Why can't F1 wings have aircraft-style flaps?
- This topic has 6 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 5 months ago by
.
- Posts
OK, I have to understand why F1 cars cannot do what aircraft always do. Both need to be strong but light weight. Both need to be as efficient as possible. Only aircraft change their configuration on the fly. I listen today that Vettel set up his car so that he has the best configuration for the straights so he can pass. It sucks for the corners though. If aircraft can have flaps which move to various settings, why cannot F1 cars. A switch in the wheel, tap, both front and rear wings move 15 degrees. More (or less) downforce, more (or less) drag. Through the corners, tap the stwitch, back to previous setting. You have a car great on the straights, fast in the corners. This is not rocket science. OK, almost.
From a technical point of view, it would be really cool: the cars will go much faster and it would be interesting to see what the teams will do with so much freedom.
The problem is the FIA: they have been trying to slow down the cars for ten years, so why would they legalise something that makes the cars much faster? Also, if one of those systems fail (compare it to the DRS opening while going through Eau Rouge), it could potentially be ‘very dangerous’, as defined by the FIA. So it’s really cool, but it’s not going to happen.
F1 was only as simple as you are about 45 years ago. Moveable aerodynamic devices in Formula One are banned and have been banned since the late 1960’s- 1969 to be exact, I think. If that wasn’t the case- you probably wouldn’t have written this thread, and that would be a big topic of discussion in terms of which team would make the best use of that. But anyway- read up a bit on F1 history, but before you do that, check out the history of the American Chaparral 2E Can-Am car.
didnt they have something simmilar in 2009 with moveable wing adjsuments from the sterring wheel? not sure but they were replace due to either a cost point of view or on safety grounds
Extreme costs for one, and the huge technical requirements. Can you imagine how long it would take for a team to optimize flap size, location on car for every track and then figure out how much each one extends for every corner?
2009 had adjustable front wings.
I get the impression they seem to be forgotten/overlooked by most people.
Were they just ditched due to being rather ineffective (and replaced with a more radical aero effecting solution in rear wing DRS)?
2009 did have adjustable front wings, but I seem to remember the drivers only used it to change the balance of the car and didn’t use it for actual overtaking. I also remember reading an interview with Alonso, and he said that he never touched them at all! So we’ve gone from movable wings that don’t really work, to movable wings that work *too* well.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.