Physics of Formula One Free Essay Example, 4500 words

Ferrari made its debut on the F1 track on 21st May 1950 at Monaco Grand Prix3. Dynamics of the Car Besides piecing together the different parts of engine, the wheels etc. what is very crucial in making the body of a car is the aerodynamics features. How the car will behave if it comes across an air pocket makes an important consideration in designing the body of the car. For fast faced cars in particular, it becomes an important consideration. Therefore the aerodynamics and strength are a crucial consideration in fabricating the body of the car. Aerodynamics Aerodynamics is key for writing a success story in the F1 events. Therefore, sports bodies and car manufacturers spend millions of dollars towards looking for the latest type of body for the car which could help in gaining little more speed and balancing. The two key concerns of the aerodynamic designer are; The creation of downforce, to help push the cars tyres onto the track and improve cornering forces; and Minimizing the drag that gets caused by turbulence and acts to slow the car down. Thinking on these very lines in the recent past boutique electric-vehicle-maker from the Golden State, has come out with a new concept car named as, APTERA which resembles a small wingless aircraft running on three wheels. We will write a custom essay sample on Physics of Formula One or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Such experiments are bound to continue in near future as well because this car racing ‘industry’ has the potential of being a big money spinner. In addition the kind of satisfaction one gets from producing innovative models motivates the research and development team to go for more. Experiments of the wings for race cars started off during the late 1960s. The technology of aircraft wings and racing car wings were found to be similar. Air flows were allowed on the two sides of the wings which resulted in creation of difference in pressure. This difference in pressure is explained by Bernoulli’s principle. Bernoulli’s principle: This principle named after a famous Swiss scientist Daniel Bernoulli reminds us about the basic properties of air which is a gas and a fluid and the pressure is due to the motion of air particles. This principle explains how the wings of planes and helicopters are able to fly by producing lift. The air pressure which helps in the lift of the aircraft is because of the motion of air particles. Similar to the lift in aircrafts, the race cars make use of downforce to shoot off, with the help of small wings. A modern Formula One car is capable of developing 3.5g lateral cornering force (three and a half times its own weight) using the aerodynamic downforce.