Racecar Engineering

Like any other sport in the world, developing the equipment in motorsport is an effective route to getting ahead of the competition. As with other sports, typically, technical convergence occurs as understanding increases. However, the first half of the 2022 Formula 1 season hadn’t seen the convergence some expected before this era started. So, how does such a physics-driven problem create so many different design options? The answer is philosophy. More specifically, the philosophy of those that lead the various technical groups, and their relationship with the physics at play. AlphaTauri technical director, Jody Egginton, for example, spent much of his early career as a mechanical design engineer and race engineer before he made the move into management, and explains his personal philosophy: ‘We drew dramatically different cars in the concept phase…

Ferrari has taken a radical new approach to the development of its 296 GT3 by taking full advantage of new regulations that allowed it to optimise the design from concept phase through to final build. Rather than having to present new ideas to an FIA committee for approval, which slows up the process and introduces uncertainty, the new technical regulations that govern the class are written in stone, and that allowed Ferrari’s designers to focus on what they knew to be allowed from the start. That simplified the design process and meant the team was able to aggressively pursue avenues that have helped to produce a better, less expensive car for its customers. The car is based on the hybrid 296 GTB, though the hybrid system has been removed from the…

[TOCA] wanted a push-to-pass system that drivers can use at the exit of a corner to try and bring them alongside opponents in the next corner At the end of 2019, a tender was awarded to Cosworth by the TOCA-organised British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) to develop a hybrid system for the series. By the middle of 2020, some testing of the system had begun, but Cosworth first had to understand how to build its system alongside the prescribed turbocharged, inline, four-cylinder ICE. Rob Morrow, now at Delta Cosworth, was initially project leader but handed over the reins in mid-2021 to Richard Woodgate, lead applications engineer at Cosworth, who was put in charge of the hybrid system and integration of it with the Cosworth 12V electronics. Based in Cambridge, UK, his role…

Peugeot has embraced the digital world in the development of its Le Mans challenger, the 9X8, and is now in the process of developing its relationship with supplier, Capgemini, in order to improve the digital accuracy of its World Endurance Championship contender. Embracing artificial intelligence to analyse large amounts of data coming from the car is not new, but Peugeot Sport is trying to optimise its strategy on track, problem solve during races, and make efficiency gains off track to find performance advantages in this Balance of Performance category. The relationship with Capgemini and its AI functionality started after the initial design process of the car had been completed. Peugeot Sport created the 9X8 in digital form, comprising 51GB of data and more than 15,000 files. This is not huge, but the…

During stable regulations in most open competitions, design, operation and strategy converge as understanding increases. However, IMechE’s Formula Student (FS) is a contest that defies this logic. The technical rules accept various technologies, but the competition itself has been very similar for a long time. Over the years, teams have won the numerous parts of the competition, running diverse technological approaches to realise the FS car. The 2022 Formula Student competition at Silverstone, UK, which took place on 9-10 July, was no different. Following the Covid pandemic, Formula Student UK was back to full strength this year. The 2022 competition sported some new elements, notably the mandatory inclusion of the expanded Lap Time Simulation event, which will encourage teams to develop vehicle dynamics in a virtual environment. Powertrain overview Oxford Brookes Racing (OBR)…

Formula 1 carries the perpendicular digit because it’s considered the highest level of motor racing, literally numero uno. But it is not the first formula ever to race. That honour goes to a UK championship that has been around continuously, with very few major regulation changes, since 1949: 750 Formula. Run by the organisation that owes the category its name, the 750 Motor Club, 750 Formula (750F for short, never Formula 750) is thriving, with healthy grids and, perhaps more interestingly in these days of spec formulae, a huge variety of cars. In fact, when Racecar attended the first 750 Formula meeting of the 2022 season at Silverstone, it proved impossible to find two identical cars. That’s all thanks to a rulebook that allows for plenty of engineering creativity and encourages competitors…