Analysis - Ferrari’s front wing pressure sensors

This weekend’s 2015 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marks the teams’ final chance this year to conduct on-track development work in preparation for next season. Though there is a 12-hour tyre test at Yas Marina on Tuesday, that is purely for Pirelli’s 2016 tyre programme.

Thus everyone has been particularly eager to collect as much data as possible in Abu Dhabi, and one measure taken by Ferrari to help achieve that has been the use of pressure sensors (red arrow) on the SF15-T’s front wing - as also seen in Brazil. These help the team build up a better picture of the effects of airflow over and around the wing, with a view to their 2016 car, which is expected to feature an all-new shorter nose (as well as a return to a push-rod suspension layout as used by the rest of the grid).