Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull were the most successful teams in developing their cars ahead of the 2022 Formula One season based on the new rules and technical regulation introduced by the sport, but despite their strong start, both teams are aware that in order to remain ahead of the competition and most importantly to win the direct duel for the F1 titles, effective in-season developments and upgrades are absolutely necessary.
Given the limitations imposed by this year’s budget cap, one area of the car which could bring important gains will be represented by the front wing, with some clever nose solutions which the teams are evaluating. The design of the nose structure up and down the grid has been largely different, with several teams taking the opportunity to use a vanity panel to cover the crash structure which lies within.
As we can see in Giorgio Piola’s latest illustrations for Motorsport.com, the Maranello team’s F1-75 car features this design quirk. The inner carbon crash structure is significantly shorter than the nose appears when the thin laminate vanity panel is fitted to it. Currently, Ferrari’s nose, by virtue of the vanity panel, mates to the front wing’s mainplane.
But this would not be necessary if the Italian side are able to identify and use more aerodynamic performance from a design which most of its rivals have whereby the nose is connected to the second element. In case Scuderia Ferrari decides to pursue this development direction, then the current design means Ferrari would be able to make the change without needing a costly new crash test for homologation. One other key point is that while the driver cooling inlet appears like a NACA-style duct from the outside, there is also room here to make design changes, with a rectangular inlet located in the actual tip of the nose structure.
This idea represents just one of the possibilities Ferrari has for development, based on the current design of its F1-75 car which could be agile in case there is the need to make changes during the 2022 Formula 1 championship.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection from Puma! Enter the online Pume Store and shop securely! And get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
At the same time rivals Red Bull, while not extending its nose tip beyond the second element to meet up with the mainplane similar to the Maranello team’s design, it also has the possibility to do so – as the Australian team has opted for a vanity panel over the main nose structure to complete the design. And, similar to the Italian side, the internal driver cooling inlet has a different shape to the one presented externally: this means that Red Bull can bring changes in this area as well, in case it feels it could offer them benefits later in the season.
In addition on this, the body of the nose has ridges which are not located when the vanity panel is present, suggesting that, should the team find minimal aerodynamic gains in altering its shape, it can do so relatively simple.
Leave a Reply