Aerodynamic Development of a 2017 F1 Car: Performance Improvement in Freestream and Wake Flows

Despite several attempts to solve the aerodynamic issues affecting high-downforce cars operating in slipstream, overtaking in F1 is still a challenge. Recent studies have demonstrated that 2017 F1 cars suffer a huge performance loss when working in wake flows. When approaching the leading car, the following driver experiences a dramatic decrease in downforce and a significant change in the aerodynamic load distribution between the front and rear axle: this could lead to safety problems in high-speed corners and during braking. Starting from a 2017 F1 car designed by the British constructor ©PERRINN, different devices have been conceived and numerically tested, with the aim of improving aerodynamic performance both in freestream and wake flows. Steady-state numerical simulations (RANS) have been performed by means of the open-source software OpenFOAM®.