What do you think the 2012 F1 cars will look like?

Duke · 31 Dec 2011 at 16:09

We had quite a few interesting designs last year and this year, for example with Mclaren with the wide side pods, Williams with very aggressive low gear box, Renault with front exit exhausts etc.

Do you think Mclaren will keep with their side pod design and will others copy?

Thoughts in before the first launches

Shimmy · 31 Dec 2011 at 16:37

I think Mclaren will make their side pods even more extreme for this year, probably a few other teams will go down a similar path.

Don't think front exhausts will feature any more as there'll be no more off throttle blowing.

The noses next year will be uglier and the front wing will be higher too but I think RBR will still find a way to make their front wing flex. How much of a difference that makes I'm not sure as their main advantage this year was their exploitation of the exhaust gases afaik.

How teams use exhausts next year could be interesting, we'll be able to see them sprouting from the engine cover and they should have negligible effect on the diffuser, probably going to be aimed at the beam wing.

Might be some more development into the Torro Rosso double floor, can expect more DRS wing development. Keeping the tyres optimum will be key, Ferrari really struggled with the hard this year.

Skeeter · 31 Dec 2011 at 17:16

I will bet my house on people copying the Williams rear end design. It was impressively compact.

I don't think there have been many rule changes that will govern appearance. Only really higher noses in some places. Red Bull style rake and compact rear ends, other wise, pretty much like this year.

Kerming · 2 Jan 2012 at 11:28

just even more cool...........

FrankJH · 2 Jan 2012 at 12:25

Skeeter said:
I will bet my house on people copying the Williams rear end design. It was impressively compact.

I don't think there have been many rule changes that will govern appearance. Only really higher noses in some places. Red Bull style rake and compact rear ends, other wise, pretty much like this year.

thought the rake allowance in the rules had been reduced for 2012?

MissChief · 2 Jan 2012 at 12:56

Not sure you should be betting your house, I heard even Williams may not continue.ie with the compact design due to troubles with it.

GravyMonster · 3 Jan 2012 at 11:15

Skeeter said:
I will bet my house on people copying the Williams rear end design. It was impressively compact.

It was very impressive, but the point was that it would get as much clean air as possible to the beam wing at the base of the rear wing. This didn't prove to provide as much downforce as predicted/hoped for. so I doubt it'd be followed that closely - especially given the cost of developing a gearbox that compact, and potentially likely to fail given the angle of the driveshafts.

I'm looking forward to 2013 (or is it 14) where the noses must be lowered. The current trend of a straight line out from the cockpit with a massive gap to the front wing which RB started in 2009 looks awful IMO.

Duke · 3 Jan 2012 at 11:25

I guess its hard to know whether it really helped Williams or not. Their car was so dire, it may have been worse still with the conventional layout.

Skeeter · 3 Jan 2012 at 11:35

Spunkey said:
I'm looking forward to 2013 (or is it 14) where the noses must be lowered. The current trend of a straight line out from the cockpit with a massive gap to the front wing which RB started in 2009 looks awful IMO.

Regulations have mandated a higher nose to prevent people riding up the front a la the FI on Schumacher at Abu Dhabi last year.

Duke · 3 Jan 2012 at 11:51

Got a link? Pretty sure it was meant to be lower, bit like the Brawn car, so it doesn't flick up from under the front nose.

Skeeter · 3 Jan 2012 at 12:17

Nope, I'm regurgitating pieces of stored information in my brain that could have come from any creditable or completely useless source

I will see if I can find any details on the 2012 regulations.

EDIT: I'm wrong, everyone else is right, Scarbs produces yet another epic article giving all the details: http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/2012-nose-height-regulations/

GravyMonster · 3 Jan 2012 at 13:23

Thanks for that article - good read. I'm a happy bunny then - I thought the lower noses were a few years away, not this year

arknor · 3 Jan 2012 at 13:32

Duke said:
Got a link? Pretty sure it was meant to be lower, bit like the Brawn car, so it doesn't flick up from under the front nose.

pretty sure it was meant to be lower to allow the drivers to actually see where the front wing is

PinkFloyd · 3 Jan 2012 at 14:03

Skeeter said:
Scarbs produces yet another epic article giving all the details: http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/2012-nose-height-regulations/

Cracking article, can't wait to see what the cars look like

Hopefully they won't have noses as oddly shaped as Scarbs has suggested they potentially could within the rules!
Would love to see a return to much lower noses, drivers being able to see where they are going would probably have some benefits. Maybe they'd crash into each other less

Skeeter · 3 Jan 2012 at 14:05

Spunkey said:
Thanks for that article - good read. I'm a happy bunny then - I thought the lower noses were a few years away, not this year

Reading that article, is a 2 stage thing. Lower central sections this year, and much lower tips come 2014.

arknor said:
pretty sure it was meant to be lower to allow the drivers to actually see where the front wing is

It will make no difference. The low seating position and front wheels obscure the front wing, not the nose.