|
|
|
F1 2011
|
 2011 Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India
|
Buddh International Circuit
Round 17 , 30 October, 2011. Jaypee, New Delhi, India
Lap : 5.125km(5.137)/3.185 miles | Offset : TBA | Race : 60 Laps - 307.249 km(308.22)
jaypeesports.com formula1.airtel.in
Lap Record: 1:24.178 - S Vettel (2011)
Pitlane speed limits:
60km/h during practice,
100km/h during race
29 October 2011 - Renault R31 - revised rear bodywork
 
Renault have returned to their standard rear bodywork (inset) for the Indian race. Compared to the narrower configuration, which features a more pronounced 'cola bottle' shape (see how the yellow highlighted area shows the wider area of floor it exposes), the cooling benefits of this wider bodywork outweigh the loss of aerodynamic performance it brings.
29 October 2011 - McLaren MP4-26 - new front wing
 
McLaren have brought a new front wing to India. Drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton completed back-to-back comparisons on Friday and Hamilton eventually used the new version (see lower drawing) during qualifying and the race. Button, meanwhile, used the old version (see upper drawing). The new front wing has a straight main profile (2) and no longer features the indentation which divided the airflow under the car (1). There are also different upper flap mountings, although both solutions are reminiscent of ones used in 2010 before the team introduced the stepped main profile.
29 October 2011 - Ferrari 150° Italia - new front wing
In India both Ferrari drivers have been using the team's new, Red Bull-influenced front wing (upper drawing), which Fernando Alonso first sampled in Korea. Compared to the previous version (lower drawing), all components are different. There is now a single endplate, a slotted main plane with a different profile near the endplates, just one large flap and also different upper flaps. Ferrari brought three of the new front wings to New Delhi, so after Felipe Massa's qualifying accident the team have two left.
30 October 2011 - Mercedes MGP W02 - 'F-duct ' front wing
2012 has well and truly started for Mercedes after the team briefly tested this innovative solution at Suzuka, prompting much discussion over its possible merits in India. Inspired by F-ducts, which were used extensively last season but were outlawed this year, Mercedes have switched the theory from the rear to the front of the car. The little oval hole, which is common in all the nose cones, features a splitter in the middle, thought to direct the airflow through the side pillars of the wing (blue arrows). Mercedes used a similar layout last year with its F-duct, which had little pipes going through the diffuser and the wing endplates. No opening was visible on the flaps, like in the rear wing last year, so the only possible opening was in underside of the main plane section (red arrows). In order for this system to be legal, unlike last year's F-ducts the driver must have no direct control over it, so it must instead be regulated by an amplifier inside the nose cone, coming into effect and stalling the wing to cut drag only under certain airflow conditions. Speculation continues over the exact workings of this Mercedes solution, but the important thing is that it again highlights the ability of F1 engineers to find loopholes in the rules and to produce innovative solutions.
© 2011 Formula One World Championship Ltd
|
|
|
