TORO ROSSO GOES SIZE-ZERO
Above the driver’s head, the air intake is no longer divided into two parts but now split into three ducts. The main central duct feeds cooling air to the internal combustion engine (ICE). The other two are sending cooling air either to the gearbox, to the energy recovery systems (ERS), or to the air-to-water intercooler placed within the 2015-spec Ferrari power unit.
It remains to be seen whether Toro Rosso has kept the radiators that featured on either side of the STR10 chassis and in between the fuel tank and engine, as the new power unit architecture might have had an impact on the car’s design in that area.
The very tight STR11 package means Toro Rosso has nothing to envy of McLaren and its ‘size-zero’ philosophy. The lower sidepods have been radically undercut and remain narrow all the way to the gearbox. The upper sidepods, however, widen into an ample oval outlet (used to release the heat coming off the V6) in a manner similar to the Ferrari SF16-H.
For the engine cover, Toro Rosso carries on using a Williams concept whereby a big ‘shark fin’ ensures the car meets the technical regulations (see blue outline below). Besides the STR11, only the FW38 and Force India VJM09 sport a similar element, which is a supposed to improve the way the air flows towards the rear wing.
