The F1 technical regulation brings back the wheel covers that were banned in the GPs in 2010, after the solution was introduced for the first time at Monza in the 1990 Italian GP on the Ferrari 641 revised and corrected by Enrique Scalabroni to Steve Nichols.
Thirty-two years after that first appearance, the FIA and the FOM have decided to make wheel covers even mandatory to prevent the designers from using the corners of the wheels to seek aerodynamic advantages.
Ferrari 641, detail of the wheel cover used at the Italian GP
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Ferrari’s solution was used at Monza only in qualifying to reduce drag and improve top speed. In the race it could not be used because it would have literally destroyed the braking system without adequate cooling. The carbon lenticular cover, among other things, also closed the tightening nut with a sort of cap, making any tire change terribly more complicated.
The concept, therefore, was discarded but had been taken up in the inner part of the rims, along the lines of what John Barnard had experienced the previous year only at the rear in the Mexican GP. With the fairings inside, Ferrari competed in qualifying for the Japanese GP.
The topic had somehow returned to topicality in 2005 when on the single-seaters there was a proliferation of wing appendages on the brake grip that had been discussed, so much so that in the middle of the season, after a meeting of the F1 Technical Working Group, a less restrictive rule than the rules for the following year.
Ferrari 248 F1, detail of the ring mounted in Bahrain and the evolution of Istanbul
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
And, once again, it was Ferrari that interpreted the rules in the most extensive way, sparking controversy in the paddock already in the 2006 Bahrain GP. The rear wheels of the 248 F1 featured a carbon ring of about 5 cm visible on the outer edge: the idea was to facilitate the extraction of hot air from the brakes and reduces the turbulence generated by the wheels themselves.
The solution had been heavily attacked because it was believed to be a mobile aerodynamic appendage. In reality it was a storm in a glass of water because the Cavallino technicians had submitted the idea to the FIA commissioners who had considered it legal.
Toyota TF106, detail of the wheel cover used in Imola
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Having failed to lock Ferrari’s carbon crown, the other teams began to copy the concept: at Imola Toyota had introduced a similar solution on the TF106.
Toro Rosso STR01, detail of the wheel cover … sponsored
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A way had opened: the Toro Rosso on the STR01 proposed the carbon crown at the French GP, which was then revised for Silverstone. The curiosity of the team from Faenza was that the rim cover showed a Red Bull slogan: Gives you wing.
Ferrari made a qualitative leap again, which in Istanbul for the Turkish GP had ventured into an even more advanced evolution of the much larger ring, sponsored by BBS, the company that in 2022 obtained the mono supply of the F1 rims. Historical courses and appeals …
Ferrari F2007, detail of the wheel cover seen at the 2007 Monaco GP
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The Scuderia in 2007 had revived the concept of wheel covers at the front: at the Monaco GP on the F2007 a circular carbon ring appeared, while from the British GP an almost total fairing of the wheels was observed which remained fixed and did not follow. the movement of the circle.
Detail of the front wheel cover of the Ferrari F2007 from the British GP
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
In addition, the large slit visible at an angle of 27 degrees with respect to the ground was not lost, which allowed the hot brake air to be extracted, conveying it to the low pressure area immediately upstream of the tire, feeding the flow that was going to energize the air destined for the rear diffuser. The carbon lenticular part was not flat flush with the rim, as at the rear, but had a rounded shape to avoid the generation of harmful vortices.
McLaren MP4-23, detail of the wheel cover with front air intake
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The Ferrari “philosophy” in 2008 was accepted by other teams: the McLaren on the MP4-23 had been experimented with air intakes outside the rim cover but which had never been seen in a GP: the front extension had the function of reducing the turbulence of the wheel in motion.
If Ferrari, McLaren and BMW had opted for downward-blowing air vents, Honda and Red Bull were blowing towards the rear.
Toyota TF108, detail of the wheel cover with fan blades
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
In the rear wheels, Toyota had presented wheel covers with blades, like a fan, with the aim of extracting the air around the wheel hub and cleaning up the most harmful vortexes.
Brawn BGP 001, detail of the front wheel cover
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The BrawnGP, world champion team in 2009, in addition to having the highly contested double bottom, had a very advanced rim cover. In that season the fairings created dangerous situations that made tire changes at pit stops more difficult.
Ferrari F10, detail of the rim equipped with a ring with an aerodynamic function
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The FIA, in fact, has banned the use of fans since 2010. This prohibition, together with the smaller section of the front tires, had significantly affected the front aerodynamics of the single-seaters. To overcome the prohibition of wheel covers, Ferrari had introduced a rim equipped with a ring that had clear aerodynamic functions.
With this year’s ground-effect single-seaters, the wheel covers are back very topical: they have already been modified to allow mechanics to grip the 18-inch wheel during pit stops and the screwdrivers are also modified precisely to avoid problems in the delicate maneuver. of the tire change.
McLaren in the Abu Dhabi tests with the wheel cover equipped with LED lights
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
McLaren, among other things, only experimented for a few laps in the Abu Dhabi tests a rear lenticular wheel equipped with a series of LEDs that would be able to show the logo of a sponsor while the wheel turns, keeping the image still. even when the speed varies. F1 is also entering a new dimension when it comes to fans…
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