Bendy Renault and other stories

[Glen]

I don't want to take anything away from Renault, because I reckon this sort of thing is fair game anyway, but has anyone seen the pictures of the flexing Renault rear bodywork? The flat sections either side of the exhausts (inside rear wheels and leading to the rear wing) appear to lay down low at modest speeds and then get sucked up by several inches when on the straights. I guess it puts less air over the bottom element of the rear wing and gives less drag on the straights.

Clever stuff, but surely illegal as a moveable aerodynamic device, albeit one for which there is currently no test.

Also, there has been a little bit of talk (on BBs) about the amount of movement seen on front wings of various cars from this new low-line on-board camera. The scrutineering tests work by hanging weights on the wing end plates - the weights pull straight down with gravity, whereas drag acts in a more horizontal fashion and it seems that they are able to get a bit of movement that doesn't show up under the tests. Again, clever stuff but pushing it.

[steve_r]

I did notice that the Renault bodywork was flapping during the race. Are any of the F1 officials looking into it?

[RWC]

The renault was allmost certainly designed that way-well done mike G!
Wether the fia attempts to make a rule against it depends on lots of factors-including wether max wants to slow down one team or another.......

[Logrence]

Have you got any pics/proof/whatever?

I can't see anything about it on the net...

[Glen]

There is a good thread about it on the Atlas technical forum - I won't paste the pictures because it is already there for you to see.

I don't think the FIA needs to make a rule about it - it is already illegal. More a question of if they need to devise a test for it. If it is as extreme as appears then they will probably do what they did to Ferrari (and others?) last year over the rear wings - ie. tell them to play the game.

[Burton]

Where do I find the Atlas thread?

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Glen
The flat sections either side of the exhausts (inside rear wheels and leading to the rear wing) appear to lay down low at modest speeds and then get sucked up by several inches when on the straights.

Have to say that i noticed that from the onboard "looking backwards" shot.

[Glen]

Originally posted by Burton
Where do I find the Atlas thread?

Here

[Adam43]

I noticed that too during the race. I'm not sure if it is intentional. On the telly it was only just in shot of a rear facing camera, but it was clear to see.

[Glen]

Ah come on - nothing is unintentional in F1... not if it moves that much.

[Sodemo]

I was just about to post a thread on this!!

I too was just watching the recording I made of the GP at Sepang, and noticed at high speed the rear of the bodywork was flexing, and when they braked for a corner it kind of "dropped downwards".

Is that legal?

[shiny side up!]

I don't think it meets the spirit of the rules, although it may not be out-and-out illegal, I guess it depends on what the FIA's definition of an aerodynamic device is. At any rate, I don't suspect we will see it for much longer, the FIA will put a stop to it...

[nameless]

i noticed it too, seems quite clever to me, but how does it actually work

[Logrence]

I don't understand how the bodywork manages to go *up* at high speed...?!

[esorniloc]

If something is moving on the aerodynamics, then its illegal. I think the initial wings in the late 60's moved, but they were banned when the wing rules were changed in 1969.

[esorniloc]

I think if Renault have done this, then they should be dsq'd from the race!

[Tristan]

MONSTER!! ME TOO!! Well, no. I WAS going to post this topic a couple of days ago, but I thought... nah.

It looked to me as if the flaps were acting as aero aids in low speed corners to smooth the airflow over the back of the car lifiting at higher speed by the airflow from the rear suspension venturis to act as some kind of downforce balance, directing airflow over the UPPER part of the rear wing rather than the hole in the middle, you get??!!

IF it is deliberate (which it appears it surely is) it's illegal and the FIA will have to dole out some kind of punishment.

[Lee Janotta]

I didn't notice it, but that's a brilliant bit of serruptitious design work there!

[MiniMe]

Originally posted by Glen
Ah come on - nothing is unintentional in F1... not if it moves that much.

Murray Walker

umm, but then he doesn't move that much

[mirwin]

I thought it might be the force of the air moving through the radiators at high speed that was pushing the bodywork upwards. At slow speeds there would be less air passing through the radiators and the bodywork would sit flat.

[avsfan733]

that may be the way they did iit and then they could probably argue that it wasn't intentional or something like that. I noticed it but figured that because of the camera angle it looked exaggerates and it was suspension movement as opposed to aero