[karter22]

Much was said about Ferrari´s opening under the nose. They have said not to be using it so far and I was just wondering if it´s because they are holding back. What benefit (if any) could they gain?
Up to before Alonso rammed his nose up SV´s gearbox, the car looked like a beast and even with the failing wing, he has able to keep it ahead of Webber after they crossed the line so I guess what I´m trying to get at is, do they really have a contender on their hands and are just holding back?

[Michael]

I can’t answer this but all indications are that Ferrari wanted to start this season with a bang after losing many points in the early stages last year. I just cannot see them holding anything back.

[karter22]

True but they still aren´t using the opening under the nose… It could represent a big gain in performance onc they use it… who knows. Maybe somebody that understands the purpose of that opening could explain.

[Mads]

This is how I understand it to work. Its “simply” a way to stop air from building up underneath the nose.
Without it the nose has a tendency to build up a “bubble” of air on the underside which then disturbs the airflow going underneath the car.
What the slot does then, is it pulls the air out of this “bubble” which then reattaches the airflow on the underside of the nose and stops the buildup. That cleans up the airflow underneath the car which of cause increases the efficiency of the diffuser.
But I am not sure that its better then the nose designs found on the other cars. Its just a way to get rid of a problem their nose design causes. I wouldn’t hope for anything extraordinary in terms of pace gain. Not from that slot anyway.

[karter22]

That cleans up the airflow underneath the car which of cause increases the efficiency of the diffuser

So this would give it more downforce or straight out speed?
Thanks for the explanation!!

[fangio85]

The boundary layer of air that builds up on the underside of the nose isn’t moving, so it isn’t adding to the downforce, only preventing air from following the contours of the underside of the nose. The slot allows the skimming of this boundary layer, which allows the moving air to attach and follow the body is intended, which of course increases downforce. Its a good idea and one that works well, red bull have a slot in the same place, for the same reason, but their has a complex ‘s duct’ that ducts the air to the slot on the top of the chassis, which helps the air coming off the step in the nose to re attach to the chassis. Red bull have run their solution in both rounds so far, its anyone’s guess why ferrari haven’t run theirs. I’m more interested in the different exhaust outlet designs. I like the red bull ‘ramp’ design, but I see the benefits of using the ferrari/mclaren design, as far as getting air under it goes, I would love to know for sure which is better, they both have upsides and downsides. The nose slots on the other hand are pretty basic, teams have used similar solutions for years now.

[diehardfanatic]

All I can see is that Ferrari wants a big come back here. They have to make up for a lot of lost points. I don’t think they are holding back. I think they’re pushing it even more.

[Author]

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