Formula 1 2020: The secret aerodynamicist – are capes the key?

Post by esjohnson5 » Mon, Jul 06, 2020, 5:39 PM UTC

gripfx wrote: post #128

logicx24 wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm probably not up for a move to the UK, but if you don't mind, could you tell us a bit more about your job? What sort of projects have you been able to work on? What's the work culture like? Do you find the actual technical problems you work on exciting, or is it more the domain that excites you (i.e. building and operating a racecar)?

Sure. The role (and myself) are in the aerodynamics department, developing and maintaining software for the aerodynamicists. The role of the aerodynamicist is to develop the bodywork of the car (wings, ducts, chassis shape etc) to improve aerodynamic efficiency. This is done primarily in computational fluid dynamics simulations [1] (virtual) and scale model testing in a wind tunnel [2] (physical) before being tested…

Post by kkotak » Mon, Jul 06, 2020, 5:55 PM UTC

JoeSmithson wrote: post #5

beaker52 wrote: post #2

There are a couple of aspects of Formula 1 that make it very compelling to watch (my opinion of course, take as you will): - Accessible aerodynamics (it's on the road in front of you, not up in the air) - Technological developments (e.g. this year, one of the teams has a steering wheel they pull toward/push away themselves to change the geometry of the front wheels) - Watching high-performing athletes demonstrating t…

The balance of importance between driver and constructor is quite unique in sport. A sufficiently good car can make an average driver competitive (e.g. Bottas), but also a sufficiently good driver can make an average car competitive (e.g. Schumacher). Plus everyone involved is such a drama merchant (or crook!) that the season often plays out like a soap opera.

Post by rezeroed » Mon, Jul 06, 2020, 7:12 PM UTC

rezeroed wrote: post #116

eaurouge wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ratio varies - I would say it depends on the car, teammates and team. But ultimately driver skill is what determines who gets to drive for Mercedes, Ferrari etc. So once a pairing has been made, either the drivers are closely matched, or one or both will be changing teams or leaving F1 all together.

"ultimately driver skill is what determines who gets to drive for Mercedes" - not what happened with Bottas. Doubt that's what happened with Sainz.

Post by lowestprimate » Mon, Jul 06, 2020, 7:44 PM UTC

wiz21c wrote: post #65

emerongi wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been doing a bit of karting lately and the difference between a 58s and a 59s lap is crazy. Super hard to shave that second off, but it's also so obvious that the guy doing 58s laps is way faster. Last year there was a hobbyist race on my local track and the person who won it was a guy who mainly practices at home on his computer. I imagine a gokart simulation is close enough to the real deal that training on it…

The 1st rule we've learned is : you look all over the place, not just the kart in front of you. The 2nd rule we've learned is : no skidding, never. That's really hard to do. But look at top pilots, they don't skid. The 3d rule is : you do your best time on every single lap (super good pilots do almost the same time on most of their laps, within 0.3 sec range; it's hard to believe they do it, but they do !). 4th rule…

Post by mhh__ » Mon, Jul 06, 2020, 8:34 PM UTC

rurban wrote: post #75

Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #32

Watched a lot of F1 in 90s/00s, stopped after 2017 season. Current regulations make it very predictable. Most offending rules are: - limit on testing means that whoever makes the best car after regulations change will win until next regulations change (2010..2013 Red Bull, 2014.. today Mercedes), others have very limited means to catch up - scoring system introduced in late 00s rewards reliability over racing, and gi…

Limiting on testing is just taking away the unique Ferrari advantage. Previously they just took their design out on their private racetrack next to the lab. Now they have to test as all the others: virtually in computer simulations. And for a short time on the track. It's much more interesting to do the simulations virtually. Some even do the windtunnel testing now virtually. But only the richest.