ALPINE
Alpine A521 rear suspension and brakes
On the rear brake duct on the Alpine A521 this photo allows you to see the small inlets added next to the main one and also the vanes mounted on top of the drum which are used to help control the direction of airflow through the surface.
Alpine A521 Floor Comparison
When Alpine arrived at the first race of the season, the floor of their car had already gone through several phases of iteration in an attempt to develop the best combination of fins in both the front notch of the Z-shaped cutouts and the section off the ground in front of the rear tire.
Alpine A521 front wing comparison
The front wing also went through a set of changes, where the shape of the wing tips were modified (highlighted in green) and that notch was added to the upper rear corner of the endplate. In addition, the entrance on the side of the so-called layer for the “S-duct” (red arrow) was modified and a finned section could be found on the flank of the layers surface (inset).
Detail of the bargeboard of the Alpine A521
An overview of the bargeboard group shows how complex the area had become to improve flow around the front of the pontoons and the ground. Also notice the blades protruding from the leading edge of the flat bottom, which also have their own mini blades added to the leading edge.
Detail of the bargeboard of the Alpine A521
Another angle of the bargeboard group with the grooves in the footplate which is an extremely prominent feature to correct and shape and direct the airflow.
Alpine A521 Brake Line Detail
The front brake duct with a full drum assembly mounted – see how the inner duct creates channels for airflow so it can be directed out through the wheel rim.
Difusor del Alpine A521
The changes they made to the diffuser on the A521 at the Spanish Grand Prix, with the blades at a steeper and shorter angle.
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A521
A wide shot of the front of the A521 at Monaco – not a new feature for the team, but notable are the hips on the side of the chassis that help control flow across the top surface and down the flanks.
Bargeboard del Alpine A521
Notable among the changes made to the bargeboard group for the Monaco Grand Prix are the “r”-shaped paddle protruding from the main vertical fence (red arrow) and modifications made to the footplate-mounted hedgehog-style paddles ( yellow lines).
Guanyu Zhou, Alpine A521
A shot from behind the wheel of the A521 as Guanyu Zhou prepared for a free practice session.
Alpine A521 rear wing detail
A close-up of the outer section of the rear wing where teams create narrow profiles from a section outlined by the rules to be considered part of the endpate, adding extra width to the wing elements, while also having a impact shed tip vortex.
Alpine A521 rear wing
The A521’s high-downforce rear wing was implemented at the Hungarian Grand Prix, along with its double ‘T-Wing’ which, as you’ll see, has a slot in the upper element that also arches down around the endplate.
Alpine A521 High Downforce Rear Wing Comparison
Extra stiffening straps were also added to the wing in Hungary as the team ensured that the new load and deflection tests did not cause them to fail.
Alpine A521 Cooling
The A521 carried many different cooling options throughout the season to accommodate circuit variations and weather conditions so as not to suffer unwanted drag.
Alpine A521 rear detail
The low downforce rear wing as seen here during the Belgian Grand Prix, with much sleeker looking gooseneck pillars. Also note the additional reinforcing straps added to the hangers on the outer section of the endplate.
Technical detail of the Alpine A521
A good front wing angle shows the curvature of the footplate into a much flatter section at the rear of the element, while the small top-mounted tab is angled outwards to promote airflow direction.
Alpine A521 rear detail
A good view of the lower rear of the A521 at the Dutch GP, including the diffuser, aerodynamic fairings for the suspension and drive shafts and the rear rain light cover carried by the cars and the shock structure.
Detalle del Alpine A521
A close-up of the bargeboard group and pontoon deflectors.
Alpine A521 front wing detail
The front wing close-up shows how the five finned elements are divided, with a full-length slot on the main plane and a small slot on the second element at junction Y250 to help alter the vortex created there. Also notice the slotted section in the cape that was added earlier in the season.
Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521
A fantastic overview gives us the opportunity to see many of the car’s crucial aerodynamic areas at once.
Alpine A521 brake drum detail
The inner brake duct fence houses not only the main intake, but also a smaller one mounted below and behind it, while a pair of small fins also seek to improve flow over its surface in the lower front corner.
Alpine A521 front brake detail
The additional intake seen in the image above feeds a small bypass pipe (shown here in silver) that takes in the airflow and exhausts it out of the rim.
Cooling of the Alpine A521 from the column of the engine cover
In Mexico a small vent was added to the column of the engine covers to help improve heat rejection.
Alpine A521 gearbox
Gearbox mount, rear suspension and brakes on display as the cars prepared for action at the Brazilian Grand Prix. See how the gearbox mount is designed to position the rear upper suspension elements as high as possible.
Alpine A521 rear brake detail
The rear brake duct without the drum attached gives us a view of the tubing that wraps around the rear caliper and delivers cold air to it.
Alpine A521 suspension detail
A close-up of some of the A521’s interior suspension elements, brake cylinders and pilot cooling inlets.
The steering wheel of Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521
Fernando Alonso’s steering wheel with the various switches, rotary knobs and conventional buttons used to control the chassis and power unit parameters all in full view.
ALPINE A521 Comparison
A comparison showing the different levels of rear wing used at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the higher (upper) downforce initially used in free practice before the team switched to the lower downforce scooped wing.
Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521
Fernando Alonso reviews the telemetry data while in the box (right screen), while using the one on the steering wheel as a reference for lap numbers and circuit layout.
ASTON MARTIN
Comparison of the Aston Martin AMR21 and Mercedes W11 bargeboards
This side-by-side comparison of the Aston Martin AMR21 and the Mercedes W11 shows the design divergence that removed some of the similarities between the two cars heading into 2021.
Aston Martin AMR21 ground development
Aston Martin took an aggressive stance on the new flat-bottom rules, as low-raked teams had been hampered more than some of their rivals. Its cutout was the largest on the grille, while several additional fins were added to help coerce the direction of airflow in order to regain some of the lost performance.
Suelo del Aston Martin Racing AMR21
A general ground shot of AMR21, where the section that would have existed in 2020 is highlighted in yellow.
Aston Martin AMR21 rear and endplates
The AMR21’s rear wing is a development of the one used over the course of the 2020 season, which is a continuation of the foundation laid by Mercedes, which its car was based on that year. The main difference for 2021 was the inclusion of a new upstream channel housed within a section of the endplate that had been contoured to accept it.
Aston Martin AMR21 floor comparison
The team continued to make changes to the car throughout the season to make up for lost performance.
Aston Martin AMR21 diffuser comparison
A new diffuser was introduced at the Austrian Grand Prix, with the outer shape of the wall altered along with Gurney flaps around its periphery.
Aston Martin AMR21 floor comparison
The team also revised the fins in front of and around the Z-shaped floor cutout, with an extra fin added to the front section (highlighted in green), while the secondary row of fins around the cutout was removed (highlighted in red). .
Aston Martin AMR21 front wing comparison
The upper flap of the front wing was also adjusted at the tip end to alter the downforce generated and the effect it has on the Y250 vortex.
Fins on the Halo of the Aston Martin Racing AMR21
The team made an interesting change in Baku when it came to the Halo’s fairing, swapping the boomerang-style wing, which he and many others have used since the safety frame’s introduction, for a pair of fins. Meanwhile, a new set of serrated mirror stems was also unfurled.
Aston Martin AMR21 front wing detail
A new upper front wing flap was introduced for the Belgian GP, where the team was looking to meet the challenges posed by the circuit, which has a more technical second sector sandwiched between two sectors that require more efficiency.
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR21
Looking into the cockpit of the AMR21 we get a good view of the steering wheel, with the various buttons, knobs and switches that control the power unit and chassis parameters visible.
Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR21
The AMR21 on the stands ready for action; look at the front brake heaters that sit on top of the brake drums to help bring everything up to temperature.
Aston Martin AMR21 front wing detail
A rare image of the lower front wing and nose shows the length of the blades and the geometry of the footplate.
Aston Martin AMR21 front wing detail with sensors
Aston Martin installed a Kiel probe array on the front wing of the AMR21 at the Turkish Grand Prix to help collect data on airflow behaviour.
Detail of the Aston Martin AMR21 brake drum
A close look at the front brake duct on the Aston Martin AMR21 and the various channels used to direct airflow through the assembly.
Detail of the pontoons of the Aston Martin AMR21
A close-up of the sidepod deflectors and floor edge design on the AMR21: showing the wavy section of the floor, a design feature that is also similar to that seen on the Mercedes.
Detalle del Aston Martin AMR21
An overview of the rear of the AMR21 shows how tightly the rear end of the car is packed, with the cooling outlet raised to create more space in the coke bottleneck region.
Detalle del Aston Martin AMR21
A look at the design of the AMR21’s pontoons, which you’ll see have been made very narrow in their forward projection, resulting in a large pontoon wing that not only has an inverted endpate but also two vortex generators on top .
Aston Martin AMR21 Cooling
A look at some of the cooling solutions used on the AMR21, with the open and closed solutions used alongside the cockpit insert, while the main shot (Monaco photo) suggests just how little the team decided to open the rear cooling outlet, even on a city track where much more cooling is usually required.
Detalle del Aston Martin AMR21
General view of the rear of the AMR21 in Hungary, including the diffuser, rear wing lower blades, crash structure fins and exhausts.
Detalle del Aston Martin AMR21
An interesting view of the front floor section and the angled fins that direct airflow outwards.
Aston Martin AMR21 floor detail
The closed fin stack ahead of the rear tire on the AMR21 evolved throughout the season, with this sinuous fin being the final evolution.
Detalle del Aston Martin AMR21
A close-up showing the amount of detail that makes up the sidepod deflector region, including the venetian blind-shaped slats that had become commonplace throughout the grille.
Aston Martin AMR21 rim detail
A close-up of the AMR21’s rear wheel rim reveals the knurled finish used to help control tire temperature; which is considered as a heat sink.
Detalle del Aston Martin AMR21
The rear brake duct with the drum removed reveals the ducts used to channel airflow into the caliper, while also giving us a view of the intricate vertical design.
Detalle del Aston Martin AMR21
A fantastic shot of the cape section from behind shows us how two intakes in the tail section of the ship are used to help capture airflow.
ALPHATAURI
AlphaTauri AT02 front suspension detail
AlphaTauri was able to change the steering rack and assembly to the one used by Red Bull in 2020 without spending any tokens and diligently complied with the regulations. The layout places the array further back, inside the bulkhead .
Gearbox and suspension of the AlphaTauri AT02
The rear suspension, gearbox mount, and rear shock structure were all carried over from the AT01, but as we can see here, there’s a lot of detail to each of them.
New front wing endplates with arrows on the details of the AlphaTauri AT02 for the French GP
AlphaTauri made changes to the front wing footplate design during the season as the team evaluated the different aerodynamic characteristics it would have with a square or arched profile. You can also see the cavity present in the footplate and the endplates that allowed the airflow to migrate from the upper surface to the lower.
AlphaTauri AT01 and AT02 front wing comparison, Italian GP
In this image we can see not only how the team made changes to the wing to cope with the very different demands of the Monza circuit, but also how the wing had generally evolved during 2021, with the mainplane and flap section altered. in the Y250 region.
Detalle del AlphaTauri AT02
In this shot of the AlphaTauri stripped bare and ready for action, we can see many of the details that are normally hidden.
Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT02
A look at the bargeboard cluster and sidepod deflectors on the AlphaTauri AT02 as it hits the grid.
Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT02
A slightly different view of the bargeboard group and sidepod deflectors on the AT02.
Yuki Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri AT02 car steering wheel
A rare shot at the back of Yuki Tsunoda’s wheel gives us an idea of the paddle arrangement the Japanese driver was using.
Detalle del AlphaTauri AT02
A look at the rear of the AT02 in the garage allows. see the little Y150 flapper, or monkey seat, which is perched on the exhaust to help improve flow direction.
Detalle del AlphaTauri AT02
In this picture, without the pontoon body attached, we can see the body inside, which also has a mesh inside the inlet to prevent large debris from getting lodged inside. Also note the saddle-style cooler mounted above the power unit, which has become a hallmark of Honda-powered single-seaters.
AlphaTauri AT02 brake drum detail
The “closed” front brake duct on the AT02. Look, however, on the inner rim how there are ducts that feed airflow across the face of the wheel.
AlphaTauri AT02 Cooling Comparison
A look at some of the AlphaTauri’s rear cooling output options, along with the lightly used reed panel next to the controller (inset).
Difusor del AlphaTauri AT02
A great shot of the diffuser on the AT02, which you’ll see has grooves on all of the guide plates. You can also see the T-Wing in a loop.
AlphaTauri AT02 rear wing detail
A low downforce rear wing on the AT02 for the Saudi GP, which also lacks the trailing edge Gurney flap.
AlphaTauri AT02 rear wing detail
That same wing from another angle, though this time with the Gurney flap attached to the trailing edge of the upper flap.
AlphaTauri AT02 front brake detail
A look at what’s going on internally with the AlphaTauri brake duct, where you can see the outer casing that helps form the ducts that feed airflow down the face of the wheel.
AlphaTauri AT02 motor details
A great shot of the Honda power unit before it was snapped into place on the AT02 chassis.
