One of the most interesting aspects of Formula 1 cars with the new 2022 technical regulations is the return of the gills (or scales) on the sides of the car. After the presentation of the first single-seater (the Haas VF-22) and Red Bull showing only a mock-up, Aston Martin was the first to reveal these openings on its AMR22.
Then, as the other presentations arrived, we saw that it was a path that several teams had followed, including Ferrari or Alpine, although each one in a different way.
Those of the A522, one of the most honest sets when it comes to publishing images of its real single-seater, were surprising for being found in two areas: on the pontoons, and in a further back and upper area, next to the engine cover.
In the little content that they showed of the shakedown completed this Tuesday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya before the tests, the two gill zones were quickly covered, something that was repeated when Fernando Alonso, the person in charge of disputing the first preseason session , this Wednesday, went out to the asphalt.
However, mid-morning, and despite the fact that their social networks tried not to target that area much, we saw on the Alpine A52 that the gills on the engine cover (eight, to dissipate the heat from the radiating masses, are located on the power unit) were closed and those of the pontoons (responsible for extracting the air from the radiators), open.
In the afternoon, Alpine closed both rows of gills, and so they were playing with that part of the car. The reason is that it is simply a cooling component, since the gills reject the heat generated inside the car. Thus, if the weather conditions are not demanding enough (too hot) to require all the cooling, the teams will close them to achieve better aerodynamic efficiency.
And that’s exactly what Alpine did, using the gills when they were needed for cooling and, in turn, dispensing with them for aerodynamic gains in the path of airflow to the rear wing.
The use of the gills on Alpine is a consequence of another design choice: to make the sidepods slimmer, they had to put more hardware on the centerline, which meant relocating one of the larger radiators and, in turn, time, to rethink refrigeration.
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Among the favourites, by the way, this Wednesday we saw how Mercedes and Red Bull finally embraced the flake trend on their W13s and RB18s as well , and in the case of energy drinks they also played with their opening.
