The front wings are designed to slice through the air and direct air over the body of the car, from the front to the rear while also providing mechanical grip to the front wheels. The only, and the most significant difference being that these are configured to cause a downward force rather than an upward force. Just like aircraft wings, race-car wings operate on the same principle of lift. In order to direct airflow, they also have aerodynamic appendages. The front and rear wings are highly sculpted and fine tuned along with the rest of the body.

The wings are fixed rigidly to the chassis. The design of the wings is a major determining factor for the cars’ performance. Aerodynamics also focuses on the cornering forces, so as to reduce turbulence which slows down the car, while also ensuring that the inherent downforce created helps the car take the corner as fast as possible. For this reason, every single surface of the car has its aerodynamic effect considered. The cars aim for developing aerodynamic principle which would create the maximum amount of downforce for the minimum amount of drag. These ratios will be used on all tracks and can be changed once during the season.Ī graphical model of the air flow around an F1 car The gearbox is fitted onto the back of the engine, and is constructed from carbon titanium to minimise heat dissipation. Prior to 2014, the gearboxes were 7-speed semi-automatic transmissions but from the 2014 season onwards, 8-speed semi-automatic transmissions are used with teams having to set the ratios for all eight gears which cannot be changed to suit the needs of specific tracks. The transmission is semi-automatic, and not fully automatic, in order to keep driver skill an essential factor in controlling the car.

From the 2014 season, the cars have been limited to a fuel flow rate of 100 kg/hour above 10,500 RPM to improve fuel efficiency and limit the use of the full potential of the turbo engines. In order to increase performance, blends of (at least 50 different) high-density fuels heavier than water are used. Though the fuel used is similar to the ordinary petrol, it is not the typical unleaded gasoline.

F1 average speed