Welcome to the much awaited Formula 1...part two! I wanted to make another blog about this sport as it is too fascinating to not. I learnt much more about the car parts and the design. In this blog, I will explain the aerodynamics and speed of the car, along with the importance of Formula 1, in general.
Let’s begin with a quick recap of what Formula 1 really is. Formula 1 is a car race at over 200 miles per hour in cities all around the globe. There are 10 teams: Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, RedBull Racing, McLaren, Williams, AlphaTauri, Aston Martin, Alpine-Renault and Alfa-Romeo. Each team has two very famous drivers (my favourite team having Lewis Hamilton and George Russel). These cars are much more evolved than our normal everyday cars. They are also much more expensive. Many companies put loads of money to sponsor these teams. Some of the biggest sponsors paid $200M just for their company name on the car.
But Formula 1 is much more than a racing sport; it's a giant experiment. The limits of everyday cars are put to the extreme here. Every team is eagerly experimenting and trying to solve questions like: How can we keep the car under control at these speeds? How can we keep the drivers safe throughout the race? How can we maximize speed yet stay in control? F1 combines technology that may already exist, and upgrades it to a whole new level. Paddle shifters, for example, existed decades before F1. But F1 teams made it more superior. What really interested me was the contrast in thermal efficiency between a normal car and an F1 car. The thermal efficiency of a commercial car is only 20-30%, meaning that only 20-30% of energy gets used up by the car, the rest lost to heat. However, in an F1 car, the thermal efficiency is a whooping 50%. These progressions and discoveries are what is mainly pushing the car industry forward.
Now to the main parts of the formula 1 car.
This image shows the parts of the formula 1 car, along with the cost of each component. Starting with the shape of the formula 1 car, the top of the car is slightly similar to the bottom of an airplane. The only difference is that the plane’s wings work to keep the plane up, whereas the car’s wings work to keep the car down. The front wing was designed to ensure that more of the air coming in contact with the car will go over it, creating upward flow. A small percentage of it will pass under the car, creating downward flow. This immense pressure is what keeps the car stuck to the ground. After all, the car needs immense gravity, in order to go such speeds, without spiralling out of control. The downforce also has to work the airflow around the front tires to reduce the amount of weight behind it. If it successfully does that, the car’s performance will increase tremendously. The problem with the Mercedes car was the front wing was too high above the ground, which meant more air flow was passing the bottom of the car than normal, causing it to bounce violently. However, they’re currently working on the issue. The front wing isn’t the only component helping the car stick to the ground. Some pull air in through the car’s vents to help cool it down. There is a DRS (drag reduction system) on the car, which is a movable flap located on the rear wing. Opening the flap releases air, lessening downward pressure and makes it easier for the car to accelerate and increase its top speed. The HALO is a component used to protect the driver from getting injured during a crash and prevents large objects getting into the car’s cockpit. Now, onto the engines. All formula 1 teams use different engines. This is because each team is responsible for building their own engines to put in their car for the season. The engine for the Mercedes car is the '1.6 litre turbocharged V6', which on its own, makes 566 horsepower.
I could explain each part further, but this blog would be too long, so I shortened it to the main F1 car parts. Since the day I came to know of the sport, at the end of 2021, Formula 1 has always been a thrill to watch for me, and my love for racing has been growing since. It’s incredible how fast these cars are and how effortlessly they work. I doubt I will get tired of this sport anytime soon! Go Mercedes!
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