For a Formula 1 that exalts itself starting from certain speeds, necessary for aerodynamics to begin to unleash tangible load levels, there is no better place to express itself than Silverstone. The show by Copse, Maggotts, Becketts, Chapel and Stowe is also perfectly reflected in what is staged in the stands, where the presence of the public is alive and perceptible. The English arena is therefore the best place to admire the action on the track but also to observe the viewer, an event that however will force you to reserve attention also to numerous technical updates waited in the pit lane.
In English land aerodynamic efficiency is the key factor, always a central element in modern Formula 1 and which acquires even more importance at Silverstone. The British track combines the preponderance of high-mileage folds, particularly demanding in terms of aerodynamic load, with different extensions on which you go in search of maximum speed peaks. Hence, being able to generate load efficiently, releasing high levels of downforce while containing drag, becomes the key to success. It is no coincidence that the new rear wing brought to Canada by Ferrari, which is nothing more than an advance of the package developed for Silverstone, was designed precisely to ensure a more efficient load generation.
In the United Kingdom, therefore, medium-high load aerodynamic configurations are observed. The predominance of high-speed cornering places lateral stresses as the main source of stress for the tires, but equally crucial is the vertical energy transferred to the tires. In the past Blistering phenomena have often been observed at Silverstone, triggered by excessive overheating of the tires which leads to the explosion of internal hot air wads, thus removing fragments of the tread. However, this overheating is not of a superficial nature on the tire, ie caused by sliding on the asphalt, but is associated with the energy transferred vertically to the rubber by the aerodynamic load. In recent editions it has even happened to witness teams that deliberately renounced a portion of the releasable load in order to better preserve the roofs. For example, there is the podium clawed by Charles Leclerc in 2020 with the most discharged Ferrari of the lot, as well as the transition in progress to a more discharged configuration for Sergio Perez in 2021, when after a disastrous Sprint Race Red Bull took advantage of it. to break the parc fermé regime.
Noting the enormous levels of forces and energy at play at Silverstone, Pirelli will bring the hardest compounds in its range, the C1, C2 and C3. In order to guarantee the structural integrity of the tires even under repeated vertical and lateral stresses, the Italian tire specialist has defined particularly high values as regards the minimum static inflation pressures, equal to at 26.0 psi at the front and 23.0 at the rear, against respectively 23.0 and 20.5 psi in force in Canada. The preponderance of high-speed curves places the English track more limiting on the front axle, although there are also low-mileage curves such as Club or the initial Village-Loop double hairpin. The mechanical stiffness of the suspension to stabilize the aerodynamic platform in the fast will therefore be compromised with the need for traction in slow corners, making the search for balance an operation that is anything but obvious.
Silverstone is a track whose average lap speeds are around 250 km / h, a value that presupposes the constant maintenance of high mileage and therefore a relatively low impact from braking. The most violent braking is the one that precedes Brooklands, turn 6, where you go from 320 to 160 km / h in the space of about 140 meters, with a deceleration peak of 4.2 g. For the rest, braking is of low intensity, with only three of the nine braking sections overall showing decelerations of more than 4 g. Brembo ranks the English track with a severity of 2 out of 5 for the braking system, while the accumulated load on the brake pedal in the race is also relatively low, with 44 tons compared to over 67 tons in Canada. This scenario therefore sheds light on scarce opportunities for electric energy recovery for the hybrid, both from the MGU-K under braking and from the MGU-H in release. The management of the battery charge during the lap will be a demanding challenge for the teams, in order to minimize the use of clipping, that is, the cutting of electric power. In fact, the cars travel at full throttle for a long period of time, with the emblematic example of the extension that from Luffield reaches Maggotts and Becketts via Copse, where the accelerator remains at full speed for about 17 seconds, which is immediately followed by the straight from Hangar Straight to Stowe. On this front too, aerodynamic efficiency proves to be a crucial element, as lower drag translates into lower consumption and greater energy availability.
The British Grand Prix also coincides with the arrival of the second block of evolutionary packages for cars, after those already introduced in Barcelona. There are rumors of important news for Red Bull, mainly with a view to weight reduction, and of aerodynamic updates for Ferrari and Mercedes, as well as for Aston Martin, McLaren and other center-group teams. It will therefore be essential to maximize the time available in free practice on Friday, to understand the nature of the updates as soon as possible so as to be able to exploit their potential through the most suitable set-up. However, one of the main technical themes of the Silverstone weekend will be the performance of the current generation of cars. On a theoretical level, the 2022 single-seaters should be able to express themselves at their best on high-speed tracks such as Silverstone, managing to release more load at high mileage than the previous generation, while at the expense of excessive weight and mechanical stiffness in the slow. Yet, in the current season so far the qualifying times have come closer to previous records precisely on tracks characterized by a preponderance of slow corners, such as Monaco and Baku. Hence, the Silverstone round will be able to provide clearer indications on which performances can be achieved by the end of the current technical cycle and if they have the potential to become the fastest single-seaters ever.
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