Sauber: Suzuka updates

Sauber produced a major upgrade for Suzuka, which comprised of “new front wing, new rear wing, new turning vanes and side pod deflectors, new brake ducts and modifications to the floor”. Most visually different was the front wing which is covered in detail here. But the other upgrades were just as important. The rear wings frontal profile forms a slight “M” shape, with the leading edge being slightly lower at its outer and central points. The sidepods have been revised with a new cooling exit panel and the exhaust tucking back into the coke bottle exit, thus no longer in a Red Bull “outer blown” style.

In detail the front wing sports a new profile and revised endplates. The leading edge forms a fairly flat profile and then lifts into an arc to meet the endplate. In a similar way that Red Bulls wing meets the FIA central section at 90-degrees. As such it aims to achieve the same function to create a strong vortex, in Saubers case to carry airflow out around the front tyre.

The wing is formed of three main elements, the main plane being very short with much longer chord flaps behind it. As is common for most teams now, the flap adjusts cross about 75% of the span. The outer 25% section being at a fixed angle of attack, as it forms part of the endplate. Along the intersection between fixed and adjustable sections of flap, Sauber fit the pod for adjusting the front flap angle (FFA), used during pitstops.

Atop the endplate is the revised vane and cascade arrangement. The vane is now more rectangular in appearance and serves both to direct airflow and meet the minimum side-elevation bodywork surface area for the endplate. To this are fitted two cascade elements, a larger two element winglet and the smaller single element winglet. These downforce producing sections also are angles to aid the general outswept airflow in this area.