Last Updated on March 6 2013, 10:42 am
These photographs are from AMuS and the pictures were taken on the short straight between turn 12 & 13 in the most recent Barcelona test. You can stop the slide show and view the pictures individually for as long as you want by clicking on the picture and using the pop up controls.
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Might be the angle under which the picture is taken, but I find Ferrari’s front wing to be high above the racing track?
wheras the red bull rear end seems quite high up in the air , is this under heavy braking…?
Camera angles can be deceiving but in this instance the Red Bull has historically been set up for a lot of rake, the angle between the front and back of the car. In the past this was part and parcel of their exhaust blowing of the diffuser of which they’ve been the highest exponent of. Other teams cannot run such an angle as air will spill out from the sides rendering the diffuser less efficient but with an effective exhaust gas blowing down the sides, it effectively ‘seals’ the diffuser’s airflow behind the car. With this amount of rake more airflow gets to the diffuser and with the exhaust blowing, it doesn’t escape which means the FIA probably haven’t done enough to ban this practice, particularly in Red Bull’s case!
Red bull rake is quite evident
is all this legal ?
It’s a shame the photos are taken from quite different perspectives (ignore the cars and look at the wheels), which makes it a little difficult to compare. Red Bull are clearly running significant rake (I’m assuming the car isn’t braking), but Mercedes seem also to have a decent amount too.
I think last year the McLaren nearly ran as much as Red Bull
The camera angles do make a difference, but they are pretty consistent and yes ‘rake’ on the RB9 is what struck me.
But good spot in the F138 front wing – I hadn’t noticed that. Shame we haven’t got one of a McLaren as it may be as a result of the ‘pull rod’ system.
Hopefully Somers is doing a piece on rake for us soon…