The 2021 Formula 1 season has started with McLaren’s official car presentation, as the MCL35M becomes the first car which we could evaluate from the first full images that were posted. An event held the previous week, however, had revealed some technical aspects of the car we are most interested in ahead of the 2021 Formula 1 championship. The video of the SF21 fire-up had in fact revealed some important change of philosophy in the conception of Ferrari’s car for this year.
From the images it is possible to notice the new shape of the car’s air-scoop , the dynamic air intake located above the driver’s head. In particular, two additional openings on the sides can be seen, the outer edges of which in the video have been shielded with a white coating. Overall, the air-scoop passes from a triangular shape, which had characterized the SF90 and SF1000, to an ogival shape in line with what was done by the majority of the teams. What we saw in the few seconds of the video might appear at first glance as a simple detail, but it hints at a lot of work carried out on the Red car.
The cooling system has been revised
The Ferrari technicians have opted to relocate part of the radiators that make up the cooling system, moving them from the position in the “bellies” of 2020 to a more central and raised one under the hood. The technical rules allowed to reposition the radiators for free during the winter, as they are excluded from the components whose development has been frozen. The addition of the two side intakes was therefore dictated by the need to supply air to the radiators relocated during the winter break. The widening of the air scoop and the modifications to the cooling system will also affect (in a positive way, we hope) the SF21 both from the aerodynamic point of view and from that of the car dynamics.
In terms of aerodynamic consequences, all this opens up the opportunity to change the design of the engine cover and sidepods, in order to free up a larger surface of the bottom and increase the air flow in the lower part of the car directed to the rear. Such a feature would increase the downforce released by the floor and the diffuser, an optimization which becomes even more important in light of the aerodynamic restrictions imposed by the 2021 regulation on the two previous components.
On the other hand, the widening of the air scoop constitutes a further obstacle to the flows in the upper part of the car, reducing the flow of air directed to the rear wing and inevitably impacting its efficiency. The reasons behind the strategy of improving the effectiveness of the floor at the expense of the downforce generated by the flap are to be found in the changes to the floor itself imposed by the new regulation, but above all in the attempt to reduce the aerodynamic drag (air resistance to the forward motion), simply known as drag. The rear wing in fact contributes more significantly to the increase in drag compared to the downforce released from the floor and its resistance to forward motion had been one of the critical issues of the SF1000 last season. This, combined with the lack of horsepower of the power unit, was responsible for the lack of competitiveness on the straights, focing the Maranello technicians to sacrifice aerodynamics to improve top speeds, thus compromising overall balance and competitiveness in several sections.
The other aspects
Ferrari therefore seems to have embarked on a path aimed at optimizing the downforce produced by the floor, which could at the same time help to reduce the drag of the SF21 with advantages in terms of competitiveness on the straights and reduced consumption. The new radiator arrangement will also have an impact on the cooling drag , i.e. on the aerodynamic drag associated with the path of air flows under the cover and through the cooling system. However, it is difficult to say whether the new configuration will bring benefits from this point of view as well.
On the other hand, the choice to relocate part of the radiators in a central and raised position will compromise the position of the car’s center of gravity, which will rise slightly. Therefore, the phenomena of lateral load transfers will slightly intensify, which in curves increase the downforce on the external tyres, affecting grip and the behavior of the tyres, but in all probability this will be compensated by the improved aerodynamic efficiency.
A final note concerns the importance of the cooling system in the performance and reliability of the power unit, an even more important aspect in 2021 when only three engines will be available for twenty-three races. If the Ferrari engineers managed not to compromise and to improve the efficiency of the cooling system, for the SF21 there would be a further step forward compared to the SF1000.
In conclusion, the details noticed during the fire-up of the new Ferrari car reveals much of the design choices made in Maranello, but for the confirmation of which it will in any case be necessary to wait for the presentation on 10 March. The changes to the air scoop and the redistribution of the radiators will not alone be enough for Ferrari to return to the top positions, but they also anticipate some of the innovations that will characterize the SF21.
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