The “mini skirt” benefit behind Formula 1’s sidepod shift

The change in how air behaves over the top of the sidepod may appear to be quite subtle, which is why teams have long played down the significance of the performance gain from this area of the car.

However, as McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has explained, the real gains from shifting sidepods are far more to do with how the shape of the sidepods interacts with the rest of the car rather than just what is happening in this area.

He suggests that the biggest…