Looking over the shoulder of the Mercedes W13 to see the extreme sidepod solution introduced by the team at the second test. It’s also a great way of seeing just how wide the upper side impact spar (SIS) fairing is when compared with the main sidepod bodywork.
Rearward shot of the Mercedes W13 gives us a clear view of the rear cooling outlet and the supplementary cooling gill panels on the sidepods and engine cover.
This three-quarter view of the W13 gives a little more perspective on how narrow the main body of the car is by virtue of how the floor expands outwards from it. Also note the pitot tubes that have been placed around the leading edge of the rear wing to help collect flow field information that can be studied later.
Ferrari has a small update for the F1-75 in Bahrain, with a strake extending upwards from the leading edge of the floor to help divert the airflow in that region (blue arrow).
A look beneath the covers of the Ferrari F1-75 gives us a great view of what’s going on inside the sidepods. Note the flow conditioning vanes housed in the panel behind the radiators.
Another view, this time from the right-hand side, of the Ferrari F1-75 with the bodywork off, this time including the engine cover.
Let’s take a look at the Williams FW44 too, as the team had the bodywork off as it worked on the car. It’s clear to see how mounting some of their coolers in the saddle position above the power unit has helped narrow the sidepod bodywork.
Without the bodywork attached on the Mercedes W13 we can see it hasn’t placed a great deal on the car’s centreline, even though it features those very narrow sidepods.
A look at the floor edge details on the Haas VF-22 with a cutout just ahead of the rear wheel, also note the floor stay that’s been deployed to help try and reduce how much the floor flexes at speed.
At the front of the floor we can see the strake setup that Haas has gone for, which includes two strakes with sections above the floor level.
A close-up of the front wing on the Haas VF-22, complete with its interesting endplate design, which features the scalloped leading edge and wishbone-like diveplane.
McLaren’s floor stole some of the headlines during the first test owing to a more complex design than some of its rivals, so here’s a closeup of the floor and its edge wing.
The back of Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo steering wheel shows that the Finn has adopted the wishbone-style clutch paddle layout with finger sockets that his ex-teammate at Mercedes uses, albeit he’ll use his left hand to modulate the paddle and Lewis Hamilton uses his right.
A kiel probe rake fitted behind the AlphaTauri AT03 as the team looks to gather data on the airflow as it passes by the rear wheel assembly and through the diffuser.
A much taller kiel probe rake was mounted behind the front wheel assembly, placed to gather data about the airflow's passage in that region of the car.
Alpine with a slightly revised livery and both the cooling gill panels open in Bahrain, whereas the engine cover ones were covered up in Barcelona.
Kiel probe rakes behind the front wheel and suspension assembly on the Red Bull RB18 - also note the cooling gills that appeared in Barcelona and will help deal with higher temperatures in Bahrain.
Kiel probe rake behind the front wheel and suspension assembly on the Mercedes W13 – also note the sensor mounted on the edge of the floor, ahead of the rear tyre.
Kiel probe rake in front of the rear wheel and suspension assembly on the Ferrari F1-75.
This side-on view of the Mercedes W13 shows how large the SIS fairing is, as it forms a manta ray-like wing profile. Also note the team was only running the forward cooling gills during this run too.
A rear three-quarter view of the Alfa Romeo C42 which is outfitted with kiel probe rakes behind the front wheel assembly and flo-viz paint on the rear suspension.
A look at the internal details of the front brake assembly on the Mercedes W13, noting the difference in size given the larger wheel well from the introduction of the 18” wheels.
For comparison, here’s a look at the arrangement on the McLaren MCL36, who has opted to enclose the brake disc.
Williams has fitted the FW44 with a large cooling gill panel in Bahrain to provide additional assistance.
A close-up of the floor section ahead of the rear tyre on the Mercedes W13. Also note the ‘mouse house’ hole in the sidewall of the diffuser, which helps with the intense converging flow structures in this region.
The gills on top of the Aston Martin AMR22 sidepods, some of which have been closed off as the team don’t require the maximum amount of cooling they provide.
Kiel probe rake behind the front wheel assembly on the Red Bull RB18 – also note the double element outer edge strakes.
Overview of the Red Bull RB18’s floor and sidepods.
Close-up of the SIS fairing on the Mercedes W13 along with the vortex generators which are mounted atop it and will work in combination with the mirrors and their associated aero tricks.
A look at the front brake assembly on the Red Bull RB18 without the brake drum attached gives us a view of their solution that encloses the brake disc.
Guanyu Zhou at the wheel of the Alfa Romeo C42. Note the ride height sensor mounted on the edge of the floor.
Flo-viz painted on the Red Bull RB18 rear wing as the team looks to get visual confirmation that the airflow is behaving as predicted.
Williams with a pair of kiel probe rakes mounted behind the outboard section of the diffuser on the FW44.
A nice overview of the Williams FW44 from the side with the large cooling gill panel and the passthrough duct on the edge of the sidepod. Also note the triangular shaped edge wing that’s detached from the floor.
A rearward shot of the Mercedes W13 showing the sloping, jelly mould-like sidepod design.
A good view of the rear brake and suspension assembly on the Mercedes W13, along with the addition of a metal stay to help prevent the floor from flexing too much.
A comparison of the two front wing specifications we’ve seen so far at Mercedes, with the upper image from Barcelona and the lower from Bahrain. The upper flap has been altered on the trailing edge in order to promote a revised flow regime across the front tyre (red arrow), while the inner section of the wing that’s connected to the body of the nose is now more loaded (blue arrow).
Flo-viz painted on the rear suspension and outer body of the diffuser on the Alfa Romeo C42.
More flo-viz on the Alfa Romeo C42, this time on the rear quarter of the floor, just ahead of the tyre.
A nice clear overview of the Alfa Romeo C42’s rear end, including the beam wing, diffuser and rear brake duct winglets.
For comparison, a clear shot of the Alpine A522’s rear end, including the beam wing, diffuser and rear brake duct winglets.
A close-up of the diffuser and rear brake duct winglet on the Alfa Romeo C42.
