F1 STREAMLINES FOR CLOSER RACING

In the downforce vs. turbulence battle, Formula 1 enacts technical changes to rev up the on-track spectacle.

Ongoing aerodynamic development of Formula 1 racecars has the most obvious goals of increasing the cars' downforce and reducing their drag to produce the fastest speeds and quickest lap times.

But there is another, perhaps cunning, reason behind the work being conducted in wind tunnels and in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools: to degrade the aerodynamic performance of competitors' cars and their ability to benefit from slipstreaming. Some of this degradation is inevitable, of course-it's caused by the turbulent “dirty air” produced by a race car's wings, tires and underbody aerodynamics.