Efficiency the name of the Formula One game
The role of aerodynamics in Formula One is vital for many reasons. Stability and downforce are just two among the myriad effects of controlling airflow over, under, through and around the car.
UNATTRACTIVE. Current F1 bodywork is not pretty, being tasked with both downforce provision and slippery air passage. This year’s newer cars will be lower, narrower and sport even larger beak noses. Picture: AFP.
The result of such control is a car that excels in speed and handling and is more efficient.
The efficiency I refer to here is the overall fuel usage effectiveness of the new engines. Fuel efficiency has been a factor in Formula One since the cessation of refuelling during a race.
The current V8 engines had to complete the race on a limited amount of fuel and we witnessed some pretty close calls with cars crossing the line on fumes, others stopping out on track with a very dry fuel cell.
The new engine, or power unit, is a V6 1.6 litre turbo charged hybrid combination and must be able to complete any of the races on the prescribed amount of fuel and its delivery rate.
The maximum flow rate is regulated at 100kg per hour and the maximum allowable amount for a race set at 100kg.
So could this mean that F1 could become an economy run, with teams having to drive at less than the maximum? On the face of it, that could be the case. But the provision of energy generating and storage units via the electrical generators that now form an integral part of the power unit will hopefully avoid that situation.
Designers and engineers really have their work cut out to ensure that the new power units are reliable, generate copious amounts of energy with minimal losses, that the electronic control systems function correctly and the whole package slips through the air in a smooth aerodynamic package.
One of the power unit suppliers has estimated that the efficiency has to improve by 35% over last year to ensure that fuel economy will not be the most important criteria – a tall order but not insurmountable.
On a recent trip to Ferrari in Maranello, I had the opportunity to speak to members of the Formula One team.
They were confident that the new technology will provide competitive racing and that the majority of the technological problems had been resolved.
One hopes that all the teams are feeling as confident.
