Ferrari mirror tweaks show scrutiny team is under | FerrariChat

Ferrari mirror tweaks show scrutiny team is under

Discussion in 'F1' started by Giorgio Piola, May 9, 2018.

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  1. Giorgio Piola

    Giorgio Piola Rookie

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    #1 Giorgio Piola, May 9, 2018
    Formula 1 teams know that delivering a successful car can come with a price, with rivals and cynics often suggesting that a car is only fast because the team has found some form of unfair advantage.

    Ferrari has been no exception to this, with rumours of oil burn, secondary oil tanks, and clever exhaust blowing maps all having been floated around – despite the FIA never finding anything untoward during on-event checks.

    But that has not stopped Ferrari's competitors from examining in detail Ferrari's design, and a tweak that was made to the team's innovative mirrors in Baku shows just how deep the scrutiny is to ensure everything the Maranello team is doing is above board.

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    Ferrari SF71H side pods, Australian GP
    Photo by: Giorgio Piola

    The SF71-H's mirrors have already been a talking point this season given their unique multi-part design, allowing airflow to pass through them and improve the localised flow field.

    However, in Azerbaijan the team made some subtle changes to the mirror casing in order to fully comply with the regulations, after some queries were floated by rival teams about whether or not their design complied strictly with the wording of the rules.

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    FIA diaram
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    A requirement of article 3.5.5 of the technical regulations is that no bodywork in a box region ahead of the sidepod and floor's leading edge should be able to be seen from above (marked in red on the diagram from the FIA's technical regulations).

    Teams often override this rule by using a mirror caveat from another rule (article 3.5.2 a) which allows them to be situated in areas where other bodywork cannot be – so they can be used to 'hide' such car elements underneath.

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    Ferrari SF71H mirror
    Photo by: Giorgio Piola

    It could have been suggested that Ferrari's mirrors fell foul of article 3.5.5, as the floor strakes being utilised by the team this year could be seen between the leading edge of the sidepod/floor and the trailing edge of the mirror casing when viewed from above.

    Mercedes and Red Bull also run similar floor strakes, but overcome the 3.5.5 element by straddling the area entirely with their mirror housing, ensuring that the lower design elements cannot be seen.

    Whilst moving the entire mirror casing rearward was clearly an option for Ferrari, it may also have negated some of the overall aerodynamic effect that it is trying to achieve with their mirrors.

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    Ferraro SF71H mirrors
    Photo by: Giorgio Piola

    As such, with rivals questioning the mirror solution Ferrari started the season with, the team opted for a different response to ensure that there were no doubt that its car followed the letter of the law.

    It added three tabs to the upper surface/corner of the mirror, shielding the strakes if the car were to be viewed from above.

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    Ferrari SF71H front wing end plate
    Photo by: Giorgio Piola

    Wing changes
    While the mirror change caught attention, and almost certainly had no impact on its car performance, there were other changes introduced in Baku that did bring speed gains.

    Having utilized a fresh front wing design for 2018, the team modified the inner and most rearward endplate canards in Azerbaijan, reducing it to a single element configuration rather than two [1].

    The latter portion of the endplate is now more outwardly angled and features a cut in order to force more air out across and around the front tyre [2]. These changes have also resulted in the flap that was attached to the trailing edge of the endplate being affixed to the flap behind [3].

    These changes have been made in tandem as they have an effect on how the airflow is turned out around the front tyre.

    In the case of the endplate flap, its movement is now governed by the rotation of the flaps under load, which changes its interaction with the wheel wake, potentially improving downforce and reducing drag dependent on the car's speed.
     
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  2. daytona355

    daytona355 F1 World Champ
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    #2 daytona355, May 9, 2018
    Awesome synopsis Giorgio. Thank you very much for your insights
     
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  3. jgonzalesm6

    jgonzalesm6 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #3 jgonzalesm6, May 9, 2018
    That's not the only thing that has been under scrutiny....

    The floor.....passed

    The oil burn/smoke......passed

    The batteries......passed

    I get it, all's fair in love and war but we have just built an "effing" good car!!!!!Period.
     
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  4. Ferris Bueller

    Ferris Bueller Formula 3

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    #4 Ferris Bueller, May 9, 2018
    Giorgio,
    Your analysis is priceless
    Thanks for being a member of F Chat
     
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  5. jgonzalesm6

    jgonzalesm6 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #5 jgonzalesm6, May 10, 2018
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  6. jgonzalesm6

    jgonzalesm6 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #6 jgonzalesm6, May 10, 2018
    another closer view


    [​IMG]
     
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  7. jgonzalesm6

    jgonzalesm6 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #7 jgonzalesm6, May 10, 2018
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  8. trumpet77

    trumpet77 Formula 3

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    #8 trumpet77, May 10, 2018
    I don't know how much aero gets affected by putting the mirrors on the halo, but kudos to the team for taking another step in looking for more performance!
     
  9. jgonzalesm6

    jgonzalesm6 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #9 jgonzalesm6, May 10, 2018
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  10. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    #10 Gatorrari, May 10, 2018
    I liked it better in the old days when steering wheels just steered the car, mirrors were just mirrors, and wings had, at most, 3 elements. And the engines could have any number of cylinders up to 12.
     
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  11. Giorgio Piola

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    #11 Giorgio Piola, May 10, 2018
    Appreciate it, thank you, Sid!
     
  12. Giorgio Piola

    Giorgio Piola Rookie

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    #12 Giorgio Piola, May 10, 2018
    Thank you! :)
     
  13. Jeronimo GTO

    Jeronimo GTO Formula 3

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    #13 Jeronimo GTO, May 10, 2018
    Do you support Ferrari in F1?


    YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!
    :)
     
  14. Jeronimo GTO

    Jeronimo GTO Formula 3

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    #14 Jeronimo GTO, May 10, 2018
    Last edited: May 10, 2018
    Thanks again, Giorgio, for bringing us your talent!

    :)
     
  15. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    #15 Gatorrari, May 10, 2018
    Giorgio, all these in-season changes must keep you hopping! Compare that with the 1975 312T, which to my eye didn't change one iota the entire season!
     
  16. jgonzalesm6

    jgonzalesm6 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #16 jgonzalesm6, May 11, 2018
    Charlie was seen in the Ferrari garage yesterday taking pictures with his mobile phone of these "winglets" w/mirrors attached to the halo. An FIA technical delegate was also seen in the garage today giving them a look over.

    Several teams have lodged complaints.

    Could this be Ferrari 2009 all over again??
     
  17. BMWairhead

    BMWairhead Formula 3

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    #17 BMWairhead, May 11, 2018
    I'm suspecting that the winglet above the mirror is going to be questioned...it serves no purpose other than aero...hard to argue that it is integral to the mirror assembly.
     
  18. Tifosi Ferrari

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    #18 Tifosi Ferrari, May 11, 2018
    They would still argue it's structural strength since there's a material from it that is attached to the mirror supporting it. Without it the mirror will probably be virbating.

    So the 2009 car was different at the start compared to what it ended up?
     
  19. daytona355

    daytona355 F1 World Champ
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    #19 daytona355, May 11, 2018
    And yet the ****wits ignore the performance gain of the Mercedes now that Pirelli changed compounds at Mercedes request.......cheating pricks
     
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  20. BMWairhead

    BMWairhead Formula 3

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    #20 BMWairhead, May 11, 2018
    I know that's what they'll suggest, but it just isn't so...any amateur engineer can see that the support is attached below the area of the mount that needs support. IOW, the support is going to be bouncing around with the structure that it's supposed to be supporting...offering zero support. IOW, it's a purely aerodynamic add-on that is actually being supported...

    I think I set a record for the use of the word support!
     
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  21. jgonzalesm6

    jgonzalesm6 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #21 jgonzalesm6, May 11, 2018

    yep, the mirrors on the F60 were mounted on the sidepod deflectors (aero device) which was deemed against the rules per the FIA. So Ferrari had to mount the mirrors on the car.
     
  22. jgonzalesm6

    jgonzalesm6 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #22 jgonzalesm6, May 11, 2018
    I'm still waiting on FP3 and quali Sid to make my own determination. I still think Ferrari is "saving" the engine until quali due to the component allocation allotment this year. If quali goes Mercedes way then I would definitely have to side with you. If it goes Ferrari way, F*** the FIA and have them bring it!!!!! The car is that good and not the diva Mercedes has.
     
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  23. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    #23 TheMayor, May 11, 2018
    I love it!

    "Unfair advantage"

    Aka: "something Ferrari found inside the rules that other teams didn't but will soon copy."

    I have a theory about the mirrors. Its a RUSE. Its there to get other teams to waste time looking for why they did it while the real secret is under the skin. The mirrors could just be Ferrari trolling the other teams.
     
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  24. 4rePhill

    4rePhill F1 Veteran

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    #24 4rePhill, May 11, 2018
    Now the smoky start up makes sense!:

    FERRARI F1 - IT'S ALL SMOKE AND MIRRORS!

    :D
     
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  25. daytona355

    daytona355 F1 World Champ
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    #25 daytona355, May 12, 2018
    Hope you are right man, but I don’t see how the FIA have let Pirelli get away with the change of compounds on request by anyone, let alone Mercedes. It’s clearly not right, because no sooner was the press release out there, the media completely ignored it and haven’t mentioned it once since.... that’s a cover up right there, sure as the lies about Vegas being ‘one shooter’ when we on the ground we’re hearing machine guns two hours after the ‘one shooter’ was dead, that night the press and the cops were talking multiple shooters until 6am, when they simply changed the tag lines on the news!
     
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