Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane

Dynamics
Class Project

Aerodynamic Study of a Formula

I Car

Author:
Supervisor:
Ibtissam Essenhaji
Dr. Mohamed Hassan
Idriss Sefrioui
Khalili
Kamar Tahri Joutei

December 23, 2022

Abstract
The aerodynamics of a Formula 1 car play a crucial role in its overall performance
on the track. These vehicles are designed with carefully crafted aerodynamic
features that help to generate downforce, reduce drag, and improve stability at
high speeds. In this article, we are going to study Forces applied on Formula I car
during motion, we will mainly study the effect and role of each force and identify
the differences between our results and real life measurements. We will also discuss
the role of Aerodynamics in the design and optimization of some car features, and
the ongoing efforts of teams to constantly improve the aerodynamics of their cars
through research and development.

Keywords— Aerodynamics, Formula 1, drag, downforce, lift, optimization, efficiency

1
Contents
1 Introduction 3

2 Literature Review 3

3 Methodology 5
3.1 Components of the F1 Car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.2 Aerodynamics Study of some F1 Car Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.3 Cost Breakdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

4 Aerodynamics Study: Computations and Matlab Simulation 13

4.1 First Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.2 Second Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.3 Third Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.4 Fourth Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

5 Conclusion 21

2
1 Introduction
Aerodynamics plays a critical role in the performance of Formula 1 cars, as it affects the
amount of downforce that the car generates, which also affects the grip and handling of
the car. Downforce is the force that acts on the car in a downward direction, and it is
generated by the shape of the car’s body and the movement of air over and around it.
By optimizing the aerodynamics of a Formula 1 car, engineers can increase the amount
of downforce generated, which can improve the grip and handling of the car and allow
it to corner and brake more effectively.
However, designing and optimizing the aerodynamics of a Formula 1 car is a complex
and challenging task as there are many factors to consider, including the shape and
configuration of the car’s body, the size and position of the carious aerodynamic elements
(such as the front and rear wings), and the flow of air over and around the car.
Engineers must also take into account the effect of different track conditions and weather
conditions, as these can have significant impact on the aerodynamics of the car.
Additionally, formula 1 regulations place strict limits on the size and shape of various
aerodynamic elements, which can further complicate the design process.

2 Literature Review
During the 19th century, researchers focused on developing aerodynamics to enable
heavier-than-air flight. George Cayley made significant contributions to this field and
was credited with creating the concept of the modern fixed-wing aircraft in 1799. In
his work, he identified the four essential forces that are necessary for flight: lift, thrust,
drag, and weight. [5]
Ever since, the study of aerodynamics has improved and researchers have tried to come
up with new ways to improve and optimize some car features by conducting aerodynamic
studies.
Researchers in the past have discussed the design and computational fluid dynamics
(CFD) analysis of a Formula SAE race car with a rear engine. The focus of the study
was to examine the aerodynamics of the vehicle with and without a front spoiler and
with firewall vents, in order to improve stability and reduce drag. The study was con-
ducted using a CFD software package, and the analysis was performed on a full-scale
model of the car. [9]
Another research has discussed how Formula One Racing Cars are designed with aero-

3
dynamics in mind, much like an aircraft. The primary goals of the aerodynamic design
are to create down force, which helps the car’s tires stay on the track and improve cor-
nering, and to minimize drag, which slows down the car. Teams invest millions of dollars
in research and development to improve the aerodynamics of their cars. [9]
Another research studies the lift and drag coefficients on different F1 car models using
the software “FLUENT”. The paper set some boundary conditions to determine the
aforementioned parameters for all models, from which:
The inlet velocity, or the speed of the airflow at the entrance, should be equal to 60 m/s
The front body-work should be kept stationary.
The speed of the ground should be set to be equal to the velocity of the airflow (60 m/s).
[7]

The wheel should have a velocity equal to 60 m/s, and since it is built as a cylin-
der, they set the angular speed around the axis to be 181.82 rad/s.
The outlet pressure should be equivalent to the atmospheric pressure, meaning Atmo-
spheric pressure = 101325 Pa, and Gauge pressure = 0 Pa. [5]
Researchers went on to discuss the differences obtained in both coefficients for the four
different models set, and determined which of them produced greater down-force with
least drag-force. Results showed that the model with the highest inclination angle (16.4
degrees) in the end plates of the car produced the greatest down-force on the wind, and
the model with the optimum angle of attack of (9 degrees) had the best lift-drag ratio
(therefore the highest ratio value). [9]
The last, but definitely not least, literature review we will discuss gives a lengthy, al-
beit interesting, insight on many parameters and factors influencing F1 cars. Although
studying all the parts of the car, the study focuses mainly on the under tray and its
positioning in regards with the other parts. Results of several computations and simu-
lations further confirmed Bernoulli’s principle which states that the increase of speed of
a fluid happens simultaneously as the decrease of pressure. The paper also investigates
many parameters of the under tray and relates them to the ground effect. In F1, the
ground effect can be defined as the force which improves the grip and ensures the car
sticks to the ground.[5]

4
3 Methodology
3.1 Components of the F1 Car
This following figure represents the front wing endplate which is one of the key ele-
ments of the F1 car. It is the first components that the airflow hits, and its positioning
(especially the angle of inclination) is what shapes the aerodynamic of the system.[8]

Figure 3.1: The front wing endplate

The rear wing endplates (and endplates in general) are generally the components that
enable an increase the downforce and decrease the drag. The following figure represents
an endplate.[6]

5
 Figure 3.2: The rear wing endplates

There are different types of tires an F1 car can have, the picture below explains the
usability of each tire depending on several factors as well as the drivers needs.[1]

6
Figure 3.3: The tires

7
 Nowadays, the F1 engines’ powerful nature traces back to its V-configuration of 6
cylinders, each pair forming a 90 degree angle and 1.6 litre capacity. The following figure
shows an illustration of a Ferrari engine.[2]

Figure 3.4: A Ferrari Engine

As can be seen in the picture below, the F1 steering wheel has many buttons and
options. Each button has its own command. The figure shows a detailed illustration of
the mentioned options.[6]

8
 Figure 3.5: The steering wheel

The diffuser, located at the rear in the undertray, is a crucial race car component,
as it ensure a smooth acacceleration of the airflow in the undertray, which increases the
downforce by producing a low pressure area.[2]

Figure 3.6: The diffuser

The braking system of the F1 car transforms kinetic energy into thermal energy
through the rotating discs squeezed by brake pads through a hydraulic piston caliper.[2]

9
 Figure 3.7: Brakes

As the name suggests, the undetray, also called underbody, is what forms the flow
of the F1 car.[3]

Figure 3.8: The undertray

10
3.2 Aerodynamics Study of some F1 Car Components
The figure below illustrates the forces acting on the F1 car during take-off, namely the
downforce and the lift. We can also spot the downforce-producing surfaces as well as
the airflow. The forces are determined in four different models, with the most recent
one (2003) being a BMW Williams F1.

Figure 3.9: Forces acting on the F1 car during take-off

The next figure breaks down both the downforce and drag percentage on some com-
ponents of a typical F1 car.

11
Figure 3.10: Downforce and drag percentage on some components of a typical
F1 car

The last figure on this section defines some of the F1 car components’ constraints,
as well as some possible design improvement areas.

Figure 3.11: Constraints and design improvement areas

12
3.3 Cost Breakdown
Below is an estimation of the cost of some typical F1 car components (single price and
total lifetime cost), along with a small description and usage for each component.

Figure 3.12: Cost breakdown of some typical F1 car components

4 Aerodynamics Study: Computations and Mat-

lab Simulation
4.1 First Case
First, we assume we have an ideal system, meaning that we neglect air resistance, friction
of the tires, and the decrease in mass due to fuel consumption. This allows us to see
how the velocity of the car behaves under ideal circumstances. In this case we only need
one equation.
X
Fx = ma
dv
T =m
dt

13
With T being the thrust force generated by the engine of the car and η being the
efficiency of the car. For hybrid cars the efficiency is 29%.

P ×η
T = (4.1)
v

The function of the power of the hybrid engine that we got from the graph is:

31
P = P0 + × RP M (4.2)
450
v × 336 × 0.9
RP M = (4.3)
0.72
v × 336 × gear ratio
RP M = (4.4)
tire height

Here for the gear ratio and the tire height we took the average values which are 0.9 and
0.72 respectively
31 v × 336 × 0.9
P = 245 + × (4.5)
450 0.72
Instead of using the rocket thrust equation and modifying it to suit a car we will instead
use the power of the engine as we couldn’t find some parameters needed for the normal
thrust equation.

31 v×336×0.9
(245 + 450 × 0.72 ) × 0.29
dv
=m (4.6)
v dt
245 31 336 × 0.9 dv
( + × ) × 0.29 = m (4.7)
v 450 0.72 dt

Due to the fact that we are using the free trial of MATLAB we couldn’t do most of
our analysis, we were only able to do a Simulink analysis of this case. The benefit
of this method is that it should allow us to easily test Matlab code but the analysis
isn’t realistic so the velocity value will be higher than what happens in reality since we
neglected all forces that oppose the motion. The following figure shows the diagram we
used on simulink so generate the graph of the velocity vs time:

14
 Figure 4.1: SIMULINK diagram

To better explain this we wanted to show each block’s parameters: The following are
the parameters of the constant:

Figure 4.2: Parameters of the constant block

Next we show the parameters of the mathematical equation:

15
 Figure 4.3: Parameters of the mathematical equation block

The following figures show the parameters of the Gains:

Figure 4.4: Parameters of the GAIN block

16
 Figure 4.5: Parameters of the GAIN1 block

The following figure shows the parameters of the Integrator:

Figure 4.6: Parameters of the integrator block

Finally, the scope came up with the following graph representing the velocity vs time:

17
 Figure 4.7: Graph of velocity vs time

Comparing our results to the real life case graph[7], we can see how our velocity
is much higher because we didn’t take into consideration all the forces acting on the
vehicule. The real case graph is as follows and in our case we consider the line of DRS
off:

Figure 4.8: Graph of velocity vs time using a real life case

18
4.2 Second Case
In this case we will consider the aerodynamic forces such as the drag force and down
force, the tire friction, as well as a variable weight. We will first start by the equation
along the y-axis.
X
Fy = 0 (4.8)
dW
− − Dw + N = 0 (4.9)
dt

With Dw referring to the down force.

dW
N= + Dw (4.10)
dx
dm 1
N= × g + × cl × A × D × v 2 (4.11)
dx 2
(4.12)

Here c1 is the lift coefficient. its ratio with the drag coefficient is 2.5 so for our value of
the drag coefficient, our lift coefficient is 2.5, D is the air density, which is 1.204kg/m2 ,
and A is the cross-sectional area its value of 0.0015m2 . Our mass will vary from 908kg
when fully fuelled to 798kg when the fuel runs out.
We will use the normal force we got from this equation for our next one.
X
Fx = ma (4.13)
−Dr + T − fk = ma (4.14)
−Dr + T − µk × N = ma (4.15)
1 P ·η dm 1 dv
− cd · A · D · v 2 + − µk · · g + · cl · A · D · v 2 = m (4.16)
2 v dx 2 dt

Cd represents the drag coefficient, the value of this coefficient ranges from 0.7 to 1.1, in
our case we worked with a value of 1 as it is the most common, and µk is the coefficient
of friction, its value is 1.5 for contact between asphalt and rubber tires.
This method is much more realistic, and we expect to get values closer to reality. The
limiation here is that we don’t take into consideration how heat affects the tires and
consequently the coefficient of friction as when the tires become hotter the velocity of
the car increases to some extent.

19
4.3 Third Case
We will again consider the weight to be constant to use Burckhardt tyre model as it
assumes a constant normal load. Here our equations will remain the same, the main
difference will be:

1 P ·η dv
− · cd · A · v 2 + − (c1 (1 − e−c2 s ) − c3 s) = m (4.17)
2 v dt

Here c1 , c2 , and c3 are constants that depend on the road. In the case of the dry asphalt
their values are respectively 1.28, 23.99, 0.52, and s is the slip rate for our analysis. We
used the equation of driving slip rate with ω ̸= 0 and rω ̸= v.

rω − v
s= (4.18)
rω

For our analysis, we will use an average angular velocity, this method should also give
us values close to the real-life ones. The limitations are that as stated before, we will
consider a constant weight as well as angular velocity.

4.4 Fourth Case

Unfortunately, we couldn’t analyse this case because we lacked the values necessary for
the calculations regardless, we decided to mention it as it was interesting. In this case
we will consider the same forces constraints as in case 2, with the difference being in
the equation used for the tire friction. Her ewe will use Pacejka’s model for tire friction,
this equation is referred to as the magic formula because it gives the closest values to
the experimental data.
The model has this equation:

F = c1 sin(c2 arctan(c3 s − c4 (c3 s − arctan(c3 s)))) (4.19)

With ci referring to parameters that are obtained from matching experimental data as
well as some values from the design of the car, since this is not a predictive model , but
a model used to interpolate previously measured tyre forces moment curves.

20
5 Conclusion
From the four previously discussed cases we can see that what affects the values of the
velocity are of course the forces considered and how we defined them. The aerodynamic
forces are mainly related to parameters of the design of the car. The weight of the car
while also dependent on the design it’s also related to how much fuel is in the tank
as there have been cases where the teams didn’t fuel the car completely to reduce its
weight and increase the acceleration. Finally, is the friction, which was the force that
was mainly focused on this project as there are many models to calculate tire friction and
each one should give a graph closer to the experimental one depending on how idealized
it is, the more complex the model the more knowledge of the design and properties of
the materials used it requires as it allows us to get values closer to the experimental
ones. Finally, a factor that was neglected in all analysis is the effect of wind on the body
and how it generates a moment around an axis as well as how some part function in the
stability of the car or reducing the drag it experiences such as the diffuser and the Drag
Reduction System.

21
References
[1] R/formula1 - types of f1 tyres with short description.

[2] Serrated diffuser gurney on 2018 f1 mercedes w09, Mar 2018.

[3] Keith Collantine. Why one team fears f1’s 2021 cars will be ”nasty” to drive, Dec
2019.

[4] Rosario Giuliana. Technical insight: New rear-wing endplate for red bull, Jul 2020.

[5] Sneh Hetawal, Mandar Gophane, B.K. Ajay, and Yagnavalkya Mukkamala. Aero-
dynamic study of formula sae car. Procedia Engineering, 97:1198–1207, 2014. ”12th
Global Congress on Manufacturing and Management” GCMM - 2014.

[6] Jonathon Klein. How exactly does an f1 steering wheel work?, Jun 2021.

[7] Rajan Petkar, Somnath Kolgiri, and SS Ragit. Study of front-body of formula-one
car for aerodynamics using cfd. International Journal of Application or Innovation
in Engineering & Management (IJAIEM), 3:353–359, 01 2014.

[8] Giorgio Piola. Mercedes introduces new front wing endplate for chinese gp, Apr 2019.

[9] Triya Vadgama, Arpit Patel, and Dr Thakkar. Design of formula one racing car.
International Journal of Engineering Research and, V4, 04 2015.

22