FERRARI’S HIDDEN CAMERA
Updates were actually few and far between in Russia, which gives us the opportunity to take a closer look at the Ferrari front wing. The current specification was introduced on the SF15-T at Silverstone and draws some inspiration from Mercedes. The arches on the wing’s black-painted outer section are more pronounced to create a sort of reverse funnel that sits right in front of the tyres (compare yellow outlines). Although this helps generate more downforce, the primary goal remains to create a powerful vortex around the tyre in order to divert the dirty air coming off the rotating wheels.
Fitted to the outer section of the front wing is an infrared camera (easier to spot in the zoom-in circle). Tyre temperatures can be measured in several ways: via infrared sensors aimed at a specific area of the tyre, through a device mounted within the tyre and monitoring the internal temperature, or with small cameras filming the entire width of the tyre tread, as this is the case here. These cameras are usually placed on the front wing, and can sometimes be supplemented by similar equipment lodged in the rear-view mirrors.
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