The second day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain is in the books and with all the cars having nowhere to hide there are plenty of interesting details for us to discover.
As with day one, there was plenty of aero rake action on the early doors on day one. Teams used this time early in the session to complete a couple of steady pace runs before jumping into the middle of the action.
Mercedes W14
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
McLaren MCL60 detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The rakes used carry a series of Kiel probes that measure the pressure in the surrounding flow field, the data from which can be used to check the correlation between the real environment and the teams’ simulation tools.
As you can see, like car designs, the aero rakes all serve different purposes. Mercedes, for example, had rakes set up in front of the rear wheels and the Coke bottle region on the W14, with the keel probes all positioned uniformly.
McLaren’s rakes, in this case at least, were slightly wider and mounted in the center of the car around the sidepods and airbox, while the rakes themselves also have their own characteristics that set them apart from the rest.
Alpine A523 rear wing detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Alpine has made significant changes to the rear of its car this season, with the move to a pushrod rear suspension having implications for packaging and aerodynamic choices.
This angle allows us to see some of the suspension details mounted on the crash structure and in the rear cooling outlet, while also providing a generous view of the biplane support wing assembly and tightly rounded diffuser corners.
Also note the thermal strips attached to the Y-Lon rear wing mount, which help the team monitor temperatures in that region.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Red Bull Racing’s RB19 with Flo-Viz livery on the front wishbones, along the side of the chassis and sidepods as the team looks for visual confirmation that the airflow is behaving as intended.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Ferrari took a similar approach, but spray-sprayed Flo-Viz paint on the rear suspension, floor and Coke bottle region (above).
Ferrari SF-23 brake detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The SF-23 was also fitted with a solution many of Ferrari’s competitors had already adopted in 2022, with the brake disc now being fitted with its own housing in the main brake drum to more precisely control the flow of heat and air around the assembly.
Alfa Romeo C43 detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The Alfa Romeo C43 without the sidepod and engine cover not only shows the work that went into packaging the internal components – like the radiator, radiator and electronics – but it’s also a visual lesson in how teams don’t shrink-wrap the components in all the places that they might have in the past.
The gap behind the radiators is more about heat dissipation, airflow and perhaps more importantly the ability to shape the outer body for aerodynamic reasons.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
This shot of the Mercedes W14 allows us to see several aspects of the car’s design, including the wedge-shaped bodywork that’s applied to the chassis around the front suspension, which helps wash airflow down to the surfaces behind, while the square sidepod intake but the wider top edge of the sidepod is also noticeable.
That front section of the sidepod now blends into the wider, sloping sidepod bodywork, while the shelf-style engine cover with gully is a feature Mercedes has exaggerated for 2023.
Interestingly, the amount of closed lines in the W14’s body suggests a high level of modularity, meaning that any forthcoming changes will be relatively easy to achieve.