What are your thoughts? Log in or Sign uplog insign up
level 1
I’ve always wondered if the drivers can feel the car compressing while accelerating? due to how the downforce increases as you accelerate
level 2
I would expect this to be negligible compared to the acceleration G’s they pull. But their bodies are like sensors and they feel any slight imbalance of the car, so I actually think they can feel it.
level 1
That’s actually really interesting to see! Does it reduce drag when compressed?
level 2
I don’t think F1 allows active suspension so this is purely from the downforce of the car reducing, and as such the suspension pushes the car back up. Also the car probably tilts forwards a bit under braking.
Edit: but to answer your question, I’m not sure.
level 2
The back squats a ton under the downforce, and flattens out the car so the rake should be close to zero with a low ride height.
Effect on drag is probably on the order of a few percentage points(lower wing angles, less frontal area).
level 2
aero downforce at high speed compress the car, for optimal ground effect and less drag, especially at the the end of the fastest straight of the track. Then when braking the car has longitudinal weight transfert, so rear wheels are unloaded. This helps car to turn. It was best part of the track to observe that.
level 2
It does as it reduces the rake. In 2017 McLaren and Red bull had some fancy suspension that would lower the rear on the straights to gain more speed, but it was banned before 2018.
level 1
I remember some of the recent Red Bulls looking very similar. Even the front wing looked to be change shape considerably as aero load was removed.
level 2
Non linear deformation is a thing, has to do with how you lay up.the carbon sheets, it’s why they started hanging weights off wings. Static they were legal, under load the rear wing for example would basically do a DRS down the straight before there was DRS.
level 1
And to think, this is the low downforce setup.
level 2
It’s just the reduction in downforce from reduced speeds combined with weight transfer to the front of the car. The only way to stop that from happening is to have essentially no suspension travel.
0 Comments