Technical Image Gallery - Belgian GP

I'm currently on a European F1 roadtrip and was at the Belgian GP this weekend just gone. I'm not accredited but that didn't stop me getting in the pitlane on Thursday to capture some images...

Stretcccchhhhhh... - Nice overall shot of the Williams Fw42 during build up.

The Williams FW42 front brake duct, note the crossover pipework built into the drum which carries airflow from the inlet across the rim and spills it out of the wheel face in order to control some of the turbulence created by the rim itself and the tyre.

Jack, Jack, come back, Jack

Note how the bargeboards and chassis vanes have been linked on the Williams FW42. Also worth noting the serrations on the lower footplate

Close up of the FW42's front wing - note that vane in the upper right corner which is attempting to throw some airflow outward. The footplate straddles both sides of the endplate too with a small skirt on the inboard edge controlling flow direction and vorticity

Excuse me, oh you're trying to hide the poweruni install from me?.

Don't worry I'm patient...

A few more moments later and we get the best shot I could get and that was almost at full zoom for my setup. Note the use of a saddle arrangement to package all of the powerunit ancillaries, keeping the sidepod area a little more free

The trifecta - Front wing, brake duct and bargeboard (well, at least some of it) in one shot

The Toro Rosso STR14 rear brake duct - note how the drum has a temperature coating on it to keep the heat generated by the brakes away from anything that serves an aerodynamic purpose. Also note the three vertical fins on the floor slots which help to make them work more effectively, as they look to seal the edge of the floor - aerodynamically speaking.

Alfa's 'unloaded' front wing design

A great shot of the Alfa Romeo C38 during prep - note the front brake duct design which not only looks to benefit from a cooling point of view but also an aerodynamic one, you'll see in a later picture how this is completed with an outer drum. Note also the design of the their 3rd damper, a solution that differs from many others on the grid. Lasty check out the vanity panel in the mechanics hands on the right, this fairing covers the aforementioned damper and suspension components and is also home to a collection of flanking fins that help with how the airflow moves around that area of the car.

Mega close up of the Alfa C38's front wing - you'll note how the outer unloaded section meets the outwardly angled endplate, the uppermost flap of which also folds down too.

An Alfa mechanic puts the outer drum of the front brake duct assembly over the rest of the bodywork, completing the fitment and encapsulating the various airflow passageways.

 

A close up of the Racing Point's front brake duct assembly - note how they, much like the rest of the grid, have small fins in the lower half of the inboard fence. They also have a secondary inlet, the small vertical one on the leading edge of the fence, which serves its own purpose, rather than interupting flow direction from the main upper inlet.

The Racing point had a new vanity panel for the Belgian GP with these handlebar horns attached to it, a design reminiscent of Mercedes, who've been running them all season.

Always interesting to see the inside of bodywork...

 

The McLaren MCL33 - note the larger upright extension that was being trialled by the team this weekend as they evaluate different ideas.

A close up of said upright extension and their front brake duct layout

The now widely adopted multi-element wing mirror configuation on the McLaren

McLaren's bargeboard solution has been increased in complexity throughout the season but you'll note they've stuck to a similar concept to what they started with, just iterationally improved it with slots and extra surfaces

The 'teeth' solution on the Haas VF19's turning vanes, as used by Magnussen

The complexity of the bargeboard and sidepod deflector region has increased significantly throughout the season on K-Mag's car, whilst Romain has reverted to the day one - Australia spec

Those 'teeth' from another angle

Some personnel were doing extracation tests during the pitwalk, Renault pulled out an old chassis on a dolly for it to take place...

Note the 'cape' solution on the Renault cars which was introduced as part of their update for the French GP

Red Bull made changes once again to their mirrors for the Belgian GP - likely in response to challenges about the legality of their old design, which was sparse to say the least

A different front wing spec was taken to Belgium and featured a shorter chord top flap (lower of the two)

Mercedes dimpled rear wheel design which helps to manage tyre temperates

A fascinating look behind the scenes of the W10's front brake setup - note the drillings in the hat which allow airflow to pass through the central section of the assembly. Meanwhile, the silver pipework is cleverly shaped and positioned to further maximise how airflow is passed through the assembly to improve its aerodynamic output.

Best shot I could get of the Mercedes powerunit on the day, but note the inwardly crushed wastegate pipes which lurch over the top of the upper wishbones.

A look at Mercedes multi-element mirror arrangement and the sidepod without the bodywork on. This view shows us that Mercedes still have the side impact spar in the conventional position and haven't followed Ferrari's lead from 2017, like much of the grid have.

Don't be fooled into only looking at the wheel rim design here, take a poke around the diffuser and the floor area ahead of the rear tyre ;)

Pitstop practice for the Scuderia enabled me to get a couple of rearward shots, both of which capture the outer part of the diffuser

Inside the Mercedes sidepod bodywork, note how they use a thermal barrier surface covering at the rear of the bodywork

A good look at the Racing Point's front wing from behind but also note their new nose design which features elongated wing pillars with three slots within. This is a design we've seen McLaren use before and still features on the Ferrari and Toro Rosso

Another view of the new Racing Point nose

Mmmmm rear end detail - pay close attention to the outer portion of the diffuser and the various Gurney extensions that wrap around the periphery

Racing Point's rear wheels also feature a finned design to help with tyre temperature management