worldofspeed

A diffuser in an F1 car is the rear part of the bodywork. The air flowing under the car exits through the diffuser as shown in the photo. This action by the diffuser is responsible to create lion’s share of downforce.  An interesting thing about fluid moving at high speed is that the pressure will […]

Delta time in F1 is the difference between two laps. Delta means difference and delta time means time difference. Usually, it’s the time difference between the pre-determined lap time and the current lap time.  Delta positive is when the driver is going faster than the predetermined lap time and being asked to slow down for

F1 debrief is a meeting after a race where the whole team comes together to discuss performance, setup, etc. This meeting includes drivers as well as engineers. Usually, there will be a race debrief on Monday where the team analyzes mistakes and comes out with answers.

The cockpit is the section on the chassis where the driver sits. It is essentially the workspace for drivers that contain all the control modules. F1 drivers are often called pilots.  In formula 1 the cockpit is left open, meaning there is no glass shied over the driver’s head. The cockpit is left open due

The Coanda effect in F1 is when exhaust gas is guided to go through the rear diffuser. The Coanda effect is fluid dynamics property when a fluid tends to follow the curvature of a surface rather after being in contact with a curved surface. The purpose is to increase downforce.  Using the Coanda effect in

Clean air is when an F1 car is free from rivals and goes alone on a track. It gives optimal aerodynamic performance due to the fact that the airflow is not hampered by any moving object around it. Racing in a condition like this is called racing in clean air.  What is Dirty air in

Chicane is a section of the race track with corners in different directions. This section is placed in order to slow down the cars after high speed. The photo below has chicanes.  Chicanes in F1 are different from circuit to circuit. Some F1 tracks have multiple chicanes and some don’t have chicanes at all. Monaco,

Brake balance is when drivers manipulate the brake pressure of the front and rear brakes by a switch in the cockpit. F1 cars need different brake power in front and rear brakes throughout the race and drivers can regulate it using this dial.  Usually, drivers use a 60:40 or 55:45 split and usually, the front

Bottoming out is when a formula 1 car’s underbody hits the track surface. To get a low center of gravity and to create downforce,  F1 cars already have a very low ride height. Ride Height is the distance between the bottom of the car and the road. When going through a corner or at high

The bodywork of F1 cars is the carbon fiber sections fitted on the monocoque, like the engine cover, nosecone, and cockpit top. The photo below shows a bare monocoque. You can buy the used bodywork embedded in acrylic from different formula 1 drivers for a few hundred dollars.