Force India VJM06 – glimpse of the rear end

Force India VJM06 – rear end and diffuser

     There is nothing radical on Force India VJM06 diffuser .The most striking points on the design are the perforated ( slotted) tab and the three in a row vertical fences separating the inner section from the our tunnels.

    Like several other teams in 2013, Force India does also share a carapace of carbon to enclose both the lower rear wishbone and the driveshaft.

Force India VJM06 – winter testing (pre season) tech summary

Chassis :  VJM06

Engine : Mercedes-Benz FO 108F

 

 

    VJM06 bears great visible similarity with VJM05 with many parts to be carried over from last season . Changes are limited to the nose which is covered with a full sized modesty panel, different brakes, a reduced in size DRS actuator pod .

Winter testing updates :

    Modified front and rear  wings were tested at first and second Barcelona test respectively and different cooling system to the front brakes .

 

 

EVALUATION :

Aerodynamic performance :  guarantee a stable and predictable car but further progress should be done

Speed :.  Average , seems to be stacked in the middle pack

Tyres management  :   average

Reliability  :  not bad

 

 

2013 F1 cars – Nose Fairing patterns

 

        Despite the fact that FIA attempted to discourage teams from exploiting the nose fairing and gaining aero advantage over it, many teams bypassed the regulations spirit and developed elegant structures both to gain  improved airflow over the nose and keep the weight penalty due to the added fairing as low as possible . To be honest this was something more than expected as many changes caused the opposite effect than the wanted    one, with the recent ban of the blown diffuser to be the best example. The only team which does not need a fairing is Marussia because of its low chassis .

       Ferrari, Mc Laren, Force India, Williams and Toro Rosso followed a conservative pattern as shown in the illustration below

Ferrari , Mc Laren , Force India, Williams , Toro Rosso
A full cover from stepped point to the nose tip , highlighted in orange color .

 

         Sauber developed a unique “ Π ” shaped fairing to create a deep channel on top of  the nose, separating the air stream flowing over the nose with the one flowing at sides .

Sauber – Π concept

 

   Red Bull’s dwarf fairing is an outcome of the desire to limit the fairing dimensions to the minimum required for opted aero efficiency so as to keep the extra weight as low as possible .

Red Bull – dwarf fairing

 

    Mercedes evolved further last season arched nose . Instead of being flat at the top it has an intense arched shape and a more smooth  bulkhead height  transition . This is to reduce drag by diverting the air flowing above the nose tip towards the  nose sides while the main flow is channeled smoothly over the bulkhead  , all aiming lower drag production . The optical result of this pattern resembles to a duck nose .

Mercedes – duck fairing

 

 

       Finally Caterham and  Lotus  rejected the possibility of fixing a weight costly fairing and instead developed a sculpted chassis on top, thus forming a smoother airpath for drag cut . However Caterham features a deeper and a more obvious sculpted area than Lotus does .

Caterham and Lotus – sculpted chassis

 

 

        It is of high possibility to see teams developing further their initial idea or even coping rivals patterns . It is good to remember that the nose fairing,  as all new designs, needs to be examined and studied further , unless FIA decides to make regulations even stricter .

 

 

Related articles

• 2013 season – A goodbye to stepped noses (formula1techandart.wordpress.com)