Analysis: Force India’s 'attacking' new Melbourne update
Force India is under no illusions how tough it will be in 2018 to maintain its place as best-of-the-rest behind the big three teams in Formula 1.
But even with big money rivals like McLaren and Renault poised for a breakthrough, Force India’s brilliance in punching above its weight in recent years has left it convinced it can put up a good fight again this season.
Having been solid if unspectacular in testing, the Silverstone-based team had pinned its hopes of progress on a major update package for the start of the season – something which emerged on Friday in Melbourne.
The developments were extensive, with technical director Andy Green clear that the only part not changed yet was the front wing.
“It touches most areas as far as aerodynamics are concerned,” he said. “Everything apart from the front wing has changed. The front wing will be next race – and it was always going to be the race after.”
Although it is still early days for the new parts, Green was happy with the job done, and more especially the feedback from the drivers.
“So far it looks good. The drivers are happy, they can feel a big difference from Barcelona. We just need to set the car up differently now from where we migrated to in Barcelona. They can attack the corners harder basically, which is what we were hoping they were going to say.
“Now it’s changed the way the car works, the way it works the tyres, so we’re having to go through that loop again now to re-optimise.”
Here, Matt Somerfield looks in detail at the changes that Force India has made.
Aero push
The team felt that having its full 2018 aerodynamic specification available for the pre-season tests was going to put too significant a demand on it resources. So instead it opted to focus on shaking down and testing its new car in a well known configuration, as the new car was dressed in last year’s bodywork.
An area where Force India has focused its update efforts is around the sidepod’s flank, as it has reshaped the vertical airflow conditioners (blue arrow) which had previously been split into two. They now form just a solo arch that borders the sidepod itself.
The forward deflector element that was introduced during the latter part of 2017 (see above for overall comparison) now forms the leading edge of the overall quartet of elements. These deflect the wake generated by the front tyre away from the sidepod and floor, improving flow around the car’s midriff.
The central pair of deflector panels that supplement the quartet (highlighted in yellow) are shaped in order to maximise this effect, as they also roll the airflow that passes between them and the sidepod.
The hindmost of these two elements also features the skyscraper style tab that previously adorned the forward split of the sidepod’s airflow conditioner, showing that the aero team at Force India are particularly focused on protecting the sidepod’s shoulder from any erratic flow created upstream.
The team has also extended the detached floor scroll (red arrow) as part of this package of updates.
It’s also worth noting that the team has incorporated strakes into the leading edge of the floor, much like the ones tested by the team in Mexico last season (below) and run by Mercedes and Red Bull throughout 2017.
The changes don’t stop there, though, as the team has looked to maximise the changes in the regulations since last season.
The team has adopted the lower T-Wing, which features a prominent Gurney tab on the trailing edge, which projects even further on the outermost tip.
Meanwhile, the added restrictions to bodywork around the exhaust mean the team has also added a very simple single element winglet above it, mounted either side of the rear wing pillar.
The team painted the car in flo-viz during free practice too, to check that the real world results correlated with its expectations from CFD and the wind tunnel.
Force India employs an open basket style brake drum arrangement (VJM10, inset), which allows it to use different cake tin designs so it can close off or open up as much of the brake as necessary for the given circuit and conditions.
It would appear that for Australia the team has been experimenting with closing the drum off, likely in a response to how it needs the temperature being created by the brakes within to radiate out through the wheel rim. This in turn interacts with the tyre’s core temperature.
The team appears to have also dispensed with the ‘crossover’ pipework which transports airflow across the forward face of the brake assembly for aerodynamic effect. This is likely in response to efforts to improve how the blown axle works.
It’s also worth noting whilst present during the first test, the team has increased the number of winglets on the upper corner of the brake drum's vertical fence to three for 2018 (red arrow).
For more tech insights, check this out...
Leclerc underestimated Australian GP circuit before practice
Ten things we've learned from Australian GP so far
Toyota WEC star Conway relishing Lexus Rolex 24 GTD outing
Toyota FIA World Endurance Championship star Mike Conway says he is relishing the chance to pick up "new skills" driving a Lexus GT3 car in this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Tandy: Night pace could fluctuate "dramatically" in Rolex 24
Porsche driver Nick Tandy is expecting the pace of GTP cars to change "quite dramatically" when they switch to the new cold-temperature Michelin tire in this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Diriyah E-Prix: Evans snatches top spot from Ticktum in FE FP3
Jaguar's Mitch Evans snatched top spot at the end of the Diriyah E-Prix's third free practice session, knocking Dan Ticktum off the top of the Formula E timing board.
Diriyah FE pole leaves Buemi "sad" at how Nissan spell ended
Sebastien Buemi says his pole position pace at the Diriyah E-Prix is "just the beginning", but conceded it left him "sad" at how his time with Nissan ended.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 'holiday' races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week, and though it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted more just why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action.
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.