What are these strange devices on cars in Formula 1 tests?

One of the first priorities for Formula 1 teams when they start development testing a brand new car is to correlate the wind tunnel data and digital CFD software with the real-world aerodynamic data: the air currents and vortices that occur on the surface route arise.

One of the devices they’ve developed to study this data is these metal structures, frames that contain a series of sensors that measure the airflows being expelled from the different parts of the car – most notably the wheels, when they spin and spin.

These devices evolve, grow and change every year. By measuring air pressure, they give engineers a pretty clear picture of air behavior. The air outlets of the front wing and the rotating front wheels are of primary interest.

Further back, similar measurements are taken at the top of the engine cover and around the diffuser because – as we saw at Aston Martin this year – teams sometimes add these metal fixtures to the rear of the car as well.

Today, the engineers in the team’s garage have advanced these devices to receive real-time data as the car turns on the track. In fact, the software of these devices receives the data and displays it in images and videos in the form of air currents.

Using these images, the next time the driver visits the pits, the engineers can change the settings of the front or rear wing by changing the angles of their individual elements. You can also determine which settings of the wings can lead to an interruption (blockage) of the air flow at which points and thus avoid these settings in the future.

Also at the factory, the aerodynamicists compare this data with that from the wind tunnel and CFD, and on this basis make decisions about the redesign of parts of the car for corrective movements and the development of its aerodynamic performance.