What Does “Winged Car” Mean in Formula One?

As Formula One teams strive for maximum speed and stability, wings have become an increasingly crucial part of their vehicles. Over time, engineers have been able to refine and optimize the design of these aerodynamic components in accordance with the continually changing regulations. The result is a “Winged Car” with optimal performance at high speeds, which has become an indispensable element in the hyper-competitive world of modern Formula One racing. 

Let’s take a look at the timeline of the “Winged Car”‘s evolution.

The concept of ‘winged cars’ in Formula One dates back to the mid-1960s when teams experimented with aerodynamic devices on their cars. This introduction led to multiple failures and accidents, leading to a brief ban of wings in 1969.

Soon thereafter, they were reintroduced but this time with stricter regulations that mandated them to be part of the car body. The early 1980s saw the rise of ‘ground effect’ aerodynamics, which revolutionized Formula One cars. This involved the cars having extended side skirts and a venturi-shaped underbody, resulting in so-called ‘winged cars’ that had greater downforce for increased grip on the race track. 

However, the high levels of downforce exerted by these designs also meant that the cars had less drag and were significantly faster. The sport’s governing body, the FIA, soon realised this and quickly set about introducing regulations to restrict extreme aerodynamic designs. This period led to an era where teams designed their cars with a careful consideration for both power and aerodynamics. 

In 2011, in an effort to promote overtaking, the Drag Reduction System (DRS) was introduced. This system allows drivers to adjust the angle of their rear wings on certain parts of the track, allowing them to reduce drag and increase speed.

Teams have continued to develop the technology since then, resulting in highly sophisticated aerodynamic profiles that are designed to minimize drag and maximize straight-line speed.

How the use of wind tunnels and computer simulation has allowed teams to fine-tune their “Winged Cars”

The use of wind tunnels and computer simulations, including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), has revolutionized the way teams design and fine-tune their “Winged Cars” in Formula One.

Wind tunnels: Wind tunnels provide an invaluable resource for Formula One teams, allowing them to test designs and optimize the aerodynamic performance of their cars. By blowing air over scale models or actual vehicles, they can observe and measure its effects on air flow. 

With smoke or colored dye, the teams visually track and analyse the path of air around their car, with particular attention paid to the shape and angle of the wings. This helps them to refine their designs and gain an edge over their competitors on race day. Wind tunnels are a key part of Formula One’s technological advancement, giving teams the opportunity to explore the potential of their cars’ design features.

CFD: Computer simulation known as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a key part of the Formula One engineering process. It models the air flow around a car using complicated equations to allow teams to virtually evaluate how alterations in the vehicle’s shape or wing design will affect performance. All this without needing to physically construct models. 

CFD also gives way for engineers to analyze the pressure and velocity of air around every point on the car. It allows for a detailed analysis of how to “best wing the car”. With this technology, teams can gain insight into creating cars with superior aerodynamics and better understand how air flow affects performance on the track.