How to Prepare F1 Cars for A New Season?


BGM: Que Hora (El Zoom, n.d.)
Ferrari F138
Ferrari F138 (WonderfulEngineering, 2013)

1. Read Technical Regulation

FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) modifies regulation every year. Find loopholes in it.

Tips:

  1. Kick off at least half a season early
  2. Greenhands always find more loopholes than vatarans

Use mouse to catch the loophole

2. CAD (Computer Aided Design)

Try to make the best use of regulated scope.

Tips:

  1. The compromise between a compact chassis and a mighty power unit could be tricky
  2. Aerodynamics matters
Digital model
Digital model (CA Models, n.d.)

3. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) Analysis

With the help of CFD simulation, the car's performance is known before it is manufactured.

Tips:

  1. Contrary to conventional wisdom: you really need tons of money in this step.
  2. The more richer you are, the more resources you have for more solutions' simulation.
Air flow around a F1 car
Air flow around a F1 car (Trader, 2015)

4. Mockup & Windtunnel

Test your aerodynamic design with a scaled (smaller) model in a windtunnel.

Tips:

  1. Contrary to conventional wisdom: you really need tons of money in this step.
  2. The more richer you are, the more solutions you can simulate, and the more successful you will be.
Michael Schumacher in windtunnel
Michael Schumacher in windtunnel (WorkInMotorsport, 2013)

5. Manufacture

Time for factory work. Prepare enough spares for tests.

Renault F1 engine (Adcock, 2015)

6. Test

Ship your 1000hp monsters to Spain. Fire up and run.

Tips:

  1. Disguise your new design, such as Red Bull did
  2. Withhold fuel load information from public
Red Bull Racing RB11's camouflage (Powell, 2018)

7. Season Starts

Difficult to say the percentage of a driver in championships, but they are definitely the last and most important element. -- Mika Harkkinen

Verstappen in cockpit (Istitene, 2017))


Reference

Adcock, J. (2015) F1 Must Continue with V6 Engines, Say Manufacturers. Available at: https://www.racedepartment.com/attachments/f1-engine-jpg.90005/ (Accessed: 14 April 2019).

CA Models (n.d.) Working with the Largest Formula 1 Teams across the Country. Available at: https://www.camodels.co.uk/media/1107/f1-smaller.jpg (Accessed: 09 April 2019).

El Zoom (n.d.) 'Que Hora' [mp3]. Available at: lanwuzhe.com (Accessed: 08 April 2019).

Istitene, D. (2017) The Eyes Have It. Available at: https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fom-website/manual/Misc/POTY_2017/P-20171110-01662_news.jpg.transform/9col/image.jpg (Accessed: 14 April 2019).

Trader, T. (2015) Formula One Contemplates CFD-Only Future. Avaiable at: https://6lli539m39y3hpkelqsm3c2fg-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/aero_fluid_flow_f1_car_big.jpg (Accessed: 09 April 2019).

WonderfulEngineering (2013) Coolest Collection of Ferrari Wallpaper & Backgrounds in HD. Available at: https://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/F1-wallpapers-7.jpg (Accessed: 07 April 2019).

WorkInMotorSport (2013) Scale model car in a windtunnel. Available at: http://jobinf1.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/mercedesgp-windtunnel.jpg?w=620 (Accessed: 09 April 2019).

Powell, S. (2018) Red Bull Racing's Past Test Livery. Available at: http://wescrutinize.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/red-bull-racing-camouflage-livery-header.jpg (Accessed: 14 April 2019).

© Semester 2, 2018-2019 Yulai DONG (Send Email)
(One of my coursework in Advanced Design Visualisation and Communication class @Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, aka XJTLU)