F-slot

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Flat inlet opening of the F-slot on the 2010 McLaren MP4-25 in front of the cockpit
F-slot on 2010 Force India VJM03

When F-shaft ( English F-duct ) is defined as in the formula 1 , various systems where air is passed through channels in the vehicle to elsewhere a stall to effect, and thereby to achieve higher speeds.

The active F-slot, also known as the RW80 , was invented by McLaren in 2010 , but it was banned for the following season in 2011 . In 2012 Mercedes started with a passive F-shaft, which was also banned from the 2013 season .

The designation F-Schacht introduced by journalists probably goes back to the lettering of the McLaren sponsor vodafone , on whose letter F the air inlet ( snorkel ) was attached. The designation RW80 used by McLaren stands for "Rear Wing", followed by a consecutive number.

Active F-slot

A flow separation is caused in front of the rear wing with a small air duct that starts on the nose of the racing car and runs through the cockpit to the rear of the car . This reduces the aerodynamic contact pressure and the car can reach a higher top speed.

This stall is controlled by the pilot by covering a hole in the cockpit with his knee in the McLaren MP4-25 or with the back of his left hand in the Ferrari F10 . If this hole is open, it causes the air duct to be interrupted and the air flows into the cockpit. When the pilot closes the hole, the air flows to the rear wing and causes the desired stall. This brought the McLaren MP4-25 up to 10 km / h more top speed on the straight and 0.6 seconds time savings per lap.

For the 2011 season , the active F-slot was banned due to safety concerns, as some teams had developed systems in which the driver had to take one hand off the steering wheel to activate it. A passive system, which is also not related to the suspension, was allowed to continue to be used.

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest , organizer of the Le Mans Series (LMS) and the 24-hour race of Le Mans , also banned in December 2010 "any system that is operated automatically or is controlled by the driver to influence the airflow on the rear wing, as long as the car is in motion ”. The manufacturers of the sports car prototypes shouldn't even do expensive development work for an F-shaft.

Passive F-slot

Passive F-slot on the 2012 Mercedes F1 W03

The Mercedes F1 W03 has a system that directs air through lines in the vehicle to the rear wing in order to cause a stall. The system is activated by the DRS button on the steering wheel, which not only opens the adjustable rear wing, but also a flap on the rear wing. The FIA does not regard the passive F-shaft as its own aerodynamic system, but rather as an optimization of the DRS, so protests against this design have been rejected. This is why this system was also referred to as “active double DRS”.

The advantage of the system was only fully effective in practice and qualifying, since DRS was allowed to be used throughout the 2012 season. The use of the system was subject to severe restrictions during the race, so the system was only allowed to be used in the designated DRS zones, and only if the gap to the vehicle in front was less than a second at a measuring point just before this zone.

For the Lotus E20 , Lotus developed a similar system, but the air is passed through the airbox and used for cooling. It is then fed to the rear wing, where it reduces the contact pressure due to a stall and increases the DRS effect. This should also be an advantage when DRS is deactivated.

At the meeting of the technical working group before the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2012 , a majority of the teams agreed on a change in the technical regulations from the 2013 season , after which the use of a passive F-shaft is also prohibited.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ McLaren uses loophole in the regulations: This is how McLaren's snorkeling trick works. Spox.com, March 12, 2010, accessed April 13, 2012 .
  2. ↑ F-duct is actually an RW80. (No longer available online.) PlanetF1.com, April 18, 2010, archived from the original on April 22, 2012 ; accessed on April 13, 2012 (English).
  3. ↑ a b F-duct. F1-Dictionary.com, accessed April 13, 2012 .
  4. ↑ Auto Motor und Sport Extra: Edition 26/2010. Technology innovations 2010: Air number. Page 16 ff
  5. ↑ Teams agree on F-slot ban for 2011. Motorsport-total.com, May 9, 2010, accessed on April 13, 2012 .
  6. ↑ New ACO rules: F-shaft prohibited. Motorsport-total.com, December 22, 2010, accessed April 18, 2012 .
  7. ↑ FIA rejects protest against F-Schacht. Motorsport-Total.com, April 12, 2012, accessed April 13, 2012 .
  8. ↑ Overview - 2013 rule changes at a glance. Formula1.com, December 31, 2012, accessed March 2, 2013 .
  9. ↑ It has unfolded: The ban on double DRS is approaching. Motorsport-Total.com, July 31, 2012, accessed August 1, 2012 .

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