A launching pad or a design impasse?

Alfa Romeo’s revamp of its new Formula 1 car served to raise eyebrows last week when its new C43 ran without one of the most intriguing aspects of its launch images.

When Valtteri Bottas took the new car out of the Barcelona garage for the first time, it had a completely different floor to the original renders when it was revealed.

On the actual car, it was a much more traditional edge compared to the radical jagged side that had been present on launch day. In fact, so unique was the uneven ground that it looked like the kind of thing that would be used as a tire cutter in Wacky Races.

The absence of this bold design has led to some intrigue as to whether the team has deliberately revealed a red track to distract the opposition for a few days, or whether it was an unintended consequence of a design path that was considered at first but then abandoned.

We may have to wait for some answers from the technical chiefs in the first test to know the truth.

What’s interesting about the toothed solution seen on the C43 is that, while it seems out of the norm for an F1 car, it’s actually a perfectly acceptable approach to dealing with these regulations.

So it could easily have been an early example of what the team worked on when looking at the new 2023 rule changes, and it didn’t seem very necessary to update the renders for launch if it had gone on a different direction

From a legal point of view, the vertical flap and the nine fins attached to it appear to obey the regulations established for the floor edge and the “edge wing”, with the vertical flap to which they are anchored with the help of supports that are also allowed. .

Aside from the fins mounted on the vertical flap, there were two interesting side effects to note in this solution.

First, on the left, we can see that the flap would provide a passage for airflow between it and the flank of the sidepod.

Second, on the right, we can see that the flap is mounted above the floor edge level (dotted yellow line to help show the separation), with the brackets allowing the airflow to route with which circulate towards the outside of the flap.

So far, this flat has not appeared on the car, as the shakedown version is a more benign solution that seemed to have much more in common with the designs seen throughout 2022.

There’s also design inspiration up and down the grille within this ground edge layout, from the Gurney-like moves first seen on the Red Bull, to the edge wing in the shape of the Mercedes scythe, passing through the trim and the rear wing. sticking out from under the Ferrari.

Given the regulation changes for 2023 and the performance sensitivity the region offers, we’re sure we’ll see a decent rotation of design ideas at the edge of the floor, and Alfa Romeo has already given us plenty to think about. .

The different approaches that the teams took

New ground-effect cars have put a premium on aerodynamics under the car, so it’s no wonder that the edges of the ground have been a focus for clever thinking.

Last year, there was no consensus on the grid about the best solutions with teams approaching this area of ​​the car differently.

Mercedes began its 2022 campaign with a completely different machine to the one that arrived at the Bahrain test. One feature that was quickly consigned to the annals of F1 technology history was the frilled floor edge.

The arrival of the zeropod bodywork coincided with the use of a much simpler ground edge design, something the team would work on throughout the season in order to improve performance.

McLaren’s use of an L-shaped edge wing at the first test/shakedown in Barcelona caught the attention of spectators and rival teams alike, and Ferrari adopted their own version quite quickly as a result .

Red Bull’s RB18 lacked a visible edge wing, with the team opting instead for a collection of cutouts, height variation between sections and a tapered rear ground section reminiscent of the 2021 solution.

Small feature details were changed on the floor of the RB18 during the season, including the use of that Gurney flap in the front section of the floor.

Mercedes progressed to a scythe-shaped edge wing over the course of the season, while also making contour changes to the surrounding surfaces to take advantage of the new airflow parameters.

Red Bull took note of the cutouts and flaps arrangement that some had deployed along with their “ice skating” solution and added their own.

Aston Martin, which had already moved in the direction of Red Bull’s ground and sidepod concept earlier in the season, further developed its ground edge, adding Gurney’s cut and rear flap and protruding from under.

Alpine also joined the party late in the season, adding its own version of the trim and flap combo.

Meanwhile, Mercedes continued to add flowers to the edge of the floor, with stripes added to the rolled surfaces.