Tech insight: The caped crusaders of the F1 paddock
The under-nose ‘cape’ is now less of a trend and more of a staple of Formula 1 car design in 2019. With Alfa Romeo recently joining the growing stable of teams to run the aerodynamic appendage – that takes the tally to over half of the grid.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis
Giorgio Piola is the preeminent Formula 1 technical journalist. View our full selection of Giorgio's technical illustrative content
It’s not exactly a new idea, just a reimagining of a device we’ve seen before, with the previous incarnation rising to prominence with Williams in 2009 and McLaren in 2010 (illustrated below, click on the arrows to scroll between them).
The then-named ‘snowplough’ device looked to maximise flow performance from the high nose solution that the prevailing regulations permitted.
Mercedes takes the "Super Ted" route
It was Mercedes, in 2017, that then reimagined this solution, with members of the team reportedly naming it “Super Ted’s cape” given its similarity to the childhood TV character when viewed from beneath.
With the narrowest nose on the grid, the team has been able to stretch the device out and utilise an airflow defining profile either side of the main structure in order to capture and nurture the airflow that passes by.
Here's how the concept was revisited and refined by Mercedes in 2017...
Williams and McLaren join the club in 2018
The 2019 bandwagon jumpers
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments