Aerodynamics plays a crucial role in the performance of Formula 1 racing cars. These cars are designed to achieve high speeds by cutting through the air with minimum resistance. At the same time, their design allows them to generate downforce to create the necessary friction to ensure that their tyres maintain a firm grip on the track.
What is downforce and how is it created? Downforce is a lift force. Not all lift forces act in an upwards direction. Bernoulli’s principle helps to explain this. Put simply, it states that the faster air molecules travel, the lower the pressure – and the pressure increases when they travel more slowly. On a Formula 1 car, the angle of the front wing and the depth and angle of the rear wing flap are positioned to create downforce and push the car onto the track.
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