During this week's test in Barcelona, Ferrari have introduced a dramatic new aerodynamic modification to the F2008's nosecone. An opening underneath the nose has been matched with two vents - one semicircular, the other similar in style to a NACA duct - on the top of the chassis (see inset) to...

This became a hot topic last year, since part of the information at the heart of the McLaren 'spy scandal' was supposedly related to Ferrari's use of a particular mixture of inert gases, in particular CO2, to inflate their tyres. This year almost all teams are experimenting with different blends of...

When compared with last year's car, the R28's new sidepods have been transformed. The vertical fins (larger red arrow) no longer support the rear-view mirrors, making for a cleaner design and better airflow management towards the rear of the car. In addition the bottom edge of the sidepod's air...

In comparison to its predecessor, the new Renault's nosecone has been dramatically lowered and now features an additional bridge profile (top arrow). While the front of the chassis has been minimised, the surface area of the wing's main profile has been increased. In addition the pillars (bottom...

Since its launch in January, the F1.08 has featured an interesting new addition in the form of a profiled winglet connected to the engine cover (red arrow). It is a development of a winglet previously placed at rear-axle level, but now moved forward to improve the F1.08's balance by helping to avoid...

It is interesting to note how all teams have transformed the front of their 2008 cars. To reduce drag generated by the pillars which connect the nose to the front wing, BMW Sauber(right) have adopted a similar solution to the one introduced by McLaren on the MP4-22 last year (left). Instead of...

Major changes have been introduced to this area to improve the quality of the air directed to the car's rear wing. The engine air intake has been placed further behind the headrest and a sort of long splitter (yellow arrow), which continues towards the very slim engine cover, has been added to...

Compared to the MP4-22, the rear of the car has been visibly lowered, with the exhaust pipes now placed further to the side. There are new movable covers (1), which could be replaced with cooling slits as the season progresses. The winglet behind the venting chimney (2) has also been refined. Rather...

The changes made to the car's front suspension are particularly interesting. As on the Ferrari F2008, the front of the chassis now higher than that of its predecessor, hence the quantity of airflow passing underneath the car has been dramatically increased. As a result, the team have angled the...

The side protection around the driver's helmet (black arrows) is 15mm higher than on the F2007. This is partly because of new safety rules but is also the result of the chassis' slightly lower front section. The higher protection doesn't limit the driver's rear visibility since, as on the F2007, the...

The new engine cover is slimmer than its predecessor, with the bodywork acting like a second skin, encompassing the engine heads and the airbox hidden inside (yellow arrow). This provides a cleaner airflow to the rear wing, increasing the wing's efficiency. This is even more crucial than in the...

The F2008's nose cone appears visibly higher than that on the F2007, a result of the longer pillars that connect it to the front wing (1). The base of the nose is also heavily sculpted, thereby providing better management of the airflow passing underneath it, an area that is crucial to the car's...