Tech images from the pitlane explained

Today was our first chance to see all the cars together with nowhere to hide their latest design developments and secrets ahead of the new season…

Red Bull has not only changed the sidepod inlet arrangement on the RB20 but also completely overhauled the internal makeup of the car too, as the sidepod contains two radiators in a V-shaped configuration that are cantered away from the floor.

This means the larger saddle-style cooler arrangement above the power unit has been abandoned, albeit with a smaller cooler housed here instead. This shot of the car without bodywork suggests that the inlets beside the halo feed airflow to the ductwork on the outer face of the engine cover’s shoulder.

Red Bull Racing RB20 detail

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Here’s a shot showing the inlets beside the halo that take in some of the airflow in that region and ducts it rearwards to the outlets on the side of the engine cover.

Mercedes F1 W15 detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Let’s look under the covers of the Mercedes W15, which has a very different arrangement having fully abandoned the zeropod solution this year. Aside from the position of the upper side impact spar (SIS) and radiators it’s interesting to see the internal supports used to prevent the floor from flexing too much.

Haas VF-24 detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Haas F1 Team has opted for something a little different in regard to the front wing diveplane this season, with a double kick or wave-like appearance along its length.

Haas VF-24 detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Haas has also joined a number of teams utilising semi-detached flaps, whereby the flaps don’t connect to the endplate and each have their own shedding surface, while a small connecting strip is used for legality purposes. It has also added another winglet that’s attached to the vertical section of the last flap to help create even more outwash.

Also note the camera mounted on the inside of the endplate is mounted on its own winglet as high as possible in the front corner.

Haas VF-24 detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Top-down overview of the outer portion of the front wing on the VF-24, which gives us a great view of how the flap tips are turned outward to help generate outwash.

Mercedes W15 nose and front wing detail

Photo by: Uncredited

The much talked about upper flap arrangement on the Mercedes…