Force India VJM03 – Further modifications on sidepods panels at Turkey

  Turkey

 

    At Turkey the VJM03 had its sidepod panels modified . In details a small extra air-fence ( in black color) was added which hangs by its upper part from the  horizontal panel’s extension so as to improve airflow management close to the sidepod bottoms and towards the rear   .

 

 

  Valencia

 

   At Valencia this extra element was painted from black to orange

VJM03 , rear wing – small change for China

 

         At China  a tab-less rear wing was used  favoring top speed at long Sinopec’s  straight .

VJM03 – Bahraini rear wing spec details

1. The three horizontal slits at the upper part of the endplates , help to  reduce the turbulence and drag generated by the impact of the airflow towards the main profile close to endplates
2. The curved front-lower edge offers a cleaner  airflow passing close to the rear suspension’s upper wishbones . Again  turbulence and drag in this area is reduced . As side effect the airflow towards the low placed beam wing might be disrupted by air vortexes created by the rear wheel’s  rotation , especially when the car turns .
3. The black colored tab along the wing extremities boosts downforce production with small drag penalty .
4. Finally there is a single wing pillar to increase stiffness

 

VJM03 – Sidepod panels revision at Bahrain and bargeboard details

      During winter testing at Barcelona many teams presented major or lesser significance modifications to their cars . Force India VJM03 had  its sidepod panels revised  . The revised panels had a larger cut on their top rear end to let more air bleed between the panel and  sidepod , aiming mainly to drag reduction and a new connection to the mirrors   . Moreover a small winglet was added lower on the panel to improve airflow towards the rear sides of the car . The VJM03 retained the  revised panels for Bahrain  .

         The bargeboards featured by the VJM03 are smaller than other teams use and have a triangular shape with their rear part connecting directly to the turning vanes  . Their role is to manage flow of air around the sidepod bottoms and under the car’s floor .

VJM03 – Bahraini front wing spec details

 Sakhir

1.The central zone is defined by the rules as it must be 500mm width  and must consist of a single element

2.Vertical nose pillars

3.The main profile  rises before joining the endplate to  increase the quantity of air passing under and close to the endplates .

4.The vertical airflow splitter fence under the main profile  diverts airflow outwards .

5. Horizontal extension of the endplates , reduces front wing’s pitch sensitivity

6.Extra double profiled winglet which adds downforce

7.The endplate is consisted by two vertical elements . The two elements create an inner air channel to speed up airflow while the rear one has an outward  curve to direct air around the front wheels

8.There is a small cut deep at the outer second plane extremities to reduce drag on  long straights .

VJM03 inboard mirrors at China

                 One race before the official ban of the outboard mirrors , Force India repositioned the car mirrors inboards having them now mounted on the tooth edged cockpit fins .The outboard mirrors , a novelty first introduced in 2006 by Ferrari ( 248 F1) , are banned from FIA because they offer poor rear visibility .

VJM03 nose pillars and nose cone updates at Melbourne and Bahrain respectively

          The team during Winter testing modified significantly the nose cone shape . The new nose cone has a more roundy and  lifted up  tip so as to let more air pass under the car .

          Moreover the VJM03 introduced new wider nose pillars at Melbourne to guide better the airflow entering under the nose .  A similar pillar design was also adopted by Mercedes GP at Spanish race .

VJM03 Technical Specification

Chassis	Carbon fibre composite monocoque with Zylon legality side anti-intrusion panels.
Front suspension	Aluminium uprights with carbon fibre composite wishbones, trackrod and pushrod. Inboard chassis mounted torsion springs, dampers and anti-roll bar assembly.
Rear suspension	Aluminium uprights with carbon fibre composite wishbones, trackrod and pushrod. Inboard gearbox mounted torsion springs, dampers and anti-roll bar assembly.
Wheel base	3500mm
Front track	1480mm
Rear track	1420mm
Overall height	950mm
Overall length	4900mm
Overall weight	620kg (with driver, by regulations)
Wheels	BBS forged wheels to Force India specification
Engine supplier	Mercedes Benz High Performance Engines V8 2.4-litre
Transmission	McLaren Racing 7-speed, semi-automatic, ‘e-shift’
Lubricants	Mobil 1 products
Spark plugs	NGK
Clutch	AP Racing carbon clutch
Tyres	Bridegestone Potenza
Brake system	AP Racing
Brake material	Carbone Industrie
Dampers	Penske

 

source : http://www.forceindiaf1.com/