The 2006 Technical Preview (Part II)

Renault

Renault risked a late introduction of their V8 engine; it never ran until the new chassis was ready. The team instead preferred to run with a detuned V10 engine in the 2005 chassis. Within the first few days of testing it was clear this risk paid off - the car has run reliably and fast throughout testing.

In recent weeks, new aero parts have been tested, including a new nose with a Midland-like wide flat tip and two different rear wing formats.

As well as the curved launch wing, one wing with a flatter middle section was tried, as well as a completely straight wing. This provides Renault with a range of different downforce\drag solutions, which could allow them to adapt at the first races.

To aid cooling, the large chimney panel has appeared with louvers, instead of the permanent louvers of the 2005 car.

McLaren

Second to Renault last year, McLaren's testing has been blighted by engine and reliability problems. Mercedes released a revised engine that brought a big power increase and to date has improved in reliability.

This power hike has allowed the otherwise brilliant chassis to shine. Correspondingly, McLaren can be expected to threaten Renault again in 2006.

It is not McLaren's style to make major changes to the car during the season or in pre-season testing. Hence, the car we saw rolled out in Spain will be very similar to the Bahrain specification, although the team have worked with different cooling outlets in preparation for the opening races, but this is normal practice.

Ferrari

As with winter testing in recent years, Ferrari tend not to test alongside the other teams, preferring to test away in Italy and, this year, in Bahrain. Allied to their lack of testing at the usual test tracks, when they did test alongside other teams it has often been with the modified F2004 car, making predictions of their competitiveness difficult.

Clearly the F2004 and the F248 (the actual 2006 car) are both near the pace and only in the last closed test sessions at Bahrain and Mugello were they running with the new aero package. This late introduction of major aero parts is not a typical Ferrari practice, but may not be indicative of a problem with the old set-up.

The new aero includes a new front wing that has a distinct interruption between the outer spans and the dipped middle section, similar in some ways to Toyota's front wings.

Above the new three-elements front wing is a cascade wing. This is a full width flap and not the cantilevered version most teams attach to their end plate. But its profile is twisted, so only the outer span has any real angle-of-attack, and being attached at both ends could allow the flap to be lighter than the usual versions.

This is not a new Ferrari development, as they have run a similar wing at least twice since 2001. The wing is mated to a revised fin in front of the front suspension and a more aggressive flap on the bargeboards.

Lastly, the rear wing has come in for some attention, the main plane being subtly higher in the middle, and the flap behind it having a deeper chord in the middle. It is the shape of the flap that suggests what Ferrari are trying to achieve here: the gap between the main plane and flap acts to prevent separation under the wing, which - left unchecked - would add drag and stall the wing.

The point at which this separation occurs will vary with the different flows across the width of the wing, and by placing the gap in the ideal place across the wing, the whole wing can be more efficient.

Toyota

As well publicised since the TF106's early launch, the car has been due an aero update. This has duly arrived and the logical changes have been made to the car in keeping with the other team's development for 2006.

The new front wing follows Toyota's usual design but with small winglets to add downforce where other teams use cascades. These winglets were seen at Monaco last year and have been reworked slightly with only one endplate.

Around the nose, fins have been added to control the up-wash from the wing and the sidepods are undercut slightly. Elsewhere around the car, small alterations have been made to the shoulder wings, cooling outlets and bargeboards.

At the rear, the impact structure has been altered to form a neat flap above the tail light. The team have been encouraged by the revised aero and the launch spec car has completed a lot of mileage at good pace in testing. This all bodes well for the team to continue their challenge to the top teams in 2006.

Williams

Now with Cosworth power, Williams have produced a typically neat car for 2006. The Cosworth engine has come in for a lot of praise from other teams for its power output and high 20,000RPM-rev limit.

However, Williams had some technical issues in testing, some of which have since been attributed to development of the new gearbox.

A novelty on the car in testing has been the revised cascade fins over the front wing; these are split with a slot gap running across the middle of the flap. Why such a small flap needs a slot gap is puzzling, but this may suggest the airflow under the cascade is more aggressive than imagined.

Also Williams have been getting used to Bridgestone tyres. If the team don't have the right set-up, there could be a lot of small alterations around the suspension and perhaps even to elements of the aerodynamics to adapt in the opening races. Once they are settle down the new rubber, Williams can run at the front of the midfield but perhaps not challenge the top three.

Red Bull Racing

After such a solid and reliable 2005, Red Bull have endured a tough pre-season testing time. Their problem has primarily been a cooling issue; however this prevents track time and more crucially long runs. It was only in the last testing session before the first race that the fully revised cooling package had been run.

This solution comprised of heavily revised sidepods and different radiators. The folded coolers of the original RB2 have been replaced with larger flat coolers reportedly from the V10-engined RB1.

To accommodate the larger radiators, the sidepods now have different air inlets, gone is the deeply under-cut "C" shaped opening, and instead there is a squarer, less under-cut shape. This has moved the mirror mounts from the sidepods, back to the chassis.

Then, the coke-bottle shape is interrupted by the very large chimney, an extra duct below the flip up, and a bulge that eats into the previously flat deck formed ahead of the flip up.

These changes will also cost in efficiency, which will further hamper the team in the opening races, amplified by the lack of running completed so far.

Honda

Appearing with a very different car in some of its aerodynamic solutions to that used in 2005, with a new front end, sidepods and wings. It was always a habit of BAR to run well in winter testing, and the newly titled Honda team have also gone very well so far.

The Honda engine is another unit to have drawn some praise from rivals, although Honda did bow down to the Cosworth as the better engine around at the moment.

The lessons learnt from the uncompetitive BAR 007 appeared to have been learnt, and the aerodynamics must play a part in the improvement. A new front wing was tried almost as soon as the media's back was turned at the car's roll; the less aggressively shaped wing has received praise from the drivers.

Mated to the all-new sidepod arrangement - with more conventional chimneys and winglets - is a very different shoulder wing acting more like a fin to collect the flow up, than to act as a wing profile.

Hidden next to the shoulder wing in testing was a small aperture on the leading edge of the sidepod, which hid a small thermal camera, used for gauging tyre temperatures. Although not unique in F1, this tidy installation could allow Honda to run the cameras throughout a race weekend to monitor and predict tyre performance.

BMW Sauber

In a similar position to Williams, BMW-Sauber has a transition period to get through. Looking into the pit and at the car, the Sauber outfit is still recognisable, as is the immediate influence of BMW.

This Germanic pairing's relationship and performance will be hard to predict - so far in testing the team have done a sound job, certainly where Sauber would normally have been expected to be.

The pace of development, aided by BMW's input of knowledge and cash, has already started, but its influence will not be seen for some time.

Midland

Midland's more frequent appearances in winter testing with the new car is already a sign that the team have moved on from the Jordan situation of recent years. They now have a very different car, albeit with some elements that reflect on previous cars.

Technical changes since the car's launch have not been evident, and this isn't surprising, considering their resources aren't at Toyota level, and as most elements were already changed on the new car.

Despite the improvements, and being realistic, with Toro Rosso now more seriously resourced under the Red Bull banner, Midland must be pleased that Super Aguri have joined F1 as they will certainly struggle against the rest of field.

Toro Rosso

Ignoring the legal implications of who owns the intellectual property rights of the STR01 and how fair the V10 engine restriction is, Toro Rosso will be in a good position for the early part of the year.

Based on the RB1, which did very well last year, the new car has a solid start point to progress from. How much the restricted V10 engine will prove to be a benefit or handicap around the different tracks will be interesting to watch.

Should the team be too successful, what measure will be used to gauge how good the V10 engined car is: against Midland's standards or Red Bull's? And how well measured will the response from the FIA be? It may well reverse any advantage and force the team to limp around with a strangulated engine.

Just as interesting to follow will be the new team's ability to engineer new parts on to the car - something Red Bull really didn't achieve last year, and the team's previous incarnation (Minardi) never had the resources to do.

Will this year be an interim one for STR, or will they simply run the car and focus on 2007?

Super Aguri

Until the team was almost ready to run the test car at its first shakedown, we could all have forgiven for thinking they wouldn't make it to Bahrain. But the shakedown did take place and subsequent tests have revealed the SA05 in its definitive 2006 aero package.

Regardless of the car's actual pace, having a fully legal car ready in just four months is a major technical achievement. Let's not forget the car was last raced in 2002 and did not even complete the full championship due to the declining fortunes of the TWR group running the team.

But the car was technically interesting and ahead of the field in several areas, with an advanced twin keel concept and a carbon fibre gearbox, although it was originally powered by a 72-degree V10 Cosworth engine and built to very different aerodynamic and safety rules.

Technology has advanced in all these areas in the past three-four years, leaving the car seriously outdated. It is Super Aguri's plan to run the car until the all-new SA06 is ready at the start of the European season, so any changes the team have had to make to the car need to be considered carefully.

What must be done is to meet the current rules - without that, the car will be stuck in scrutineering in Bahrain. Any changes on top of this need to be balanced against how much performance gain they can engineer in the time and budget available.

From the brief view we have had of the definitive SA05, the team have done a pragmatic job of the update.

Firstly, the Honda V8 installation needed a new rear bulkhead to the chassis and a new gearbox. Super Aguri have a new carbon-cased gearbox, but this is neither the old Arrows' unit nor a Honda one.

Mechanically new suspension to match the characteristics of the new Bridgestone tyres required new carbon-fibre front wishbones and steel rear wishbones.

The cooling and electronic systems needed to be created specifically for the Honda engine and mated to the sides of the chassis.

Crash structures needed to be up-rated to cope with the higher loads demanded in the current crash tests.

Then, the aerodynamics needed to be made legal, requiring a new floor, wings, bargeboards, engine cover and sidepods.

The wings appear to be re-sited versions of the Arrows designs, and the distinctive keel extensions have been raised to meet the new ground clearance rule for 2006.

Sidepods are all very different, with undercuts and chimneys aided by a shoulder wing.

Just ahead of the sidepods appears to be a floor level fin mated to revised bargeboards.

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- The Autosport.com Team

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