How Does A Formula 1 Car Work?

The front wing is one of the most important parts of an F1 car. It’s the first part of the car to encounter the oncoming airflow, which makes it fundamental for aerodynamic performance.

The wing has two main functions; one to create downforce, the other to slip the oncoming air around the front tyres so they don’t get held back by the force of high-speed air. 

For downforce, this is achieved with endplates. When the air comes in contact with the wing, it slides over the top. The endplates are there to prevent the high-pressured air from spilling back underneath. The weight of this air pressed on the endplates drives the car down onto the tarmac, providing drivers with better handling, cornering and more responsiveness.

A fascinating element to the increased technology of front wing engineering has been Ground Effects, which is harnessing the area underneath the car to create efficient downforce.

It’s the tips of the wings (along with the specialised footplate) that perform the second function of airflow. These items create a vortex that improves airflow for the whole car body (but especially the front tyres). It basically creates a nice hole for the F1 car to slip into without as much force.

When that works well the handling of the car improves, more air is fed to the diffuser and the car becomes more streamlined, especially around the floor and underside.

A well-designed front wing will improve the car’s entire performance.

Getting the front wing set-up wrong is a drag, literally. A car without the perfect wing set-up will be more of a handful for the driver and will cost time. That doesn’t mean that the perfect set-up is possible, many teams struggle to get the front wing perfect, sometimes for the duration of a season, other times one track or another will throw things off. If a front wing design and alignment is proving to be an ongoing issue for a team, they will work hard to compensate in other areas, like the power unit, to help regain what’s lost.

The FIA, the governing body of Formula 1, has strict regulations regarding the design and dimensions of front wings to ensure fair competition and safety.

The key rules for F1 front wings include:

Width: The front wing must not exceed a maximum width of 2000mm.
Height: The front wing must be no higher than 250mm above the reference plane (the flat bottom of the car).
Complexity: The front wing design is limited to a specific number of elements and must adhere to strict dimensional constraints to prevent overly complex designs.
Mounting: The front wing must be securely mounted to the chassis and pass specific load tests to ensure it can withstand the forces experienced during racing.
Flexibility: The front wing must not flex or bend beyond a certain limit under aerodynamic load to prevent teams from gaining an unfair advantage.

These regulations are subject to change as the FIA continuously works to balance performance, safety, and competitive fairness in Formula 1.

The drag reduction system (DRS) was introduced to Formula 1 in 2011. The idea behind it was to increase opportunities for overtaking, bringing the competition closer and making it more exciting for fans.

DRS needs to be specifically activated by the driver (and can only be done so on certain parts of a race track). The device opens the leading edge of the rear wing wider (as much as 7 centimetres) to reduce the car’s surface exposure to airflow, thus reducing drag, and freeing up the power unit for a short time for a burst of speed.

For this to be an effective part of racing strategy, DRS has to respond instantly. This instantaneous movement of lifting and lowering the wing section on demand is achieved via an actuator which is mounted on the rear wing and connects to a linkage. The trade-off being less downforce is applied to a car with DRS activated.

While the DRS can be closed off via linkage, it also has an automatic cut off when the driver lifts off the accelerator. This provides instant downforce to assist with the corner by the time the car has reached the turn at the end of the straight.

There are several DRS zones located around each circuit. The favoured spots for these zones are on the straights, where there’s time to gather power and get ahead. It puts a lot of pressure on drivers to take into account the braking point of the corner (sometimes the next two corners) and be correctly positioned to stay ahead.

DRS is by no means an overtake guarantee, especially when the strategy can only come into contention when the following car is less than one second behind their target. To get into that close range they must combat dirty, hot air that will have an effect on their ability to stay with the lead.

Even when DRS doesn’t result in an overtake, it certainly creates tension, racing potential and excitement for viewers.

The FIA has a set of stringent regulations governing the design and dimensions of rear wings in Formula 1 to maintain a level playing field and ensure safety.

The main rules for F1 rear wings include:

Width: The rear wing must not exceed a maximum width of 1050mm.
Height: The rear wing must be no higher than 910mm above the reference plane (the flat bottom of the car).
Complexity: The rear wing design is restricted to a specific number of elements and must adhere to strict dimensional constraints to prevent excessively complex designs.
Mounting: The rear wing must be securely attached to the chassis and pass specific load tests to ensure it can withstand the forces experienced during racing.
Drag Reduction System (DRS): The rear wing must incorporate a movable flap, known as the DRS, which can be activated by the driver to reduce drag and increase top speed when certain conditions are met during the race.
Flexibility: The FIA has tightened the rules regarding rear wing flexibility, stipulating that the rear wing must not flex more than a specified amount under aerodynamic load to prevent teams from gaining an unfair advantage through wing design.

These regulations are subject to periodic updates as the FIA works to maintain a balance between performance, safety, and competitive equality in Formula 1.

The diffuser is designed and engineered to create downforce and provide stability. It’s positioned at the rear of the floor, with a flared opening for sucking in air, moving it through smoothly and creating a low-pressure zone. This low pressure works to enhance the force of the air pressing on top of the car, increasing downforce so drivers have more control when tackling apexes.

The job of the diffuser is to reduce the flow of turbulent air from beneath the car for improved performance.

If you consider the work of the front wing, cutting the air as the car comes in contact, redirecting it around and over the car body, you can easily see that the airflow under the car will be moving at a different speed to the high-pressure airflow above. If that sounds like a recipe to trip over your own car, you’d be right.

The diffuser is responsible for maintaining an equal balance of pressure below the car so that driving conditions are predictable and stable and the downforce pressure above has some glue to stick to. Without the diffuser (or without a well-designed diffuser) high-pressure pockets of turbulent air would occur, disrupting the car’s stability and reducing the floor efficiency in streamlining movement.

By using a diffuser that is carefully shaped with that expanding flare, engineers are able to funnel air through (using the front wings to help with directing on target) and accelerate the underside airflow, at the same time the diffuser flare ensures there is no separation of airflow as it exits, allowing that sustained and controlled pressure.

The FIA has implemented strict regulations regarding the design and dimensions of diffusers in Formula 1 to ensure fair competition and limit the potential for teams to gain an unfair advantage.

The key rules for F1 diffusers include:

Location: The diffuser must be located at the rear of the car, behind the rear wheel centerline.
Width: The maximum width of the diffuser is limited to 1050mm, the same width as the rear wing.
Height: The diffuser’s height is restricted, with a maximum height of 175mm above the reference plane (the flat bottom of the car) at its rear edge.
Length: The diffuser’s length is limited to 350mm behind the rear wheel centerline.
Throat area: The FIA regulates the size of the diffuser throat, which is the area where the airflow enters the diffuser. This is to prevent teams from exploiting the diffuser design to gain an unfair advantage, as seen with the double diffuser controversy in 2009.
Strakes and winglets: The use of additional aerodynamic elements, such as strakes and winglets, is strictly limited within the diffuser area to prevent teams from adding complexity to the design.

These regulations are subject to change as the FIA continuously assesses the impact of diffuser design on car performance and competitiveness in Formula 1.

When it comes to a Formula 1 car’s packaging, an important factor is the sidepods. Their job is to make the car body as small and tight as possible while being big enough to house the manifolds and radiators.

The engineering key here is the cold air intake to keep the radiator, Power Unit and essential components cool enough for high performance. Radiator inlets are used for this purpose with the main inlets positioned on each side of the car, carefully structured to let in the maximum amount of cold air while being as small as possible to reduce drag.

For tracks where the air is hot, teams put a flare on the opening to help increase airflow intake.

The FIA has set regulations concerning the design and dimensions of sidepods in Formula 1 to maintain safety standards and prevent teams from gaining an unfair aerodynamic advantage.

The main rules for F1 sidepods include:

Location: Sidepods must be located on either side of the cockpit, between the front and rear wheels.
Size: The maximum width of the sidepods is limited to 1400mm, and they must not extend beyond 330mm from the car’s centerline on each side.
Height: The height of the sidepods is restricted, with a maximum height of 550mm above the reference plane (the flat bottom of the car).
Crash structure: Sidepods must incorporate a crash structure to protect the driver in the event of a side-impact collision. This structure must pass stringent FIA crash tests.
Cooling: Sidepods house the car’s radiators and cooling systems, and their design must balance aerodynamic efficiency with the need for adequate cooling.
Aerodynamic elements: The FIA regulations limit the use of additional aerodynamic elements on the sidepods, such as winglets or vortex generators, to prevent teams from exploiting the sidepod design for aerodynamic gain.

These regulations are subject to periodic updates as the FIA works to maintain safety and competitive balance in Formula 1, while also allowing room for innovation in sidepod design.

Once the suspension of an F1 car has been set, it is pretty much locked in with the rest of the car. 

Because of the complex, highly technical and interlocking nature of the suspension’s multiple wishbones and rods, there really isn’t the ability to make drastic changes. When teams need to make adjustments to better suit changing track conditions there is still plenty of opportunity to tweak the spring rates, camber, ride height and toe as well as a host of other minor properties to help get a good match between car and road and tighten up lap times.

When wheels touch in a Formula One race, damage to the suspension and wheels is a big concern. The suspension, the link between a car and its wheels, dictates how the car reacts to the road and to the driver’s requests. On an F1 car, the multi-structure supporting each wheel is both complex and sophisticated.

FIA allows teams to have as many as six structural members per wheel, usually consisting of two double wishbones along with rods, a steering arm or track rod (differences in choices for pushrods, pull rods and steering arms will depend on if the mount is on the front or the rear suspension).

While there is a wide range of setup variations possible, most teams actually choose to operate the same member sets across the front and back wheels for the past few seasons.

As the wheel is moved up and down in its contact with the tarmac, the pushrod is engaged and the suspension spring is compressed. The pull rod is mounted in reverse (but will depend on front and rear positioning). Teams are looking for accurate responses to driver requests, and consistent performance around the whole track as well as great aerodynamics. It’s a lot of different information to take into account and requires hours of tinkering and testing to find the exact balance.

When the balance is achieved drivers will feel confident in pushing the car to its maximum power and won’t have to work as hard adjusting the car to the road.

The design of the suspension systems will depend on the car’s packaging but will consider a wealth of factors including tyre performance. In fact, one of the big factors that affect the speed and handling of a car when they come out of the pits with a new tyre compound is the suspension.  The suspension system’s ability to handle a particular tyre compound can be vastly different. Teams must choose which tyre to favour in their initial suspension setup, cross their fingers and hope that is the tyre best suited to the track come race day.

F1 brakes are incredibly powerful due to a combination of factors, including advanced materials, innovative designs, and the unique demands of Formula 1 racing. These brakes are capable of generating immense stopping power, allowing drivers to decelerate from high speeds in a matter of seconds.

Let’s explore the key reasons behind their exceptional performance:

Carbon fiber-reinforced carbon (CFRC) material: F1 brake discs and pads are made from a special carbon fiber-reinforced carbon material, which is lightweight, highly heat-resistant, and extremely durable. This material can withstand temperatures up to 1,200°C (2,200°F) without losing its structural integrity or braking performance.

Large brake disc size: F1 brake discs are significantly larger than those found on road cars, with a diameter of up to 380mm (15 inches) for the front brakes and 340mm (13.4 inches) for the rear brakes. This increased surface area allows for better heat dissipation and improved braking performance.

High clamping force: F1 brake calipers apply an immense clamping force, with hydraulic systems capable of generating up to 2,000 psi of pressure. This high clamping force ensures optimal contact between the brake pads and discs, resulting in superior braking power.

Lightweight design: F1 brake systems are designed to be as lightweight as possible to minimize the car’s overall weight and improve performance. The use of CFRC material and optimized caliper designs help achieve this goal without compromising braking performance.

Advanced cooling: F1 brake systems incorporate sophisticated cooling solutions, such as brake ducts and ventilated discs, to manage the extreme heat generated during braking. Efficient cooling helps maintain consistent brake performance throughout the race and prevents overheating or brake fade.

Aerodynamic considerations: The design of F1 brake systems also takes into account aerodynamic factors, with teams optimizing brake duct shapes and sizes to balance cooling requirements with the need to minimize drag and maintain efficient airflow around the car.

Driver skill and technique: F1 drivers are highly skilled at managing their braking technique, applying the right amount of pressure at the right time to maximize braking performance while minimizing tire wear and maintaining vehicle stability.

The combination of these factors allows F1 brakes to generate incredible stopping power, enabling drivers to brake later and harder than in any other form of motorsport. This braking performance is a critical aspect of F1 racing, contributing to faster lap times and more overtaking opportunities.

To learn how the brake system on an F1 car works, you can click here for our previous blog which covers everything from brake temperature to flat spots.

The FIA has established a set of regulations governing the design and use of brakes in Formula 1 to ensure safety, fairness, and competitive balance.

The key rules for F1 brakes include:

Brake discs: F1 cars must use brake discs made from carbon fiber-reinforced carbon (CFRC) material. The maximum diameter of the front brake discs is 380mm (15 inches), while the rear brake discs are limited to 340mm (13.4 inches).

Brake calipers: The brake calipers must be made from aluminum alloy and can have a maximum of six pistons each. The FIA regulates the maximum pressure that can be applied by the brake calipers to prevent teams from gaining an unfair advantage.

Brake-by-wire system: F1 cars use a brake-by-wire system for the rear brakes, which electronically controls the brake force applied to the rear wheels. This system must be approved by the FIA and is subject to strict regulations to ensure fair competition.

Brake balance: Drivers can adjust the brake balance between the front and rear brakes from the cockpit. However, the FIA limits the range of adjustment to prevent teams from exploiting this feature for performance gains.

Brake duct design: The FIA regulates the size and shape of brake ducts to balance the cooling requirements of the brakes with the aerodynamic impact of the ducts. Teams must submit their brake duct designs to the FIA for approval before use in races.

Brake warming: The use of heating elements or other devices to warm the brakes before a race is prohibited by the FIA to ensure that all teams start on equal footing.
Asymmetric braking: The FIA has rules in place to prevent teams from exploiting asymmetric braking systems that could provide an unfair advantage in cornering.

These regulations are subject to change as the FIA continuously evaluates the impact of brake technology on performance, safety, and competitive balance in Formula 1.

Yes, the term ‘power unit’ in reference to Formula 1 racing is pretty much the engine. The reason the term ‘power unit’ is used in place of engine is to capture the hybrid elements, now mandatory as part of racing regulations.
 
In 2014 Formula 1 entered the hybrid era, introducing modified components that made the cars less reliant on fossil fuels. That meant the use of the word “engine” also needed modification to reflect the changes. 

You can get an in-depth breakdown of how a Formula 1 internal combustion engine works by clicking through to our previous blog.

Otherwise, we’ll touch on the main elements that get the cars around the tracks as quickly as possible.

A Formula 1 power unit isn’t just an engine + battery (that would be too easy), instead, it is comprised of multiple elements including:

– The V6 Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) with a 1.6-litre displacement
– A turbocharger –  to increase the density of intake air (and help produce heat energy)
– A full Energy Recovery System (ERS) – which captures the energy produced by the car while on the track. This uses two Motor Generator Units to function.
1) Heat (MGU-H) – the generator unit that is powered by converting heat from exhaust gases to electricity.
2) Kinetic (MGU-K) – is a combined motor + electric generator that captures heat under braking but also provides power under acceleration via the ICE connection
– Energy Store (ES) – essentially a battery that stores the energy captured by the ERS until needed
– The Control Electronics (CE) – a network of components that don’t fit into the above list but are required to code and connect it all together. The bulk of this is for the ERS communication between systems; MGU-H, MGU-K and ES.

For a Formula 1 car to work, each of these components is crucial. Even if a car is still drivable following an Energy Recovery System component failure, the resulting mechanical issues (including the loss of power and speed, and an increase in fuel consumption) would result in a Did Not Finish (DNF) result. 

The FIA has established a comprehensive set of regulations governing the design, development, and use of Power Units in Formula 1 to promote efficiency, sustainability, and competitive balance.

The key rules for F1 Power Units include:

Power Unit configuration: An F1 Power Unit consists of six separate elements: Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K), Motor Generator Unit-Heat (MGU-H), Energy Store (ES), Turbocharger (TC), and Control Electronics (CE).

Fuel efficiency: The current F1 Power Unit regulations emphasize fuel efficiency. The ICE must be a 1.6-liter V6 turbocharged engine, with a maximum fuel flow rate of 100 kg/hour. The FIA also limits the amount of fuel that can be used during a race to 110 kg.

Hybrid systems: The MGU-K and MGU-H are essential components of the hybrid system. The MGU-K recovers kinetic energy from braking, while the MGU-H recovers heat energy from the turbocharger. The recovered energy is stored in the ES and can be deployed to boost performance.

Power output: The total power output of an F1 Power Unit is not directly regulated, but the FIA limits the maximum rpm of the ICE to 15,000 rpm, and the maximum energy that can be deployed from the ES to 4 MJ per lap.

Power Unit allocation: Each driver is allocated a limited number of Power Unit elements per season. Drivers are permitted to use three ICEs, Turbochargers, and MGU-Hs, and two MGU-Ks, Energy Stores, and Control Electronics. Penalties are imposed if a driver exceeds their allocation.

Power Unit development: The FIA has implemented a token system to regulate Power Unit development, limiting the number of changes teams can make each year. This system helps control costs and maintains a competitive balance.

Fuel and lubricants: The FIA specifies the properties of fuel and lubricants used in F1, ensuring that they meet strict sustainability and performance criteria. The fuel must contain at least 10% renewable ethanol, and the FIA aims to increase this percentage in the coming years.

Freeze on Power Unit development: The FIA has introduced a freeze on Power Unit development from 2022 until the end of the 2025 season, with limited exceptions for reliability and safety upgrades.

These regulations are subject to periodic updates as the FIA works to balance performance, efficiency, sustainability, and cost control in Formula 1. The FIA is set to introduce new Power Unit regulations in 2026, aimed at further improving sustainability and competitiveness in the sport.

The fuel Formula 1 cars use is unleaded petrol, the same as your car, however, the fuel blend is optimised for the engineering setup and calibration (in particular the ignition) so they are equally responsible for the speed, rather than the fuel alone. So if you were to fill your car’s tank with F1 fuel, chances are your little red wagon is going to go slower than normal, because your engine systems are not designed to suck up every molecule of energy the fuel contains.

The quality and design of the fuel has a significant impact on the performance of the engine.

Obviously Formula 1 cars are not fully electric (yet) so something has to power the V6-engine: Fuel, however, there is no standard Formula 1 fuel. That’s right, there isn’t a big petrol tanker everyone takes their cut off, rather, every team designs and modifies their own fuel to optimise speed specific to the car’s requirements. It takes years of engineering on a micro scale to see results.

In terms of stability, the fuel is relatively safe, compared to airline fuel and other compounds that are highly combustible. Formula 1 fuel tank safety is taken into account and further enhanced with the elimination of refuelling stops, forcing teams to design their cars to manage an entire race on one tank.

What we can see as we cover the make-up of parts creating a Formula 1 race car, is that the cars are engineered to achieve a large number of goals that are not as straightforward as speed, and they are not limited to finding a winning combination, rather they are utilising what they can under regulation, to do their best on track.

Overall the FIA have a huge say in the performance of Formula 1 race cars. They regulate changes through the sport that (allegedly) make racing not only more competitive but also fair across teams and, most crucially, safer for drivers, teams and fans. And you can usually count on every change bringing controversy. Fans typically hate the look of a new season car, even slight adjustments to wing dimensions completely change the look of the car and therefore the entire branding of the sport. 

The car is what makes the race recognisable, so the changing face of Formula 1 is often met with protest, from teams who find the limitations crippling, to fans who have lost defining features.

The most noticeable outcry in recent times would be the noise reduction that came with the regulation to move from V8 engines to V6 (hybrids) that left fans so outraged that volume enhancers needed to be added to get the F1 sound back.

FIA requirements are major factors in saving lives and reducing injuries as well as giving drivers the confidence they need to race with all they have. 

One element no one complains about is the network of onboard cameras giving teams and fans close up and unique race footage. Just like everything on the race car, it needs to do its job perfectly without adding excess weight or drag to the machine’s performance, a factor teams have invested time and money perfecting, for their role in safety, training and research, ​​reviews and entertainment.

This is why the question ‘how does a Formula 1 car work’ is so incredibly complex to answer. As well as the significant advancement of technologies that inch these vehicles closer to perfection, there is also the ever-growing need for safety in the sport, making FIA safety features, like the HANS device and the six-point safety harness essential for teams to build into their cars, in the most effective, lightest and most aerodynamic ways possible.