Williams Reveal 2009 Wing Package

[DOF_power 0]

Williams reveal 2009 wing package

By Matt Beer Wednesday, November 12th 2008, 17:24 GMT http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72093

Williams have become the first team to reveal what the 2009-specification front wings will look like after Jonathan Kennard shook down an FW30 chassis fitted with the new-style front and rear wings at the Kemble airfield today.

The team had previously trialled a 2009-style rear wing at Barcelona in September, but today's run was the first time that the revised front wing had been displayed. Most teams are expected to try parts modified for the 2009 regulations in next week's Barcelona sessions.

Under next year's radically different aerodynamic rules, the wings have been simplified with most of the current additional protrusions removed. The front wing is lower and wider, and drivers will be able to make a limited number of wing angle adjustments from the c#ckpit. The rear wing has been made narrower and taller.

The aim is to improve the quality of the racing by allowing drivers to follow each other more closely in fast corners.

The definitive versions of the 2009 cars will also have different diffusers, slick tyres and kinetic energy recovery systems, and will no longer feature extra aerodynamic devices on the central bodywork.

Kennard's straightline test today was the former Formula 3 front-runner's first run in a Formula One car, and he expressed his gratitude to the team afterwards.

"It has been a good day today and great to be able to drive the new-spec Formula One car for the first time," he said.

"I would like to extend my thanks to Sir Frank (Williams) and the team for the opportunity. I enjoyed working through the test programme and assisting the team with their preparations for the 2009 season."

[DOF_power 0]

[Max Mosley 2]

It's not pretty.

[DOF_power 0]

Why couldn't they do a ground effect job like Formula Nippon's Swift ?!

[F1 FANatic 1]

I never really had that much against the looks of some of today's cars, the Ferrari and the BMW looked sleek and like finely tunes killing machines on track, but the honda and some of the others just looked like an engineer had a hangover and up-chucked allover the drawing board

[Schumikonen 2]

It's not pretty.

Definitely not.

[mikathegreat2 2]

*hides & shivers*

[The Burro 0]

I love it. That is frickin' beautiful. Deelishus I tell ya. I cannot wait to go LabradoRacer during the Grands Prix next year to those beauties.

Not.

But I will withold judgment until I see the wings on a real 2009-spec car and not pasted to a 2008. I don't think it's that bad, to be honest. It doesn't look like it's going to help the racing, though. But F1 cars have been fugly for years, so as long as they sound good (I know, I know, the V8s aren't as good as the 10s or 12s soundwise...) I guess I don't care.

Also, that "let's have the middle chunk of the wing taken out so we have two rear wings" s##t they proposed a while back would be a lot worse.

[Jez 0]

Looks like a remote controlled toy.

[yurp 0]

why so narrow (back end)?

less sponsorship space too.

bizarre - is this just a red herring?

[Max Mosley 2]

why so narrow (back end)?

Perhaps the back end aerodynamics is what leaves the dirty air for the car behind. If so, making the rear wing smaller might make overtaking easier, which I guess was the idea.

[yurp 0]

Perhaps the back end aerodynamics is what leaves the dirty air for the car behind. If so, making the rear wing smaller might make overtaking easier, which I guess was the idea.

Makes sense - the turbulent air would be a narrower stream off the rear wing. I guess they'll compensate with a steeper angle (which looks the case), so I wonder what the consequences will be. Less stability, but the same amount of downforce? I don't know.

[Max Mosley 2]

Yeah I don't know either. I'd imagine they will run steeper rear wing angles as you say. Hopefully they won't be able to generate as much downforce and dirty air as before - this is what the 'leading technical minds in F1' are supposed to have been preventing with their overtaking working group, but they seem to have cokced up.

[pabloh20 1]

Yeah I don't know either. I'd imagine they will run steeper rear wing angles as you say. Hopefully they won't be able to generate as much downforce and dirty air as before - this is what the 'leading technical minds in F1' are supposed to have been preventing with their overtaking working group, but they seem to have cokced up.

Presumably, the dimensions that they have limited the wing to, will give the required reduction in downforce (that the FIA want) even when the wing is used at it's maximum setting. I say 'presumably'.....................

[Max Mosley 2]

You'd think so wouldn't you? But I was thinking about what Tony Purnell has been saying (in the other thread) about how they (his own working group of 'experts') aimed for a 50% reduction but now only expect a 20-30% reduction in downforce. Hopefully he's wrong and was right to start with.

Having just read it again, it seems he probably didn't chair the group himself.

[pabloh20 1]

You'd think so wouldn't you? But I was thinking about what Tony Purnell has been saying (in the other thread) about how they (his own working group of 'experts') aimed for a 50% reduction but now only expect a 20-30% reduction in downforce. Hopefully he's wrong and was right to start with.

Having just read it again, it seems he probably didn't chair the group himself.

Are you thinking that they aimed for 50%, now they are thinking it might be 20-30% and may end up being less than 10% in practice??

[Max Mosley 2]

Yeah, that's probably what'll happen. The teams were much faster than expected after grooved tyres were introduced; same with the recent engine restrictions. They never seem to factor in the fact that over the winter someone (even in F1) will come up with some clever idea the working group didn't think of to improve performance. If you want a 50% reduction you probably need to aim for 75%.

[monza gorilla 1]

Once again, the FIA and it's minions are out thunk by "not the best engineers" (c. M. Walker, c/o TF1).

[Max Mosley 2]

No, what's funny this time is that the regulations were proposed by supposedly leading minds from F1 teams.

[monza gorilla 1]

That's my point.

[Max Mosley 2]

Hmm. Good engineers should be able to come up with a sensible set of regulations, surely. Of course, it would be so much easier without the teams.

[monza gorilla 1]

FIA wants 50% reduction. Asks the teams. Teams say "do this". FIA fall for it. Now who's smart?

To address your comment directly, who frames the regulations? The FIA. Not noted for their technical nous.

[Max Mosley 2]

Well it shouldn't be hard for the combined technical know-how of the F1 teams to exceed that of the FIA. The fact that they can trick them if they want to hardly shows how smart they are, or how stupid the FIA might be. So the possible explanations if the regulations don't work are either the 'boffins' made a mistake, or that the teams deliberately sabotaged measures designed to improve the show for the fans. Either way it doesn't say much for the teams imho.

[DOF_power 0]

If FIA ends up getting its 50% reduction of downforce than and many others won't watch F1 anymore as the GP2s, Formula nippons, LMP1 will all be faster.

Power is nothing with balance, traction and grip all of witch are highly dependent on aerodynamics and since the 1970s F1 lead aerodynamic motor-sport development.

And before you guys start yapping these engines don't have the torque of the old 3.0/3.5 NA engines or of 1.5 turbos, nor will they have 18/21 inch wheels or rubber, and with bans of electronics only aerodynamics will keep them faster compared to the lesser series .

[monza gorilla 1]

Well it shouldn't be hard for the combined technical know-how of the F1 teams to exceed that of the FIA. The fact that they can trick them if they want to hardly shows how smart they are, or how stupid the FIA might be. So the possible explanations if the regulations don't work are either the 'boffins' made a mistake, or that the teams deliberately sabotaged measures designed to improve the show for the fans. Either way it doesn't say much for the teams imho.

Nonsense. What F1 engineer/aerodynamicist/janitor/tea boy isn't going to resist the dilution of his labours? Fact is, after the workable proposal is made and agreed upon they all get stuck into the CFD and wind tunnels to find a way to get back what they've just given away. It's the nature of the beast. It's called competition.