Sunday, July 04, 2004
FRANCE GP 2004 TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
Williams FW26 - side view
A similar concept to Ferrari's F2004, with the front of the sidepod narrowing towards the bottom, with inclined chimneys on top. Unlike the Ferrari, the side shark vents were not removable. Towards the rear, an increased bodywork section featured a mid wing. At the very back the bodywork narrows, covering the torsion bars in a similar way to the F2004.
Williams FW26 - nose winglets
An interesting feature of this revised FW26 was two curved winglets placed on the foremost point of the chassis. These two elements, which recall similar devices used by Tyrrell in 1998, had the function of increasing downforce at the front end, improving its handling precision.
McLaren MP4-19 - new sidepods
The sidepods were shrunk in the bottom-front section. Also visible in the drawing are the hot air vents on the top of the sidepod, just in front of the double winglets. The rear of the car increasingly resembled that of the Ferrari F2004, with the bodywork covering just the area of the torsion bars.
