Renault introduces new front wing, bargeboard additions for F1 opener
Renault has brought a new front wing design and bargeboard additions to the Formula 1 season-opening Austrian Grand Prix as part of its three-part upgrade package
In a session with select media, including Autosport, last week, Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul explained that the team had grouped together three of its planned upgrade packages together for the first of two races at the Red Bull Ring.
"It's been a huge effort from internal production to get the package from races three, five and six - the initial numbering obviously - from Vietnam, the Netherlands and Barcelona that will be on our car in Austria," Abiteboul said.
The front wing has received several detail changes to its endplates, bringing them in line with a design that Ferrari debuted at last year's French Grand Prix.
This includes a flatter, squarer footplate which compresses at the trailing edge to accommodate a small fin.
At the trailing edge, there is also a small Gurney flap-style ridge to trip the airflow outboard and around the front tyre, along with the outwardly-pointing fin - marked with the red arrow in the image below.
The image shows the older-spec wing on top, with the new Austria wing below.
The airflow being pushed outwards - known as outwash - is enhanced by the square cut-out in the top corner of the endplate's rear edge, which takes airflow worked by the front wing elements and lets it bleed outwards.
This is helped by a shorter-chord top flap, which removes the scalloped section at the point where it meets the endplate of the older wing.
Renault has also added a number of vertical serrations to the bargeboard area, which will assist the rest of the bargeboard package with taking the airflow from the components in front - for example, the front wing tip vortices and the turbulence from the tyre - to pull it away from the floor.
PLUS: The new rules of F1's tech war
Tyre wake turbulence entering the floor section reduces the efficiency of the under-body aerodynamics, thus slashing the overall downforce produced.
Driver Esteban Ocon hopes that the upgrades that Renault has brought will alleviate any issues it had during testing, and says that his experiences of testing the 2019 car has helped inform him of the changes that the team needed to make.
"It was great to test the car in 2019 in Abu Dhabi to then see the improvement of the car in the winter test, and just get a way to see which improvements we should be doing," Ocon said.
"Now that we had a good test in February, I hope the upgrades we have now are going to help the problems we had then."
Is Red Bull F1's only hope of a Mercedes challenge in 2020?
Leclerc sure Ferrari will struggle more than it did in 2019 F1 campaign
How getting sacked gave Mercedes F1’s tech wizard lasting benefits
He’s had a hand in world championship-winning Formula 1 cars for Benetton, Renault and Mercedes, and was also a cog in the Schumacher-Ferrari axis. Having recently ‘moved upstairs’ as Mercedes chief technical officer, James Allison tells STUART CODLING about his career path and why being axed by Benetton was one of the best things that ever happened to him
The remarkable qualities that propelled Kubica’s F1 comeback
It’s easy to look at Robert Kubica’s second Formula 1 career and feel a sense of sadness that he didn’t reach the heights for which he seemed destined. But as BEN ANDERSON discovered, performance and results are almost meaningless in this context – something more fundamental and incredible happened…
The humbling changes Ricciardo made to deliver the goods for McLaren
From being lapped by his own team-mate in Monaco to winning at Monza, it’s been a tumultuous first season at McLaren for Daniel Ricciardo. But, as he tells STUART CODLING, there’s more to the story of his turnaround than having a lovely summer holiday during Formula 1's summer break...
The potential benefits of losing the F1 constructors' title
As the battle continues to rage over the F1 2021 drivers' championship, teams up and down the grid are turning their attentions to the prize money attributed to each position in the constructors' standings. But F1's sliding scale rules governing windtunnel and CFD use will soften the blow for those who miss out on the top places
The invisible enemy that’s made Hamilton’s title charge tougher
After winning his past few Formula 1 titles at a canter, Lewis Hamilton currently trails Max Verstappen by eight points heading into the final double-header of 2021. Although Red Bull has been his biggest on-track challenge, Hamilton feels that he has just as much to grapple with away from the circuit
Why F1’s inconvenient penalties have to stay
OPINION: Quibbles over the length of time taken by Formula 1's stewards over decisions are entirely valid. But however inconvenient it is, there can be no questioning the importance of having clearly defined rules that everyone understands and can stick to. Recent events have shown that ambiguity could have big consequences
The mistakes Red Bull cannot afford to repeat in F1 2021’s title fight climax
OPINION: Red Bull has had Formula 1’s fastest package for most of 2021, but in several of the title run-in events it has wasted the RB16B’s potential. It cannot afford to do so again with Lewis Hamilton motoring back towards Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings with two rounds remaining
Qatar Grand Prix Driver Ratings
Qatar was a virtual unknown for most as Formula 1 made its inaugural visit to the Gulf state, and tyre management quickly emerged as an even more critical factor than normal. Perhaps then it should come as no surprise that two of the championship's elder statesmen produced standout drives