The long-awaited race in Japan is here!After a short break, the groups had enough time to prepare for the first previews of this season and look to get closer to the top.
Suzuka is a mythical track known for its unique design and weather conditions, which offer intelligent entertainment. But here we will concentrate on the vital innovations that the groups have prepared.
Suzuka is a very fast track, the only one on the existing calendar to have a figure-eight layout. It is characterized by a giant number of fast corners that generate immense lateral forces, both on the rider and on the tires. It is, therefore, a very difficult circuit, where the driver’s concentration will have to be at the maximum because the slightest mistake is not forgiven.
As a result of those lateral forces, tyre wear is enormous, even if Pirelli is preparing the strongest sets of tyres for this weekend. Two pit stops can be expected, which opens up the strategy game for the teams.
– Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) April 1, 2024
The groups will be looking for the optimal aerodynamic solution for top speeds and grip that is essential in fast corners. What’s also attractive is that we only have one DRS zone here, so a more competitive aero package may be the solution. problematic in the race.
Although their dominance is endless, Red Bull continues with its car and sets new limits.
The most striking improvement is the new front end located under the halo finial. Initially, it seemed that the purpose of this input was to direct air to the rear of the car, more accurately to the beam trim.
Given the much-desired downforce, the design of the wing can have crucial effects on the functionality of the floor and rear wing, which want to be as effective as imaginable this weekend.
Red Bull has added cooling intakes to the RB20. #f1 pic. twitter. com/wwrHxX4mK7
– Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) April 4, 2024
A more likely explanation, however, is that Red Bull needs to replace the way the powertrain is cooled. Compared to last race weekend, there are no more cooling openings on the sides of the car, as shown in the symbol below.
Red Bull added 2 inlets but removed the side outlets from the engine cover. Either way, the headrest inlets are still there. https://t. co/bW5mJvLzCa pic. twitter. com/PLCxbPIgfj
– Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) April 4, 2024
This shows us that the engineers were not satisfied with the functionality of the previous design, so they added a new inlet for cooling.
In addition, we may notice that the geometry of the car’s “shoulders” is more pronounced.
To allow for more airflow through the new front end, Red Bull has added some other aerodynamic detail to the car’s mirrors. We think this little detail will help improve airflow on the top side of the headlights.
– Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) April 4, 2024
Aston Martin’s 2024 season is much worse than the previous one. However, it turns out that this team is on the right track as far as technological advancement is concerned.
The biggest change at Aston Martin is the geometry of the sidepods, which has been given a new detail, everything we saw last season at Aston Martin and Red Bull.
The position where this detail has been added is very critical from an aerodynamic point of view, as here the airflow can be separated from the surface of the car.
– Aston Martin Formula 1 News (@AMF1News) April 4, 2024
When designing aerodynamics, we need the airflow to be close to the surface of the car, as each separation produces additional drag and disrupts the airflow.
Therefore, the goal of Aston Martin engineers is to develop the sidepod surface in this area to help the airflow stay connected for longer.
The symbol below shows the car’s pre-season testing, where this challenge domain is seen much more clearly. The absence of the fluorescent Flow-Wiz color tells us that there is air separation at this point.
Aston Martin AMR24/Viz Review: Ascending frame in the phone’s lower domain. Outwash al termine delle pance
?️ @berrageiz – @niccoloarnerich https://t. co/SmUslpydP7
– FUnoAnalisiTecnica ⚙️ (@FUnoAT) February 22, 2024
In addition, Aston Martin has also replaced some main points on the floor edge of the car, which will probably be better suited to the Japanese circuit.
In addition, the geometry of the rear component of the engine hood has undergone some modifications to allow airflow around the spoiler.
As we have already discussed, the aerodynamics of the floor of the car, as well as the rear, will be this weekend. . .
Read next: Red Bull innovations at the Japanese Grand Prix amid intense speculation about pod zero