HAAS
Haas F1 Team VF-20 Floor Comparison
The VF-21 has been virtually the same car that Haas raced in 2020, albeit with the necessary adjustments to comply with this season’s rules. One such rule change was the adoption of a conical section of the ground ahead of the rear tyre, which the team tested in 2020, and shown here.
Haas VF-21 diffuser detail
To compensate for some of the changes made upstream to comply with the new regulations, Haas also modified the design of the diffuser, with a square protrusion made on the outer wall of the diffuser (circled in white, in the photo), while in response also peripheral Gurney flaps were modified.
Haas VF-21 Cooling
The team tested various cooling concepts throughout the season, and in the photo we see one of the largest rear cooling openings, used in Monaco. In the circles you can see the selection of cooling panels with interchangeable grilles.
Haas VF-21 gearbox detail
A close up of the gearbox mount and rear shock structure used on the Haas VF-21.
Front view of the Haas VF-21
Front brake and suspension detail from the VF-21 appear here as the car is prepared for action.
Mechanics working on Nikita Mazepin’s car, Haas VF-21
Another shot of the VF-21 being worked on in the pits, although this time you can see the asymmetrical design of the front brake duct, as the team opted for a different option on one side of the car to aid heat transfer, while in the other it offers more aerodynamic support.
Nikita Mazepin, Haas VF-21
A large display of the VF-21’s bargeboard cluster and pontoon deflector area, also reveals the twisted blades protruding from the leading edge up from the ground.
Haas VF-21 brake drum detail
A close up of the front brake drum on the VF-21 with the more open basket arrangement, which allows airflow that bypasses the direct cooling ducts to be affected by wheel rim rotation.
Haas VF-21 brake drum detail
Here, in contrast, the tighter front brake drum arrangement on the VF-21 with a pair of teardrop outlets that allow heat rejected by the brakes to pass into the vacuum between the drum and the wheel rim.
Detail of the Haas VF-21
A peek under those covers, with the caliper, brake disc and bell clearly visible.
Haas VF-21 flywheel detail
An over-the-shoulder shot of Mick Schumacher reveals some of the details of the VF-21’s steering wheel.
Haas VF-21 wheel and brake detail
Haas opened a window into the future here, as they mounted a tire cross section on top of the normal one to show the height difference for 2022, while also mounting the wheel deflector that will be used in F1 2022.
ALFA ROMEO
Alfa Romeo Racing C41 front wing and endplate
Alfa Romeo’s front wing footplate featured a novel design that allowed airflow to pass from the top surface to the underside of the footplate.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41 floor comparison
Alfa Romeo was the last team to develop a Z-shaped undercut for the C41 which had replaced the tapered concept since the Monaco Grand Prix.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41 front brake detail
In this shot we can see the details that are usually buried under the bodywork of the brake drum. You can see how the internal pipe is divided into several channels to send the cold air collected by the entrance to the areas where it is most needed.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41 front brake detail
The front brake assembly with attached brake drum bodywork gives an idea of the internal and external work that airflow undergoes.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41 rear brake detail
The rear brake duct without the drum installed exposes some of the internal details of the C41 assembly. The silver tube that delivers cold air to the caliper stands out.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41 front suspension detail
A close-up of the internal suspension elements that would normally be covered by the vanity panel.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41 engine detail
An interesting photo of the rear of the car with the engine cover removed shows one of the coolers positioned behind the power unit and above the exhausts. Also noticeable is the shape and size of the twin rear wing mounting pillars.
Alfa Romeo C41 front wing detail
The C41’s front wing differs in many ways from some of the other grille designs. Note the very large arc where the mainplane meets the neutral section, the general shape of the leading edge of the mainplane, the square footplate, and the twisted geometry of the fins on the outboard end. Also notice how the tip of the upper flap has also been trimmed back.
Volante del Alfa Romeo Racing C41
The layout of the C41 steering wheel with the various normal buttons, knobs and switches used to control power unit and chassis parameters.
Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo Racing C41
An overview of the bargeboard group and sidepod baffle region on the C41 allows you to see the slots in the upper elements that are required to mirror those on the surfaces in the reference plane, below.
Detalle dle Alfa Romeo Racing C41
The C41 diffuser used at the Turkish Grand Prix features a row of mini vortex generators at the base of the ramp section. Also noticeable is the small cutout in the middle of the wing that sits below the rear shock structure.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41 nose and front wing detail
A rare chance to see the underside of a front wing reveals the short blades used by Alfa Romeo to help alter the course of airflow. Also visible is the inner surface of the footplate that protrudes into the fin region.
Detalle del Alfa Romeo Racing C41
The C41’s rear wing endplate, which has similar DNA to the Ferrari and Mercedes concepts in the section that sticks out, while the section further forward is separated from the main body of the wing to open a slot in the surface.
Alfa Romeo C41 rear wing detail
The low downforce rear wing used by Alfa Romeo in Italy featured mounting pillars that appear to have been sheared off.
Alfa Romeo Racing mechanics carry the floor of an Alfa Romeo Racing C41
A fantastic view of the floor of the C41 on the way to the pits reveals the complexity of the bargeboard group, the Z-shaped floor cutout and the various angled fins mounted on the floor section at the front.
Alfa Romeo Racing mechanics take the floor of an Alfa Romeo Racing C41 to the garage
From the other side we can see how those details appear from the bottom of the ground.
Alfa Romeo C41 Cooling Comparison
A comparison of some of the cooling solutions used by Alfa Romeo during 2021 in the circles.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41 rear detail
Another shot of the C41 diffuser, this time used at the Austrian Grand Prix, where the slotted fin located between the diffuser and the rear shock structure is missing.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41 brake duct detail
This angle of the C41’s front brake duct shows the several rows of fins stacked on the bottom half of the assembly, while we can also see how prominent the pushrod extension is on the upright.
Detail of the bargeboards of the Alfa Romeo C41
Comparison of the boomerang section on the bargeboard groupset that was upgraded at the Spanish Grand Prix (old spec, inset).
WILLIAMS
Details of the Williams FW43B bargeboards
Williams made changes to the FW43B’s bargeboard group in the opening races of the season as it sought to overcome some of the car’s aerodynamic instability caused by changes made to downstream areas of the car due to the new rules.
Comparison of the Williams FW43B bargeboards
This comparison photo highlights the changes made by the team, including the inclusion of the two descending wings hanging from the boomerang (highlighted in yellow), the additional bank of fins mounted on top of the bargeboard deck (highlighted in red and green ) and the feather-shaped finish applied to the top surface of the main element (highlighted in blue).
Williams FW43B floor detail
Williams became the sixth team to switch to a Z-shaped floor when they introduced a new concept at Imola. As the red arrows point out, the team mounted a trio of angled fins at the juncture of the cut and three r-shaped fins in the middle of the cut to help deflect airflow out.
Williams FW43B front wing comparison
This illustration shows the different upper wing design on the front wing of the Williams FW43B for the extremely low downforce characteristics of Monza compared to the higher downforce requirement of Sochi.
Williams FW43B Mercedes engine detail
An incredible shot of the FW43B power unit installation, with the air-to-air intercooler mounted on the left sidepod and the impulse pipe winding to and from the power unit to it. Also see how the exhaust intersects with the gearbox carrier to reach the rear of the power unit where the turbine section of the turbocharger is housed.
Williams FW43B rear wing detail
Williams’ very smooth scoop rear wing and T-wing dual wing solution.
The Williams FW43B in the garage
The FW43B in the garage being prepped for action, front brakes exposed. And in the background, another shot of the gearbox carrier showing how far back it is to allow the passage of the exhaust it requires.
George Russell, Williams FW43B
An overview of the Williams FW43B bargeboard cluster and sidepod deflector region.
Tambor de freno del Williams FW43B
An overview of the FW43B brake duct which featured a drum design with a large bypass channel in the front section, allowing airflow to enter through the inlet to improve aerodynamic output.
Williams FW43B engine detail
Another angle showing the installation of the power unit, gearbox mount and rear suspension. Also look at the exposed driveshaft.
Detalle del Williams FW43B
This angle of the front brake duct shows the fins mounted to the end guide on the lower half of the assembly.
Williams FW43B Floor Comparison
Changes made to the floor of the FW43B at the Austrian Grand Prix, where the trio of fins in the center of the tapered section were removed and the collection of fins in front of the rear wheel at the edge of the floor was increased in number.
Williams FW43B floor fins
The team also revised the design of the fins next to the rear tyre, taking a cue from the Ferrari design and applying vertical fins, rather than horizontal ones.
Williams FW43B diffuser comparison
The outer diffuser blades were also shortened in the update leading up to the Austrian Grand Prix.
Williams FW43B front detail
A close-up of the front suspension lift element at the French Grand Prix, highlighting the use of Belleville springs.
