In two weeks' time, we will have the launch of the new car for the 2024 season of Formula 1, and as Formula 1 enters its third year of the ground effect era, the car design of all the teams in the paddock will show a high degree of consistency, and the design style of the giant undercut and tail underwash will fully occupy the pitflats of all teams.
Even though the exterior is highly similar, there are a few details that distinguish the design concepts of different cars, especially in the following five aspects:
1. Front wing outward wash design
In 2022, the FIA authorities have issued rules to limit airwash in order to prevent teams from exhausting more dirty airflow to the sides of the car, but teams will still spare no effort to achieve the purpose of airwash as much as possible within the scope of the rules, so what more effective washout design will be adopted by different teams will be a highlight of the new car launch.
In particular, the shape of the end plate and its curvature may become an area that distinguishes the design of different cars, and fans will be asked to pay close attention to it at that time.
2. Side compartment undercut and underwash design
Since Red Bull first introduced the concept of a huge undercut and tail downwash in the 2022 season, this style has also been sought after by the vast majority of teams in the paddock, and it is to be expected that the Mercedes with zero side compartments in the previous two years and the Ferrari with bathtub side compartments will also adopt a similar design this year, but we have seen some derivatives of the way of undercutting and underwashing in the 2023 season, especially the underwash parts, such as Aston Martin, Alpin and McLaren, who have adopted a slippery slide design, is clearly a stark difference from Red Bull's style, so whether the teams will adopt a smooth downwash or a slide downwash will continue to be the focus of attention for fans this year.
3. Side compartment air inlet design
According to predictions, it is not surprising that all teams will adopt a wide sidebox design in the style of Red Bull, but in terms of the design of the sidecar cooling air intakes, there will still be a number of different styles in the paddock, but one thing that may be convergent is that the cross-sectional area of the air intakes will be smaller and smaller, in other words, all teams will definitely make the width of the cooling air intakes wider but the height will be smaller in order to create a larger volume of undercuts, and the resulting change is that the layout of the internal main radiator components will definitely be highly convergent, the only difference is whether the intercooler will be integrated with the main radiator。
4. Tail wing tip vortex generator design
In 2023, each team has two different wingtip designs for the rear wing, on the surface the two wingtips look similar, but have completely different aerodynamic effects, for example, the tail wingtips of Aston Martin and Alpin are different, Aston Martin's wingtips are easier to let the airflow through the area flow directly behind the tail flaps along the direction of the cut, which is conducive to reducing tail drag, and Alpin Racing adds a fin at the junction of the flaps and the vertical end plate to cut the vortex generated in front of the area, which can also reduce dragThe specific effect is estimated only to be known by the team itself through wind tunnel simulation.
5. Eddy current generator design at the edge of the bottom plate
The 2024 season is also an area of interest for fans for different teams or how to design the edge of the floor, as it will be directly related to whether the edges of the floor-effect floor are better sealed, and will also directly affect the aerodynamic efficiency of the venturi floor, but according to the FIA's rule changes for this area, the rules will no longer allow teams to use any metal fasteners on the outer edges of the floor, including the edge wings, and the team will likely be forced to rethink some of the more complex geometries they currently use, which may have an impact on the performance of the floor, as this is a key area for generating downforce.