Auto GP could further tweak revised 2013 car

The modified 2013 car has already proved faster than its predecessor in the opening two rounds at Monza and Marrakech.

Former Williams and Ferrari Formula 1 designer Enrique Scalabroni, who led Auto GP's 2013 upgrade project, is targeting further performance gains from a redesigned front wing.

"We are analysing the possibility of a new front wing and endplate, and I have already made some sketches," Scalabroni said.

"However, the [revised] car is already faster. At Vallelunga, with the same rear-wing set-up for reference, this car was 7km/h faster in a straightline, and also quicker in the corners. We have gained in downforce and reduced drag."

Scalabroni explained to AUTOSPORT that his original changes had been focused on three areas: supplying the engine with more air, reducing drag on the front wing and making the rear diffuser more effective.

He stressed however that limited timeframes and the need to avoid re-crash testing parts imposed restraints on the designs.

"The [original] engine was 450bhp, and now it is 550bhp, so more air is being consumed," he explained. "That is why I created two lateral entries on the side.

"Second, we tried to have less back pressure behind the front wing, so I created curves in a plan view by the side-pod. The front-wing air-flow is much faster, and this helped front downforce and drag reduction.

"The other thing was for more air to pass on top of the rear diffuser. I used the idea of lifting part of the flow from the radiator exit.

"Now we're taking 30 per cent of the total radiator cooling exit area, which permits us to increase and energise flow over the rear wing. Finally, we worked with the diffuser at an increased angle and this gained more downforce.

"We had no time to build windtunnel models. We had one month to complete the designs and after that one-and-a-half months to build the parts and prepare for the race at Monza.

"I used CFD and applied all the experience I had from windtunnels. We had no possibility to change the internal parts, because it was already crash tested.

"The only thing that we did was split the exit into two parts - part coming from the side and part from the rear cooling-duct.

"This helped improve the cooling system because there is a part with big negative pressure. Adrian Newey has used this system and it really worked."