Gary Anderson’s verdict on Ferrari’s bargeboard. Technical expert Gary Anderson evaluates the SF71H.

Ex-Formula 1 technical director Gary Anderson offers his view on Scuderia Ferrari’s bargeboard, as reported by Motorsport.com earlier today:

“During pre-season testing, the bargeboard area on the Ferrari looked fairly basic when you compared it to the Mercedes, but small developments have been introduced, most recently in Bahrain, increasing the complexity and performance of this very influential area.

The bargeboards basically help everything else aerodynamic to work; the front wing, cooling, underfloor, diffuser and Coke bottle area would all suffer if these components weren’t working properly, so it is a huge area of development. The front area, with the three vertical red vanes and the components below them, combine to help pull airflow out from underneath the raised front of the chassis.

This, in turn, reduces the blockage behind the front wing to improve its performance. The lower area helps prepare the airflow for the leading edge of the underfloor. This is a very complex area as it works like a small diffuser in its own right, improving the performance of the front of the underfloor in the area just below the Ferrari logo.

The vertical vanes on the outer corners of the sidepods are there to reduce the negative effect the turbulent area behind the front tyre would normally have on the underfloor and undercut sidepods. All this adds up to better underfloor performance.” – Technical expert Gary Anderson explains.