After a difficult season last year as it faced financial difficulties, Sauber’s new development potential has included an innovative monkey seat solution.
Monkey seats have become pretty common in F1, but Sauber’s solution suggests a new trend – with the U-shape (see above) being fitted very close to the exhaust.
The positioning will be aimed at helping utilise the exhaust plume to help the connection between the diffuser and rear wing.
It’s not the only interesting development on the new Sauber.
The team applied a new set of bargeboards on the first day of the second test, increasing the complexity of the structures in that area.
This included a new pre-bargeboard which starts under the front suspension and terminates on the main bargeboard’s revised lower footplate (blue arrow), which is now curved rather than featuring sharp edges (white arrow).
The upper edge has also been smoothed as the team looks to improve how the air moves around the sidepod and into the cooling inlet (red arrow). The r-shaped vane ordinarily mounted just behind the axehead has also been removed (yellow arrow).
At the rear of the car the team made revisions to the diffuser, changing the shape of the outer wall, allowing space for the detached gurney strip to follow its shape with a large diagonal upstand, creating an adverse pressure gradient in order that airflow be pulled outboard.
[“Source-motorsport”]