Ogier’s new toy: the 2017 Ford Fiesta WRC

First snapshots of brand new 2017 Ford Fiesta WRC have been published this week, showing white over black all the new aerodynamic appendices M-Sport designers have introduced in its latest creation.

Only small modifications can be detected from the unit first used in asphalt tests in Catalonia roads during last October: doors panel redesigned and a bigger frontal air inlet.

Apart from a big, two-planes rear wing, main features of the new car are the front flaps on both sides of the car and the big and prominent rear diffuser.

This is the only 2017 WRC car to use dive planes in front of rear wheels, as shown in pictures above. They are designed for generating downforce on the rear train, but also for redirecting air towards rear brake inlets, so improving brake cooling.

Details from the car configuration used during 2017 season obtained in Rally Catalunya are shown in pictures below.

Front bumper and dive planes as a projection of front wheel arches

Detail of diffuser and rear sight of the wing

Picture from Nacho Mateo in Rally of Germany confirms holes over diffuser are blinded, so there is just one slim diffuser.

Detail of rear wing

Side view of Tanak’s car with front and rear dive planes