Oliver WhiteAlthough it has been leaked twice already, Williams finally unveiled their 2009 livery at a media function held within the team’s factory in Oxfordshire a couple of days ago. The final version of the livery is quite different to what we have seen previously, the blue having been lightened a little. The car also featured horns sprouting up the sides of the air intake, named skate fins by the team. The idea behind the new part is to help channel air towards the rear wing. There was talk of how these could be allowed given the new regulations prohibiting such “flip-ups” and “winglets”. However, as they unlikely produce any downforce, one can presume they are allowed.
Empii also pointed out in the comments yesterday that the nose of the car looks a little different as well. Previously, the front of the nose had been lower and broader, but in the photographs released on Thursday, the nose is a little slimmer and now much higher. The front wing has also had some work done to it. The end plates have been altered, as has the curvature of the bottom part of the wing.
Images © WilliamsF1.
Oh you mentioned me in an article from you, what an honor :D.
As I said before, I don’t like these parts on the car, which “do not create downforce” but still “spread out everywhere on the car”. The FIA should have banned these things aswell in their regulations, but I bet they intended to do so and failed to get the right formulation for this.
The New Force India got released today aswell by the way :).
http://www.motorsport-total.com/f1/bilder/cat.php?c=09forceindiavjm02
Crumbs I’m slow. Only just noticed those fins situated on the cockpit!
How are they legal? Should be banned for aesthetic reasons more than anything!
Was just typing it up. Although I’m not sure if the launch was intentional or not. So far the team have said nowt, taken some of the images down from their site and it’s all gone quiet at Silverstone. Oh well. If they won’t launch it, the Internet will!
How is the shark fin legal? It comes down to whether or not the part actually improves the downforce generated, I think. Therefore it is unlikely the fin or the horns (or any other animal appendage) will get banned just yet. Although I quite agree with you both. The FIA have banned things for aesthetic reasons before. I don’t think they look absolutely terrible, but they do make the car look odd from certain angles.
Crumbs chief! 😀
I don’t think it matters whether or not individula fins generate downforce. I think it is probably that no-one block of that volume and Williams found something that they could usefully put in it.
I am sure Alianora will tell us the proper answer.
It doesn’t matter whether the fins generate downforce or not.
Shark fins are fine because they’re in a 15cm gap in the centre of the car that can be anything up to the maximum car height. I think the OWG decided that the way they produce downforce doesn’t impede overtaking, so they didn’t think to ban them.
The Williams fins may or may not be legal depending on measurements. They may have exploited a gap. A lot of the “boxes” where bodywork is banned were written in reference to one pair of wheels or the other. Another batch were written in reference to the front or the back of the car. Sometimes the two even got mixed in regulations. If the Williams has a long wheelbase and/or the back of the car an unusually long way behind the rear wheels, it may well be that they’ve created a gap sufficient for those fins. I believe that they are just behind the box that has to be completely clear of non-mirror aerodynamic appendages.
I should clarify that the shark fins are in a 15cm wide gap, as opposed to a 15cm long one.
Thanks Steven, thanks Alia.