The Evolution of Speed | F1 Speed Week

Highlights

Unlock legendary REBL ARTFCTS - Be a Part of History

Win a Built For Athletes Backpack and Crossbody Bag - Las Vegas Edition!

Oracle Red Bull Racing 2025 Car Launch

Cookie Settings

Statements

Imprint

The Evolution of Speed

Not all Formula One cars are born fast, it takes an entire team to turn these mean machines into turbocharged rocket ships as the season goes on…

the

world

Formula

One

speed

important

(duh!),

but

it’s

not

necessarily

the

most

important

aspect

the

car.

It’s

all

well

and

good

have

the

fastest

car

the

track,

but

what

happens

when

you

try

and

turn

corner?

You

end

the

gravel,

worse.

It’s

all

about

compromise.

Max

didn’t

have

the

car

with

the

top

speed

Monza

2023,

but

was

still

able

win

the

race

seconds.

Unfortunately though, the story of the tortoise and the hare doesn’t hold much weight in the world of Formula One – the car needs to be quick. Inevitably in this sport, sometimes the car just isn’t quite quick enough at the start of the season, but that doesn’t mean it stays that way.

Throughout the season you’ll often hear talk of ‘upgrades’ or ‘packages’ that teams are bringing to a race. More often than not these are aerodynamic changes which can play a crucial role in the speed of a Formula One car. So without further ado, here’s your cheat sheet on what can be altered to evolve the speed of a car throughout the course of a year.

Rear

Wing

Since the new regulations came in for 2022 the rear wing has drastically changed. You’ll notice that different rear wings are used depending on the track type. Using a smaller wing on the faster tracks will help with drag reduction, but also lose downforce, which you’ll need for the corners.

Open That Rear Wing For A Speed Boost

Wheel

Covers

and

Winglets

A key area of focus for the aerodynamic teams has been the airflow through the wheels and how to use it to generate downforce. The new rim covers are tightly defined however, so teams won’t get to play with the design to channel that turbulent air. The new cars also get a small winglet over the tyres. These are designed to help control the wake coming off the front tyres and direct it away from the rear wing.

Dark Mode Incoming

Underbody

and

Diffuser

One of the biggest changes to the new cars is the underbody and diffuser, which has been altered making it produce downforce differently. It was originally set up to reduce the dirty air produced in the wake of the car, so following cars could be closer.

There can be issues with cars losing speed due to porpoising, where the car is sucked down onto the track so hard that it bottoms out and then bounces up before being pulled back down again – not only losing speed but creating a very uncomfortable ride for the driver.

Trackside In Monaco

Front

Wing

For years now, the front wing has been a huge focus point to try and improve speed. When the regulations were changed for the 2022 season the front wing designed changed. It’s now a four-element wing and with the new floor generating most of the downforce, the front wing doesn’t have to work as hard and can be designed to disperse the turbulent air from the leading car - making the car faster.

So that’s how to speed up your race car, during the 2024 season. Make sure you keep an eye on those wings and see how they change from track to track.

In Full Focus