Behind 2009's double-diffuser dominator

[@thomas316]

I seem to recall Toyota and Williams also had double diffusers but never quite got the same advantage.

[@v6i838]

Thomas yeah they did

[@svenarons7462]

Thomas that also had to do with the front wing of the Brawn

[@Bahamuttiamat]

@Thomas Thank you!!! Piola is full of shit here. He's so far up Adrian ass that he can't seem to give credit where it's due. This car was created by the very same people that's dominating f1 with a concept diametrically opposed to redbulls. Brackley knows how to make chassis and it's high time the media offer them the credit their richly deserve.

[@dancastell5202]

Thomas pretty sure Williams had a triple diffuser which didn’t quite work out as well

[@stevendemeyer1970]

@@Bahamuttiamat Exactly!!!!

[@MattBakerDrums]

Love these insights from Giorgio. And JBL has blossomed since he started with Autosport!

[@mikespearwood3914]

He seems a lot more confident and natural now, it all takes time I guess.

[@renebohn7602]

Where was he before?

[@brunobrites]

Great insight and Jenson capitalised on it, fair and square. Great season.

[@Bahamuttiamat]

He gave Brawn credit but it was a Japanese junior aerodynamicist that came up with the idea. The time where technical directors build f1 cars has long since passed.

[@victorvalenzuela5295]

3 minutes is a YOKE

[@evilzzzability]

I seem to remember the Brawn was also one of the cars to totally ignore the new KERS system

[@Khaine87]

Only Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and BMW used it. The latter two dropping it mid season :)

[@jayrap94]

The only thing I liked about the 2009 cars in comparison to the 2008 cars were the huge diffusers which were allowed which extended beyond the rear axle and the return of slick tyres.

[@shadowgaming6660]

The big front wings were also cooler than thise stupid skinny ones.

[@R4M_Tommy]

The diffuser was bigger in 2008

[@jachtk893]

Let's not forget Mr. Piola is just an artist who can draw good pictures. It shocked us that he does not even know that so-called regulation hole was found by a Honda's Japanese engineer who was not even formal employee of the Brackley-based F1 team.

[@justinpriestley7246]

This kind of content is exactly why we all love Autosport and continue to come back

[@AmsterdamHeavy]

"over the limit" my ass. Banning this was a low point in F1 history as far as I am concerned.

[@dashcam2417]

All the teams had agreed to return to mechanical grip. Low aerodynamics and slick tyres. Brawn bent the rules . It should have been banned !

[@AmsterdamHeavy]

@@dashcam2417 No. He worked within the rules, and they knew it and thats why it ran the whole season. If it was rule bending, it would have been banned by race 4. Banning it was petty bullshit.

[@HerreDePerre]

AmsterdamHeavy the rules were put their for a purpose. Ross Brawn found away around it and got to profit from it. If faster cars are always the main objective their wouldn’t even be a double diffuser in the first place. Its like fixing a loophole in a game.

[@dashcam2417]

@@AmsterdamHeavy Brawns answer was if the car was banned his team had no money for redevelopment, so the team would fold .. The f.I.A let it ride . The height of the difusser was within the rules when stationary , as required by the rules . It flexibly under load gave it the advantage . Aka flexible diffuser was born Leading to blown diffuser . Leading to return to greater aerodynamics . That's why here and now aerodynamics are killing the race .!

[@HerreDePerre]

Ade Matthews For the designer its important to ignore the intention of the rules but there are of course intentions.

[@HMCarReviews]

One of the best looking modern F1 cars ever IMO.

[@donlucio03]

When the video about the brawn starts with an explanation of the red bull car

[@Yuuray]

it provides good context.

[@stevendemeyer1970]

Exactly Don Lucio!!

[@chingizmb]

A true Giant Killer of Formula 1, Brawn GP will go down in history as the ultimate underdog.

[@Sp4mMe]

Still one of the most expensive cars in F1 history. The Honda program for that car was huge.

[@dashcam2417]

He bent the rules of a gentleman's agreement to return to mechanical grip .

[@Bahamuttiamat]

It wasn't a giant killer at all, the car was developed for two years by honda. The DD wasn't the reason the car was fast, it was the originator of outwashing aero, now popularised up and down the grid.

[@harpiaamazon]

From Autosport itself... "According to former Honda and Brawn CEO Nick Fry in his book Survive. Drive. Win., the idea was first floated by Honda engineer Saneyuki Minegawa in an aerodynamics meeting who, reading the regulations in his second language, interpreted the rules differently and suggested that there was scope to expand the effective volume of the diffuser. Both Toyota and Williams also began 2009 with double diffusers, rumoured to be a legacy of the closure of Super Aguri and Honda, and the subsequent cross-pollination of ideas within the three teams."

[@An.Individual]

Don't forget it wasn't only Brawn with the double decker. It was also Williams and Toyota.

[@GregzVR]

The then Honda F1 team completely sacrificed the 2008 season, in order to fully focus on fully designing the 2009 car, to take full advantage of the new aero regulations... ... and then they pulled out of F1! Brawn GP had no money to develop the car further, so what they started the season with, they pretty much ended it with, allowing rivals to catch up, but not before the title was won.

[@The_Curious_Cat]

Yep, if they had stability (money wise), their season would be better statistically and in 2010 their season (either as Brawn or Mercedes) would be better. The team was and is pretty good, there´s a reason why they dominate now as Mercedes, it´s not just pouring money into it and voilá, insta-good-team.

[@theorange1729]

BMW Sauber did pretty much the same thing but they didn't do well.

[@SubstanceFivePlusOne]

Wasn't following F1 at the time, it is very interesting to learn about Brawn GP's season. This is another example of how the car's success did not solely rely on the double diffuser, as the car was aerodynamically advanced all around. Plus the necessary retrofit of the Merc engine made it sit in a non ideal position and created a worse centre of gravity according to Brawn.

[@AdamRocky88]

Brawn once said this car could have been 0,7 s faster with Honda engine inside. The team had to rework the whole engine cover because Mercedes engines were larger and heavier.

[@The_Curious_Cat]

Yes, but the Honda engine wasn´t as powerful, so those 0,7s seems a bit too much, because what Mercedes lost in weight, compensated in power. Also reliability, even back then their V8´s were not as reliable as the Mercedes.

[@AdamRocky88]

@@The_Curious_Cat You're forgetting negative aerodynamic consequences caused by the different cover and worse balance of the car. In this case I fully believe in what Ross claims.

[@Bahamuttiamat]

The indeed lost integration, but the mercedes was far more powerful and reliable. Hard to know how much time was lost. I think what ross meant was proper integration would have yeilded more lap time.

[@jerryjoe88]

'09 was a great year to watch F1. Glad JB got his button.

[@robertschaeffer5861]

Competition keeps the edge of learning sharp...

[@fZionists78]

No regulations would make for a finer edge. Reducing speed is simple as modifying the course. Why create unnatural boundaries/regulations to overcome? $$$ Solution- More corners, shorter straights, no regulation.

[@marcusingram522]

My favourite year watching f1, I was 100% glued

[@dantefajardo347]

This makes Jenson wanna pee.

[@justinvfernando]

It wasn't Ross Brawn that recognized and realized the loop hole on the regulation. It was a Japanese engineer from Honda. Ross Brawn, himself, have already confirmed this, they're just not naming the designer.

[@wahyudyatmika5119]

Do you know the name of the engineer? I think the credit is due

[@justinvfernando]

@@wahyudyatmika5119 Unfortunately, I do not know. I am eager to know as well. I agree, the credit is due for the engineer's genius. I do not seem to remember the reason why they were not disclosing who was the aforementioned engineer.

[@jamdc2000]

I could hear Piola all day

[@TheLeewi98]

If I remember correctly Nick Fry said that he thought that without the Mercedes engine they wouldn’t have won the championship. Which seems kind of odd. I dont think the Honda engine was that much worse but he does know more about it than I do.

[@Bahamuttiamat]

Exactly. Both mercedes and ferrari has enjoyed a superior f1 engine since forever, even in the frozen v8 era. The honda v8 has always been underpowered, and continues to be so currently.

[@TheLeewi98]

Bahamuttiamat I think during the V8 era best ones probably were Ferrari and Mercedes. BMW was probably quite good too. I remember that someone said that Renault was the biggest loser when they limited the rpm count after 2006 and 2008. Toyota and Honda are the ones I really cant say anything about. But these days all engine manufacturers are quite close in terms of power output which is very good for the sport.

[@robh9577]

Ross recently said the Merc engine was 1 second a lap faster than the planned Honda engine.

[@TheLeewi98]

@@robh9577 Which sounds unbelieveable to be true but I have admit I have no way to argue with that statement. I think its just weird that Honda was at the top with their V10 and then would be so bad with their V8.

[@sebastianlucero4571]

When these two guys show up in the video, is worth video, with the other guys is usually thumb down, with these two is thumb up...and is the only videos I see from autosport

[@zhengxing8069]

So what? This car is still one of the best looking F1 cars in history and certainly 100 times prettier than the RB5

[@rendyrenders9353]

Double diffuser technology was discovered by the Honda Super Aguri sister team

[@joshlad8762]

Giorgio always looks like he’s been pulled in out of the crowd at the show to talk about the car

What's the show they're at?

[@Slipstream179]

Autosport International

[@An.Individual]

Is that Arnold Schwarzenegger? Sounds like him.

[@ivorharden]

I think the Mercedes Engine and Double diffuser was a perfect combination. I dont think your Honda engine would of been good enough.

[@Skippy-id9yt]

They weren't alone (Brawn Gp)with the double diffuser btw , they were just first and smarter and faster and jenson drove better is all

[@janpetat1282]

PLZZZZ COME BACK BRAWNNNNN

[@Bahamuttiamat]

Brawn = mercedes. Ross works for liberty, which own f1. So he and the team are still very much here.

[@JuanAntonEgo]

BrawnGP really came out wit a big innovative Aero package no doubt! I still remember how it pissed off all the Big Teams in F1 that year!🤣🤣 now that's a good example of .. "thinkin outside the box" 😎 Great accomplishment! Ps. More Giorgio Piola Tech.insights Please!😁

[@dashcam2417]

All the teams had agreed to return to mechanical grip and slick tyres and turn away from aerodynamics. Brawn bent the rules.

[@JuanAntonEgo]

@@dashcam2417 That's what we think was agreed.. but BrawnGP just pulled a rabbit outta their @** & got away with it!🤣🤣 I'm a big fan of F1 technological innovation. This is a great example.

[@sashingopaul3111]

Didn’t Girogo design the FW-14B?

[@thelegend5243]

Button only won the title because of that car

[@YCJONI]

Is he rocking a double forehead as well?

[@apocalypse94]

ye but that audi in the back tho

[@texpatriot8462]

Does JBL sleep in his shirts before going on camera?

[@johnnytopgun6414]

He's probably been working all day mate, that's a working man's shirt, short of putting a litre of starch on it that's what happens mate

[@texpatriot8462]

Juan Milla he is on TV. He needs to look professional vs like a barista.

[@stevendemeyer1970]

Sorry Giorgio, but you are wrong: the Brawn clearly was the best car out of the box and should Brawn have had the money to develop it further in the course of the season they would have stayed ahead of the Red Bull. By the way, the subject of this video is the car you are standing next to so show some respect and stop whining about the Red Bull and Adrian Newey. Keep that for another video please! Thank you!

[@ApexPredatorWithSungGlasses]

Okay, serious question, who is Giorgio Piola? Is he like an aerodynamicst/race engineer wannabe? Or was he at one point actually one?

[@lucasschn4478]

ApexPredator_ I’d love to know this too

[@robinheil]

He's worked as an F1 journalist for 40 years, during which he attended more than 800 Grands Prix. He's probably best known for highly detailed drawings of F1 cars that are featured in all major publications, including Autosport.

[@The_Curious_Cat]

He knows how to draw and apparently has wind tunnels for eyes. True story.

[@dashcam2417]

He is the Google of motorsport

[@mesterorange8181]

I believe mercedes engine helped It a lot

[@mattypetr8355]

GIORGIO PIOLA ITALIAN PRIDE

[@fZionists78]

F1 should have no regulations. Or perhaps another sanction??

[@fZionists78]

If top speed is the worry, why limit growth? Shorten the damn straights!

[@cars_and_coffee_by_bruno]

I usually like this guy, but the obsession with Adrian Newey is too much.

[@petechristdisciple6435]

Nice insightfull video from Autosport . Thanks. To everybody, Jesus loves you and God bless you.