TEMPORARY SIMPLICITY?
The bargeboard/sidepod area has seen a lot of complexity and sophistication on most 2017 chargers, but it is surprisingly sober on the Toro Rosso STR12. The bargeboard's surface is nearly flat (see white arrow) and does not connect with the other two vertical canes that flank the sidepods (yellow arrows).
These deflectors are not linked either to the horizontal winglet located above the sidepod inlets. All these aero elements are here to protect the air flowing in the lower sidepod area from the dirty wake of the wheels. Despite the apparent simplicity, Key reminds that evolutions will be added throughout the season.
“With new regs there's a lot of performance to be had, so there will be a development war over the whole year,” he added.
“Our list of developments is bigger than usual, because we've left lots of possibilities in. I suspect it will be a very busy year with plenty of performance still to be found.”
The sidepod is extremely undercut, which reduces the size of the inlet even if it does feature a bulge for aerodynamic purposes (green arrow). Also worth noticing are the aperture at the base of the bargeboard (red arrow) and the winglet level with the floor (golden arrow), a solution already seen on the Force India and Haas.
