Front Wing Cascades - F1 Technical Terms

As we know the Front Wing not only serves the purpose of generating downforce but creating and managing flow regimes for the rest of the car.  Since the inception of the current rule set in 2009 the teams have been using elements we call 'Cascades' to aid in creating flow regimes.

Whilst many teams used basic designs in 09 the BrawnGP BGP001 led the way with a more intricate design of Cascade that helped to control the airflow around the Front Wheel.

The Front Wheel creates a significant amount of Turbulence that if unmanaged can have a detrimental effect on the areas behind it (Floor, Sidepods etc)  The Cascade pushes airflow over and around the wheel/tyre in order to better utilise the tyres wake increasing the performance of the components downstream.  The Cascade of course due to it's shape creates a smaller quantity of downforce but this is not it's primary function.

The Cascade itself of course has a limited impact on the efficiency of the Wing elements behind it, robbing some of the airflow it would see if it wasn't there.  However the upshoot of being able to direct the oncoming airflow around the Front Wheel is a clear advantage.

As the teams find ever involving ways to harness the effects of the Cascades their designs and layouts change in size, quantity and efficiency with teams also using them to create Vortices for better flow management downstream.

'R Cascade'

Some teams also utilise what we term an r Cascade, called as such due to their shaping and familiarity to the letter r.  These are used an extension element creating an effect in combination with surrounding elements, their shape usually aids in the upsweep of airflow on the inboard side of the wheel to control the wheels wake, whilst their pointed end Vorticises the airflow fortifying the effect.