If you haven’t heard already (although I’m sure you have), Formula 1 cars are going to look a little different this year. In response to recent criticism from fans and even from teams, a variety of aerodynamic and mechanical rule changes have been cleared for 2017 which have been designed to significantly reduce lap times and improve the car’s aesthetics.
The cars will be wider, feature angled geometry and will be more physically demanding to drive. So, in numbers form, here is your guide to making F1 great again.
Key Dimensions & Weight
The car’s overall width has been increased from 1800mm to 2000mm for the first time since 1998, while the floor also receives additional breadth (1600mm). The sidepods – which are angled backwards by 15 degrees – follow the same trend to make the cars more visually appealing. The extra bodywork that the designers can work with will promote under-floor aerodynamic performance as a larger low pressure zone can be formed using ground-effect, which will work even better in conjunction with the new diffusers (see below). That being said, the 100mm reduction to the length of the splitter (or T-tray) means that aero-structures around the front end of the car need some work to maximise the rest of the floor.
With this new bodywork comes a complementary weight increase, up 20kg from 2016 to 722kg, of which 5kg is accounted for by the slightly larger fuel tank. The 2017 tyres will have a much larger surface area and will therefore generate more drag, resulting in the need for additional fuel for the race.
Tyres
Speaking of tyres, in terms of size, the rear tyres from 2016 (370mm wide) will effectively come to the front of the car and the rear tyres will grow by 100mm to nearly 0.5m wide. Combined with more durable compounds and a new structure from Pirelli, the tyre’s greater contact patch is responsible for most of the lap-time improvements as it is able to bear substantially higher loads before breaking traction. These performance-related loads come from the aerodynamic package and the driver’s physical inputs.
Front & Rear-Wings
Aside from the tyres and track width, the most striking aspect of the new cars will be the wings. Like the rest of the car, the front-wing’s width has been upped to 1800mm and will be delta-shaped with a back-sweep of around 12.5 degrees. The FIA defines boxes in which bodywork can be placed in, so not all of the front-wings will feature the anticipated linear sweep – some might be more of a bow shape. Despite these changes, expect the continuity of turning airflow around the front tyre and more complex means of producing vortices along the car to help increase the car’s rake angle.
The rear-wing has more of the angular treatment seen across the rest of the car, with the main plane bumped 
rearwards by 200mm, while the bottom of the endplates must begin at the same location as last year. Its height has been dropped to 750mm above the reference plane and broadened to 950mm, further adding to the eye-catching looks although we are not quite at pre-2009 levels of sleekness.
Diffuser
The overall width and height of the diffuser will grow by 50mm in each direction, but it will also start a full 175mm before the rear wheel centreline (RWCL). Previously the diffuser had to begin in line with the RWCL and the resulting inclination of the floor was tricky to manage airflow through. A longer diffuser creates more room to rapidly expand air from beneath the car, producing a greater pressure difference to pull the car downwards.
Discussion about this post