Formula One’s global initiative, F1 in Schools, is an exciting competition for students aged 9 to 19. It is an international STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) platform that challenges teams to design, manufacture, test, and race miniature F1 cars powered by compressed air. Much like the original Formula One, the cars must conform to the stringent rules and regulations of the competition to qualify. Built out of balsa wood, the cars are scaled down to 1/20 the size of the original. Travelling at speeds of over 68 mph or more, the cars are capable of covering their course in one second or less! Although the race may last for only a second, it takes several months of hard work to build the car.

Students use Computer-Aided Design (CAD) technology to develop the fastest F1 car. The biggest challenge in designing a vehicle is beating the arch enemy of speed — ‘aerodynamic drag’. To understand what drag is, we must first acknowledge that the air around us is a fluid (just like water). When a race car speeds down a track, there is fluid friction between the car and the air molecules, causing it to slow down. To optimise the speed, it is necessary to ensure smooth airflow around the car. Any disturbance in the flow causes turbulence, adding to the drag.

Every aspect of a modern Formula One race car, from the shape to suspension, paint job to the driver’s helmet is aerodynamically designed. The streamlined shape of the car is instrumental in ensuring a smooth (laminar) flow of air with as little turbulence as possible. Teams participating in the competition use similar principles of aerodynamics, ingeniously incorporating fins, wings and grooves in their designs to direct the air more favourably to the wheels. The car is also tested in virtual wind tunnels to check the drag coefficient using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). This helps them identify areas of turbulence and make corresponding changes to the design.