The Bahrain Grand Prix launches the Formula 1 racing season on Sunday 14 March.
Formula 1 racing inspires Europeans for many of the reasons NASA inspires North Americans: the way technology migrates from high-end laboratories to everyday life. An exhibition at the Science Museum of London highlights 20 of these innovations. They include carbon fiber, tire tread design, tire pressure detection, magnetic oil filters, telemetry systems for real-time monitoring of human health, and aerodynamics.
F1 teams spend millions annually on computational fluid dynamics and aerodynamic modeling, using some of the most advanced supercomputers and wind tunnels in the world. As a consultant supporting Lenovo, supplying Intel-equipped ThinkPad notebooks to the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team, I find this work intriguing.
This week, the world of F1 is fixated on a simple aerodynamic innovation in the new McLaren car, designated MP4-25 for the 2010 season. Race cars need to maximize downforce in corners and minimize drag on straights, a task that requires adjustments to front and rear wings. On MP4-25, McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will use their left knees to open and close a vent in the cockpit, much like the valve of a flute, changing airflow to the rear wing. McLaren is ahead of all F1 teams with this development. One expert estimates the advantage at 5 to 6 kilometers per hour on the straights.
We’ll see if the flute makes music on Sunday.
Above, McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Photo from Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.
