If there is a computer on the grid of the Formula 1 that they have earned the right to trust in their abilities, that is Force India. With very limited budget and modest resources, the team founded by Vijay Mallya is an example of the value of the intelligent use of it all above the amount of the same.
And about everything is because he has shown a consistency in the range of a few teams from the grill, getting to remain among the six best teams from 2013 and up to the fourth place in 2016.
Several members of Force India point to the third position as a real possibility taking advantage of the new regulation to surprise any of the big teams not to interpret the rules conveniently, but regardless of that, the team has a huge challenge before it by the expected recovery of formations as powerful as McLaren, Renault, or even Toro Rosso.
Morro imaginative
to try To avoid this, Force India has conceived the VJM10, a car that hides more news of those that in principle could seem. Starting, as always, by the front of the car, what more flame the attention is the nose of the car (1). If well maintained the main focus of the past year: to create two side channels (2) with the increase in the aerodynamic flow of the car under the nose and towards the middle bottom of the car, this year has gone a little bit further and removed the tip, lighter weight, and further enhancing the effect mentioned.
This requires more expertise than it may seem, because the nose acts as a structure for impact absorption and, as such, must pass the crash-test the FIA. Hence, not all teams are able to implement a nose short in their cars.
what Third shock absorber?
Weeks ago, the main polemic has revolved around the suspension and the auxiliary systems that teams like Mercedes and Red Bull used in 2016 to get benefits of the aerodynamic similar to those of the suspensions active, but with passive systems. To do this came into play a third element that is in charge of that function and that is what Force India seems to have built into your car, since the suspension arm upper (3) is anchored higher than normal and, apparently, a third shock absorber covered with the commonly referred to as a vanity panel (4). This is something that will have to be confirmed later, when we have the opportunity to see the cars partially disassembled in the Big Awards, but it seems the theory more feasible.
in Addition, Force India has left to see in the presentation of the nuts blow (5) that was already used in 2016 and that have as their function to eliminate turbulence around the tire, always a great source of vortices counter-productive to the proper functioning of the car.
internal Channel similar to the Renault
In the middle part, as in the case of the Renault RS17, we see several interesting developments. In the first place, the bargeboard (6) that, as in the single-seater French, is of a considerable size and double, although the interpretation is very different in its first part. In your tip later, also comes to the floor of the car as does the RS17.
it is striking that the VJM10 has also adopted the inner channel (7) under the pontoon, although the entry is very different to the car’s yellow and black. As we noted at the time, it seems to go to stop the horn, but it is something that remains to be confirmed.
The pontoons (10) Force India are not particularly small, but its mouth cooling (8), although wide, has a height quite limited and looks like the deflector side (9) was born next to it and not on the floor as usual, dying at the top after traveling transversely said pontoon. As in the case of the Sauber C36, the space between the vertical part and the pontoon is considerable, allowing an aerodynamic flow generous with the need to regenerate the arrival of the same to the diffuser and rear spoiler.
Pontoons conventional, soil, little worked
while the pontoons (10), perhaps by the exigencies of the thruster unit of Mercedes, they are not the smallest that we have seen, we can at least highlight a slot (11) on the side of the ground that, as almost always in these cases, try to control the vortices to provide stability to the stream which runs through the area. Something similar can be said of the router (12) located in front of the rear tire. As usual, Force India has tried to leave as much space as possible to that flow in the area adjacent to the tire and the suspension.
Big fin shark
has Not skimped on carbon fiber Force India with the shark fin (13) that is of a size very considerable, and allows the birth in your base of the actuator of the DRS (15), that is curved as it forces the new rear wing lower. A little later, we see that the new air intake (14) of the motor and adjacent elements has acquired a design very similar to that of Mercedes in 2016, with triple nozzle for supplying air to the internal elements. In terms of its outer shape, flies over the headrest in a mode similar to that of the Renault RS17, but with a lot less inches suspended.
Endplates are very short
Or at least that is the impression given in the images, something that will keep track of in the test, as well as the ailerons tend to evolve quickly, once started the activity on the track. Such endplates (17) end up quite above the diffuser in its rear, reaching to the same in its anterior part. in terms of the slots of the upper (16), adopting a system already used by some teams in 2016, eliminating the strip of binding vertically to a greater aerodynamic efficiency.
Their colors can be a bit flashy, but Force India has returned to present interesting solutions in spite of their limitations obvious and, if the concept is right and can maintain a good pace of evolution, the fight for the top 5 of the grill is sure to be interesting and will take to the Silverstone among its members.
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