The
STR9's rear end is perhaps the first warning shot of just how complex
we can expect the RB10 to look once it's actual specification is
revealed either later in testing or in Melbourne. One of the nice
features I noted at the car's launch is the use of a wing mounted on
the reference plane.
This wing not only adds structural integrity
to the Rear Wing assembly but isolates the airflow in the central
section of the car. For 2014 the crankshafts height from the
reference plane has been increased by 32mm enabling more space for
airflow to pass between the crash structure and the floor. Toro
Rosso have also scalloped out the central section under the crash
structure to utilise the wing and further increase the space between
it and the crash structure. They aren't the only ones to be doing
this with Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Williams all following a
similar design ethos. Further development is likely to take place on
this element throughout the season as the team further open up the
scalloping of the floor.
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