Honda RA107: The Dark Horse
Appropriately unveiled in an all-black paint scheme, Honda F1 racing and its RA107 may prove to be the dark horses in this year’s championship fight. Last year Jenson Button slipped through the field from fourteenth to score his first ever win. With the exception of that win, no other team besides Renault and Ferrari scored a win the entire season. And, while unveiled at Barcelona without a paint scheme, Honda hopes to keep other things besides a paint job under wraps until there is nothing the other teams can do about it.
In 2005 Honda purchased 100% of the shareholding rights between itself and partner British American Tobacco. This led to Honda fielding its first chassis since 1968. In between those moments, Honda simply concentrated on supplying powerful engines. When Honda joined forces with BAR it also took on the task of aiding in the development of the team’s chassis. This primarily started as a result of needing to design the car around its engines in a manner that made the most of the powerplant. Now though the team was not new, 2006 offered something of a challenge for Honda since it took on the responsibility of developing an entire package for the world championship. Last year’s RA106 provided the team with a stable and competitive platform, however, Honda believes the RA107 takes those competitive features and accents them with an entire package capable of consistent victory and points scoring ability. Honda believes the RA107 and the team’s continuity will mean the team will be able to repeat its 2004 second-place finish in the constructor’s championship, if not even better.
To meet those goals, Honda’s engineers took the RA106 to form the basis for the RA107 but made some refinements to improve an already good chassis. With engine development frozen for the next couple of years, Honda’s concentration had to be focused on aerodynamics and component development. And like with most teams, a lot of effort has been put into small changes meant to make the car the most efficient it can be. To do this, Honda has employed the use of fluid dynamics software. In fact, BAR Honda was one of the first to use fluid dynamics software when it was designing the RA106. This software enabled the team to efficiently understand changes to airflow when it passes over or around elements of a car’s design. This software also aided Honda’s engineers to understand the effects changes had on other parts of the car.
Some of the most prominent aspects seen on the RA107 are the large sidepod flicks and the triple-deck design of the rear flicks. The RA107 chassis is void of many of the barge boards that many other teams carry on their designs. Therefore, as a compromise, a large set of sidepod flicks are incorporated for better downforce and directional control of the airflow around the car and into the “Coke bottle” shape design of the car’s rear bodywork. Also, to aid in downforce and control of the airflow around the rear-wheels of the car, Honda has employed a Williams-esk triple deck design. These changes only represent a couple of the changes the 107 bears over the 106 of last year.
While obviously there will be changes made as improvements are realized and as the tracks and race conditions stipulate, the RA107’s rear wing, as unveiled, is void of many of the arcs and curves most rear wings have today. The twin-pillar support design, however, remains on this year’s chassis. Honda has incorporated in the RA107’s design a mid-deck wing profile that attaches to the rearward tip of the dorsal fin-style engine cowling. Again, this is another feature meant to help with stability and airflow control. Another physical change made was to the exit location, and then therefore, the position of the exhaust pipes. Last year’s design placed the exhaust pipes tighter together and further back than this year’s design.
As mentioned earlier, the RA107 utilizes a complicated tri-deck rear flick design that is quite a bit changed from last year’s model. The RA106 used a dual-deck design attaching to the side of the rear part of the sidepod. The RA107 uses a single rear flick but adds an extra panel to effectively provide two paths for the airflow. Also, the RA107 incorporates another panel mounted to the T-wing to; in essence, provide another means for controlling airflow over the rear-wheels and toward the rear-wing. Speaking of the T-wing design, it has been enlarged and re-designed with a much larger scoop in order to further aid in generating downforce for the car. And though slightly altered in design, the chimneys that remain bear a rather close resemblance to those designed for the 106.
Design changes made further towards the front of the car include a re-styled deck-plate, and nose. Though a not readily noticed but important part of a Formula One car is the deck-plate. This helps with airflow under the car and the downforce vacuum needed to help keep the car on the track. Again, Honda utilizes different techniques to help control this airflow, and this is what the deck-plate helps to do down on the lower parts of the car. One interesting feature employed on the RA107 is a bulkhead flap/fairing. Last year there were many teams that played around with designs called nose flaps. These were supposedly able to help direct and impact airflow all the way to the back of the car. Honda has developed a rather different idea than a barge board or nose flap. Honda has designed a fairing or flap that attaches to the nose bulkhead directly in front of the cockpit. This will help to direct airflow toward the radiator inlets and over the sidepods.
As for the nose, last year’s design had a slightly larger shape and sharper corners. The RA107’s nose narrows toward its end in a manner similar to the design incorporated on the McLarens. The nose is attached to the wing, however, with a pillar design that is wider than the nose so to help keep as much airflow as possible flowing under the nose so that it will strike the diffuser, split to go into the radiators, and to then pass around the car. This is undoubtedly due to the fact last year’s design got enough air under the nose to the diffuser but was not as effective in controlling airflow and impedance in other areas with its nose design. This fact can be easily seen with the tweaks made to the front wing itself. The front-wing unveiled lacked the large scoop it had last year, and this only further helps to control the air flowing in and around the front of the car.
Though not easily seen, other changes have been made to the 107. The suspension and steering have been updated to better utilize and accommodate the Bridgestone tires. These changes have helped to make the car more stable and responsive during testing and, with the incorporation of tweaked aerodynamics and a revised traction control, have truly helped Honda to make as much use of the tires and available grip as possible.
It’s hard to say whether these changes will prove to be what Honda needs to really mount a challenge of Renault’s and Ferrari’s dominance. However, if the black paint scheme advertised anything it is that Honda has the potential—it is the dark horse. Those in and around Formula One, when it comes to Honda, know better than to overlook the team, ever. And, with its already powerful engines, the RA107’s features may be all that’s needed to allow Honda to re-establish its lineage as a championship breed.