Mercedes
Formula 1 reached the glitz and glamour of Monte Carlo, which is the first street circuit of the calendar. Being very tight and fast, a high downforce is to be in use and fully optimized for this type of race and track. We begin with Mercedes, who at the rear brought their ‘box’ like structure Monkey seat, as seen in 2014. This really accelerators the exhaust plume from the tail pipe. With the gases coming out they are violently re-directed by the four element winglet to the mainplane of the rear wing, giving more downforce, it acts as a mini spoiler for mainly exhaust flow. With this Mercedes can gain up to 10% more downforce.
Ferrari
The nature of the track is very bumpy, and drivers use the brakes on up to 40% per lap, which puts more strain on the system then a usual track. Ferrari opened up its caliper and disc cooling inlets for a better feed of flow. With this less heat will stick around by the disc, and so will give a stronger feel for longer. The new design has a flattened circle so more air can exit and enter for better cooling. Their previous duct design featured a slit like structure at the top.
Force India
Likewise to Ferrari, Force India have also opened up its brake cooling. They took away a lot of the shroud that protects the disc and pad. You need as much air as possible to circulate around the brake pads and electronics, to stay away from the fear of them overheating or failing due the high amount of use.
Pictures courtesy of Mercedes AMG F1 Team
