AT&T Williams F1

Next up on the calendar is Montréal, a circuit dominated by long straights and slow speed corners. The extreme length of its straights means that high top speeds are required to achieve the optimum lap time, which biases the aerodynamic set-up of the car towards a lower drag solution than is normal, so we asked Jon Tomlinson, our Chief Aerodynamicist, how his team have been preparing the FW30s for the challenge that lies ahead….

The aerodynamic design of a Formula One car is extremely refined and optimised, and is developed to produce as much downforce as possible for a given drag level. Therefore, to reduce the drag of the car to the lower level required for this circuit, it is inevitable that the amount of `downforce will also be reduced. It is then up to us to decide how to achieve this, while trying to maintain as much downforce as possible. This is fine balance is known as the efficiency of the car, which is a measurement of the downforce divided by the drag produced. The optimum efficiency of a Formula One car is the point at which the greatest level of downforce is achieved at any given drag level.

Although downforce is perhaps less important at Montréal than at some other tracks, it is still an important factor when taking into account the heavy brake wear experienced at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and the traction that is required for powering out of the slow speed corners. It is because of these two factors that it is typical that the teams will set their cars up at a lower drag level. This is achieved by evaluating the efficiency of different areas of the car and how the downforce and drag are generated.

One of the most inefficient areas on a Formula One car is the rear wing so it’s likely that this weekend will see all the teams using smaller, less loaded rear wings. Typically, a smaller rear wing will produce less downforce and less drag, but will also be more efficient. There will perhaps be other areas of the car that can also be investigated for similar efficiency improvements. These will be evaluated through wind tunnel testing and optimised accordingly.

The track’s long straights and slow speed corners also mean that this circuit is one of the hardest of the season on brakes. Sufficient cooling capabilities will need to have been developed to cope with the extreme brake temperatures and increased wear. This is often achieved by increasing the size of the ducting, therefore increasing the mass flow to the brake disc and calipers. This is usually at the expense of aerodynamic performance, however, so it is important that a suitable option is evaluated that has the minimum impact.