There is no question that Formula One racing is a gripping motor sport for those interested in cars, speed, engineering and design. The design of these Formula One cars is crucial to the speed that the car will travel at, and it is also imperative for the safety of the driver.

For this latter reason, there are strict design rules applying to all cars in this motor sport and any car that does not abide by the rules is banned from taking part in the races. It is rare for car designers to infringe these regulations because the price of driving in a race and the benefits from doing well are enormous.

Having said that, Formula One car racing teams push the design features of their cars up to the limit. The key to achieving maximum speed with maximum fuel efficiency is having as aerodynamic a design as they can. These cars are as well designed as any fighter jet, but the main difference is that fighter jets are intended to leave the ground whereas cars are not.

Therefore, another vital part of the design is developing down force to hold the tyres firmly on the ground. It is vital for several reasons for the tyres to have a decent grip on the track. Without this grip or traction, the car cannot accelerate, but without it they cannot stop either. Therefore down force and tyres are a major part of speed and safety. Read the rest of this entry »