Trialling the new solution on the second day of testing, the new wheel rim features a number of raised sections in order to control temperatures within the wheel.
These draw heat away from the tyre, ensuring that the heat distribution within the rubber is kept relatively even – cutting down the level of thermal degradation at the rears.
Mercedes first debuted the scalloped rims in last year’s Belgian Grand Prix, having found multiple issues with its tyre management capabilities. These remained on the car throughout the rest of 2018, helping the team to six victories. Following suit, Scuderia Ferrari has tested with similar wheels to help bleed out some of the heat from the rear tyres in their own efforts to manage the level of wear and blistering experienced at high temperatures.
In comparison to the design run by Mercedes, the Maranello team’s features more raised sections to expand on the desired effect of heat management. McLaren also launched with a similar wheel design last week, covered in black thermal paint to minimise the heat transfer to the tyres further. It is unknown whether the wheels extend to the same extremes as Mercedes’s arrangement from last season, which featured a wheel spacer to minimise the transfer of temperatures from the brake assembly. The design also featured a number of small holes leading from the spacer to the rim, transferring air outboard to cool the wheel.
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