THE ALMIGHTY DIFFUSER
The diffuser plays a vital role on any Formula 1 car, with the element further growing in importance this year with the revamped aero regulations.
Indeed, the new machines feature a wider and higher diffuser, increasing from 125mm high and 1000mm wide to 175mm high and 1050mm wide. This results in the diffuser’s volume surging around 120%, from 21875cm3 to 48235cm3.
This expansion will increase the vacuum produced underneath the car and such phenomenon will be reinforced by the greater interaction between the lowered rear wing and the diffuser.
More importantly, the downforce generated by the diffuser produces little drag, unlike what happens with the wings. No matter how powerful your engine is, keeping drag in check is always high on every team’s priority lists, even more so this year with the expected increase coming from the wider tyres, which will hurt top-end speed.
Instead of having a flap on top of the diffuser (a setup common to most teams last year), the W08’s diffuser seems to be rolling up on itself, in a bid to extract more air from the underbody.
