Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis
Barcelona F1 testing: 2022 technical images from Day 1
Testing is underway ahead of the 2022 season and we have a huge collection of technical images to share with you from the pitlane and trackside courtesy of Giorgio Piola and Sutton Images.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
McLaren was eager to get some airflow data straight out of the blocks, as it installed large kiel probe rakes to the car ahead of the rear wheels. Also note the front wing is the one seen on the car in the studio during the livestream, not the one in the renders.
Red Bull Racing RB18 rear detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Under the covers of the Red Bull RB18 we can see that the team has continued to use the saddle-like mounting position above the power unit to house some of the coolers, while we can also see some of the inboard suspension detail too.
McLaren MCL36 rear detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A great shot of the McLaren MCL36 with the sidepod and engine cover bodywork detached allows us to see the radiator, coolers, electronics and even exhaust layout.
Alpine A522 rear detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
We also get a similar opportunity to peer under the covers of the Alpine A522, with the team rearranging some of the components due to the introduction of the split turbo design on the power unit.
Williams FW44 detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Here we are able to see some of the Williams FW44’s floor edge detail, with a sizable flap mounted on top of the edge scroll, whilst a half moon cutout thereafter exposes the ground before the trailing edge floor flick up. Also note the mouse house-style cutout in the diffuser’s sidewall.
Nicholas Latifi, Williams FW44, with aero paint
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
Later in the session, Williams decided to go crazy with the flo-viz paint – perhaps not as crazy as it did a few years ago when they doused the car in a rainbow of different colours – but still enough to have it flow over almost the entire car.
Aero paint on the car of Nicholas Latifi, Williams FW44
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
A close up of the flo-viz paint that’s been daubed all over the Williams FW44.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
This is a great shot of the Ferrari F1-75’s exhaust and wastegate arrangement, as we can see how the two intersect inside.
Mirror on the Mercedes W13
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The tiniest of stays connects the wing mirror’s body to the sidepod’s skirt winglet, which is being passed off as part of the mirror stay.
The nose of the Mercedes W13
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Checkered stickers placed on the front wing endplate are used by Mercedes in combination with a hi-speed camera to assess whether the wing is overtly flexing or whether it might still have some margin to play with.
Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR22
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The AMR22 features one of the highest nose and front wing mainplane positions in the centre of the car as the team looks to drive more airflow to the underside of the nose and onwards to the floor. Note how the team has taped over some of the brake duct inlet as well, to cater for the climatic conditions.
George Russell, Mercedes W13
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Mercedes was also quick to install kiel probe rakes to the W13, mounted behind the front wheels.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Another shot of the McLaren MCL36 with the kiel probe rakes attached at the rear of the car. Also note the edge of the floor which is demonstrably different to the one shown at the launch.
George Russell, Mercedes W13
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The Mercedes W13 with the large kiel probe rakes removed but the pitot tubes mounted inside the airbox, on the floor and around the rear wing mainplane (top and bottom) remained.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A look over the shoulder of the Ferrari F1-75 and the masterfully sculpted sidepods and cooling gills. Also note the step ladder-like cutout at the base of the rear brake winglet.
Haas VF-22 front wing endplate detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A close-up view of perhaps the most interesting front wing endplate and diveplane of this generation of cars so far. The Haas VF-22 not only has the tubercle-like leading edge on the endplate, it also has a wishbone-style diveplane, both of which look to create more outwash.
Nicholas Latifi, Williams FW44
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The Williams FW44 outfitted with a kiel probe rake ahead of their very short downwashing sidepods.
Nicholas Latifi, Williams FW44
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Williams has very narrow and short sidepods as a consequence of moving a large portion of the ancillaries, such as radiators, coolers and electronics onto the cars centreline, which results in a slightly larger airbox and engine cover.
Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A front-end shot of the Alpine A522 as Fernando Alonso prepares to head out – note the flat, wedge-shaped brake duct inlet, rather than scoop we’re used to seeing.
McLaren MCL36 front wing detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A great overview of the McLaren MCL36’s front wing and nose assembly – see how slender the body of the nose is as it has to expand where it will meet with the chassis. Also note how short the chord is on the upper front wing elements, which leads to a very aggressive transition as they mate with the endplate.
Red Bull Racing RB18 front brake detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Front brake duct detail on the Red Bull RB18, with a narrow inlet scoop in use to help collect cool air for the brake components. The team has opted for pullrod front suspension and a multi-link upper wishbone arrangement.
Mercedes W13 rear detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The Mercedes W13 from the rear shows off numerous details, including the double-element beam wing which has a coating near the exhaust outlet to help reduce heat transfer, while pitot tubes can be seen poking out the bottom of the diffuser too.
Aston Martin AMR22 front suspension detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Suspension detail from the Aston Martin AMR22 is on display here, with the heave damper sporting Belleville springs.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The Ferrari F1-75 features a single fin on top of the halo like Aston Martin had in 2021 and note the shape of the halos transition (marked by the driver’s name).
Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
In this side view of the Alpine A522 we can see the underfloor strakes that will push the airflow across the floor. Also note that the cooling gills have been covered for the cooler conditions and that there are two winglets mounted on the side of the halo.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Ferrari installed its full-width rear kiel probe rake which is similar to the one they’ve been using on the previous generation of cars and has the probes aligned with the flow direction.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The large kiel probe rake also has some extensions that collect data above and wide of the rear wing.
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