Racecar Engineering – September 2019

(Joyce) #1

SIDETRACK – MIKE BLANCHET


H


urrah! At last,aftera verylongtime,the
penny has droppedandtodayasI satdown
to write this columncamethehappynews
that F1 is finally adoptingcontrolledground-effect
aerodynamics in its majorrulesrevampfor2021.
Why this should havetakensolongis beyondme,
considering that flat-bottomswerebroughtinasa
panic measure decadesago.However,timetolook
forward and for chassisdesignersandengineers
this should be an exciting,if hectic,periodahead.
The opportunity tostartwitha cleanCAD
screen (drawing boardforAdrianNewey)
containing basically thedimensionsmandated
by the FIA and the fundamentalneedto
accommodate driver,fuelandpowerunitmust
be unique in recent times.Conceptratherthan
just endless iterationis surelya fresh
and welcome challenge.Unlessof
course you’re the personultimately
responsible for gettingit alldoneon
time and within budget.

Follow closely
Over a period of timetheideasthat
emerge will coalescetowardsthemost
obviously successful solutions,but
for a year or two it shouldbereally
interesting technically,mayshakeup
the pecking order a bitalbeitshort-
term, and – most importantly– result
in achieving the objectiveofallowing
cars to race in close proximitywithout
so much aero disturbanceforthe
one behind. Now there’srarelysuch
a thing as a silver bullet and the combinationof
short braking distances and the natureofmany
of the tracks will still present overtakingissues.
Nonetheless, a big step in the right direction.
This welcome change will not bewithout
its problems, of course. Primarily, thematterof
finalising the 2020 car designs this yearandthe
development of these through next seasonwhile
in parallel carrying out the massive amountof
R&D, simulation and design of a wholenewcar.
On top of which is the need for commencementof
manufacturing to be ready for testinginearly2021.
Not to be overlooked either is thesimultaneous
move to 18in wheels with low-profiletyres,which
one must assume will have a considerableeffect
overall on suspension geometry andspring/
damping concepts, as well as brakesandaero.

Thereducedpitch-sensitivitynatureofthe
shapedunderbodiesshouldworkwelltogether
withthereductionintyresidewallflexbutthere
arealwaysunknowns(F2teams,adoptingsimilar
wheeldiametersa yearbefore,mayfindthemselves
beingbefriendedbyF1engineerswhowould
normallyshuntheirpartofthepaddock).
Then,ofcourse,thereis theimpacton
packagingofthecompletepowertrain,whether
thisremainsinlinewithcurrentregulations
orbecomessomethingdifferent,plusallthe
associatedcoolinghardware.Inevitablyallthiswill
workconsiderablyinfavourofthebetter-resourced
teams.Thepossibilityofa moratoriumonthe
introductionofnewpartsafter,say,mid-season
nextyearshouldbeconsideredtotrytomitigate

thisadvantage.It’sdifficulttoseehowtherewould
beanydevelopmentrelevancetotheall-new
racecarsrequiredfor 2021 andthiswouldreduce
theburdenonthelesswell-financedoutfits.
Sometimesit paystofocusonwhatyou’vegotto
maximiseeveryaspectofit ratherthangetting
confusedwithtoomanynewdevelopmentblind
alleys.A currentexamplecouldbeHaasF1;its
erraticperformancesindicatethatmaybeit gets
lostonset-upandtyreunderstanding,ratherthan
havinga fundamentaldesignproblem.

Drivingchallenge
Driverswillalsohavetoadapttothedifferent
characteristicsthatthesechangeswillintroduce.
However,I don’tseethisasbeingtoomuchofan
issue,though,astop-classdriversbynatureshould

becapableofsoongettingtogripswithany racing
car,aslongasit hasa decentbalance.
There’sanotherreasonforoptimismabout
thefutureofF1,too.FIAPresidentJeanTodt has
givenmetheimpressionofa deadhandas far as
F1is concernedsincehewasfirstelected,being
mostconcernedit seemswithsafety,onroad and
track,andhavinganobsessionwithmotor racing’s
relevancetoautomotiveindustrytechnology.
Totheextent,infact,thatI wonderif hispolitical
ambitionsextendbeyondmotorsport.

Fillerthriller
Withtheaboveinmind,I’mhappytolearn that
Todtis nowactivelypromotingfuelstopsin F1,
somethingwhichI’veoftenbangedonabout.
I reallyfailtoseethelogicinhumping
probably70kgofdeadweightaround at
theracestart,incarswhicharealready
grossandwhentyrepreservationplays
sucha vitalpart.Let’sgetawayfrom
drivershavingtolapfiveorsixseconds
offqualifyingpace.Whilefireis virtually
unknownnowincrashesit’snotimpossible
forit tohappen,sothelessfuelonboard
thebetter.Muchmorerelevantis a
reduced-sizefuelcellwhichwillallow
furtherweightreductionbyvirtue of a
morecompacttub.Thisshouldassistin
providingthespacerequiredforthe 2021
underbodytunnels.Argumentsagainst,
basedonpotentialdangertopitcrewsand
addedcostofkit,don’tstandupto– look
toWECpracticeandexperienceif indoubt.
I haven’ttoucheduponengine/PUregulations
sofar,theylookunlikelytochangemuch.All
I cansayis thatcurrenthybridPUsarehighly
complexandexpensive– soit’snosurprisethat
newmanufacturershavefailedtojoinHonda
inF1.Giventheinitialhumiliationandthe
subsequenteffortexpendedbytheautomotive
giantinachievinga competitivelevel,similarly
withRenault,it’sevenlesslikelytohappen.The
onlyexceptionsI canforeseewouldbePorsche
andAudi,becauseoftheirLMP1experience,their
relevantresourcesandtheirunderstandingof
racing.Withsomuchchassisrevolutiontohandle,
maybea changetolesspolitically-correctand
simplerpowertrainscouldbestagetwointhe
revampofF1.In2023,after 10 years’returnon
investmentsincetheirinstigation?

The ideas that emerge willcoalesce towards themost obviously successful


solutions, but for a year or two it should be really interestingtechnically


SEPTEMBER 2019 http://www.racecar-engineering.com 7

XPB
Refuelling hasn’t been a part of F1 since 2009, but 10 years on and Jean
Todt has suggested the possibility of its return to help spice up the show

Reverse engineering


Why the return of ground effect, and maybe even fuel stops, is good news for F

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