Motorsport Week got the chance to get up close and personal with the final spec Aeroscreen fitted to Scott Dixon’s 2020 car during a visit to Indianapolis.
Scott Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing have been among those testing the new Red Bull Advanced Technologies Aeroscreen during a couple of special test sessions during this past year. The team has recently fitted a final version onto their 2020 chassis and has been the first to show it off to the public.
Immediately noticeable is how well the screen forms to the rest of the chassis. This is aided by the incorporated livery that almost completely covers the 3-D printed titanium structure which surrounds the driver’s head. The screen itself is angled sharply at the front and works well with the overall lines on the car. Dixon and other drivers who have tested the aeroscreen on track have reported that distortion is not an issue and peripheral vision is not compromised due to how far the screen wraps around the side of the driver’s head.
Another noticeable feature is the set of large air vents that sit just underneath the front edge of the aeroscreen. These vents serve the dual purpose of preventing fogging on the inside of the screen and providing cool air to the drivers. Teams will have the option of partially or completely closing off these vents depending on the weather conditions of each race weekend and the driver cooling portion in particular will likely be tweaked throughout the season as drivers get used to a much more enclosed cockpit.
Racing Optics will continue to supply tear-offs to IndyCar teams for this upcoming season. They have designed their products to fit the custom shape of the new screen and will work with teams to provide guidance on application. The tear-offs are provided to the teams in stacks of four and can be applied on top of one another up to a maximum of 30 layers to ensure there are enough to last an entire race weekend.
With the tear-offs no longer being located on the visor, they cannot be removed by the driver while out on the track. The teams will be able to place a hydrophobic coating on the screen to aid with visibility in the rain, but it is possible a pit stop would be required to clean excessive dust and dirt from the screen. Also of note, the aeroscreen is split in half by a structural strake down the centre and pit crews will need to plan for removing both halves of the tear-off during a stop.
The Red Bull Advanced Technologies Aeroscreen was designed specifically to integrate with the Dallara DW12 chassis, which all IndyCar entrants have used since 2012. A new chassis along with a hybrid powertrain are planned for the 2022 season when we can expect the aeroscreen to be even more tightly integrated into the design of the car.
The aeroscreen makes its racing debut during the first weekend of the 2020 NTT IndyCar season on the streets of St. Petersburg, March 13-15.
