Bite Size Tech: Sauber C33 rear end upgrades (Bahrain, 2nd pre-season test)

Sauber spent their time at Jerez utilising a very basic aero configuration, mostly doing shakedown work that checked systems and most importantly allowed the team and drivers to understand the new powerunit.

A bare bones configuration for Jerez was replaced by a plethora of new parts up and down the C33 taking into account the centre of pressure, balancing the downforce generated on the entirety of the car. At the rear of the car we find several key changes in order to give the driver far more downforce to work with. Starting with the Diffuser we see in the inset that the team affixed a simple/blunt Gurney Trim to the periphery of the device (Inset). Whilst in Bahrain we find the team have not only detached the trim from the Diffusers body but also added a blunt section under the crash structure. This section of bodywork creates an area of lower pressure behind it, helping the central section of the Diffuser to work more effectively aiding in the upwash.

With the name of the game this season being upwash as the teams try to recreate the aero structures previously afforded to them by the Beam Wing, Sauber introduced their Y100 Winglet / Monkey Seat in Bahrain. The device sits above the exhaust in the design free Y100 region either side of the cars centreline and helps to create an aerodynamic link between the Diffuser and Rear Wing (Upwash).

The aerodynamic connection I'm talking about allows for a more aggressive angle of attack for the Rear Wing with airflow remaining attached. With this in mind the team also made a change to the Rear Wing's Mainplane.

Another key area of development since the rule change (2009) has been the use of rear brake duct fins and although they have little to do with the actual cooling of the rear brakes they lie in a zone intended for bodywork to facilitate that purpose. The use of the fins is to not only generate some downforce directly at the wheel but also to align the aerodynamic structures that impinge on diffuser performance. This will continue to be an area of development for the teams this season.