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Saturday, 20 April 2013

Technical Analysis: Red Bull RB9 blown wheel hubs, Ferrari F138 revised aero package

Red Bull RB9 blown wheel hubs

Last season, Red Bull technical chief Adrian Newey came up with the idea of making holes in the wheel hub in order to channel airflow to the outside of the wheel. This was subsequently declared illegal - from Canada on - as the holes were applied to the rotating part of the upright and hence deemed a movable aerodynamic device. 

Now the team have reintroduced the concept, this time with the airflow going instead through the central section of the hub via a second element fixed to the non-rotating part of the upright. This was tested by Sebastian Vettel only on Friday in Bahrain and follows a similar solution introduced by Williams earlier in the year.



 Ferrari F138 revised aero package


For Bahrain Ferrari have kept the same updated aero package introduced at the last round in Shangai, including new turning vanes under the chassis - with two slots (inset), simulating a three-piece element - and a totally new front wing. 

The main drawing shows the previous configuration. Contrast this with the new front wing, which has different end-plates with two horizontal slots (1) instead of one and no vertical window (2). There is also a new middle plate (3) on the upper flaps, similar to that on the Lotus.



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