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Formula 1 Austrian GP
Ferrari strengthens floor area after flexing intrigue
Ferrari has made modifications to strengthen the floor area of the car, amid season-long intrigue about potential flexing of this area of the SF70H.
Jonathan Noble Giorgio Piola
Edited: May 5, 2021, 4:20 PM
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There has been a great deal of attention surrounding Ferrari's floor since the start of the season, when video emerged showing parts fluttering at speed. There were other suggestions that the rear of the floor was also bending at high speed.
Some believed this behaviour was aimed at trying to seal the floor, in a bid to perhaps create a ground effect to help improve the car's performance in high-speed corners.
There were other theories that the fluttering was intended to create an airflow barrier to disturb any turbulence that could affect downforce-generating parts further back on the car.
Ferrari strongly denied any suggestion of wrongdoing, and its car passed all checks laid down by the FIA, but modifications were made in China where the team created a lip on the upper surface of the floor – shaped like a butterfly's wing.
Ferrari SF70H floor detail
Photo by: LAT Images
This extra element was understood to help on two fronts – adding some much-needed rigidity amid the intrigue over the flexing, plus producing an aerodynamic effect.
For the Austrian Grand Prix, however, the more forward slot that forms a key part of this area of the car has been closed – and a metal insert added to increase rigidity.
These notable modifications should move to erase question marks about possible flexing of the floor – but it will be interesting to see if they have any impact on the car's performance on a track where aerodynamic efficiency plays a greater part than recent races.
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