Bite-size tech: Ferrari SF16-H splitter winglet

It's something that the team trialled on Sebastian Vettel's car during free practice in Austin.

Unfortunately, running with the appendage was curtailed when Vettel had an excursion across the kerbs at the penultimate corner, as he tried to maintain control of the car with one hand and hold a wing mirror in another that had become detached.

Ferrari SF16-H T-Tray bat wings side by side comparison, Malaysian and Japan GP

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

The winglet replaces solutions that have already been employed this season, with chassis winglets introduced at Silverstone (left) and subsequently replaced by the 'bat-wing' solution in Japan (right).

McLaren MP4/31 front fins, German GP

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

You'll note how similar the new design is to the one introduced by McLaren in Germany (above) and is itself an interpretation of the winglet used by Red Bull since the start of the season.

Ferrari SF16-H detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

All of these devices, whether run in combination with the turning vanes or the splitter have similar goals - to create vortices that help to reposition the Y250 vortex as it moves down the car.

However, what is interesting is that Ferrari has now trialled at least three different solutions this season as it not only looks to improve the performance of this year's car but also eye the aerodynamic changes that will occur next season.

These changes include but are not limited to the nose being at least 200mm longer, with a minimum length of 1050mm rather than 850mm, which will clearly establish a different relationship between the nose and neutral central section of the wing, changing how the airflow is structured under the nose and chassis.

Secondly, the deltoid shape of the neutral section may change the vorticity and direction of the Y250 vortex. Thirdly, the permitted size of the bargeboards has been increased significantly and will change how the wake of the tyre is dealt with by the surrounding airflow structures.

And lastly, the splitter will be 100mm shorter, allowing the cars to be 'raked' a little more and changing its relationship with the airflow it receives and passes under or over the floor, which will also feature a deltoid shape.

All of these changes have a dramatic effect on how airflow moves around the car, undoubtedly altering the centre of pressure and causing teams to reconsider certain aspects of their design going forward.