60 Years of Innovation in Formula One

The Mercedes W196 was a revolutionary Grand Prix car that featured a number of significant technical advancements. One of those was the use of 'desmodromic' valves in the engine that were closed by levers instead of springs. These were more reliable and stronger than springs which broke frequently, especially at high revs, and were also much lighter. Over time metal construction methods improved and the desmodromic valves were no longer a necessary alternative, but they still appear today on some motorbikes, particularly Ducatis.

The Mercedes W196 was also the first F1 car to make use of fuel injection. This removed the need for carburettors and increased horsepower along with fuel efficiency. Mercedes introduced the technology after using it in World War Two fighter planes, and it soon became the standard in Formula One and throughout the motoring industry.

In addition to the new engine technology, Mercedes was responsible for bringing modern aerodynamics into Formula One. At the faster circuits the wheels and suspension of the W196 were fully enclosed by the bodywork like a current Le Mans sportscar. This is now illegal in Grand Prix racing so the striking Mercedes was the only Formula One car in history that wasn't an open-wheeler. The design wasn't successful on the tighter twister circuits where the drivers were unable to corner accurately without seeing the front wheels.

The Vanwall VW2 was the first Formula One car designed to specifically accommodate disc brakes, although discs had earlier appeared in earlier Thinwall specials (Ferraris modified by the Vanwall team). These brakes offered better performance and improved accuracy since the pressure on the brake was proportional to the load applied by the calliper. This also avoided common problems with overheating. The discs fitted to the VW2 had already been tested in earlier racing cars so the design was far ahead of Vanwall's rivals who took some years to catch up. Disc brakes are now common across all forms of motoring.

The first rear engined car to enter a World Championship Grand Prix was a modified Cooper Formula Three chassis that started at Monaco in 1950. Cooper had been making small racing cars for a number of years but were forced to mount their engines in the back because they used small motorcycle units that drove a chain. Almost by accident they learned that particular design offered far better handling characteristics and their F3 cars were dominant. In 1957 the Cooper Car Company made a serious attempt at Formula One with a rear engined car. They won two races in their second year and the World Championship in both 1959 and 1960.

No Formula One car has ever been remotely successful using four wheel drive. Lotus experimented with the concept multiple times in the late sixties and early seventies, but the first team to use 4WD in a Grand Prix was the little known British manufacturer, Ferguson. A four wheel drive Grand Prix car built by the company entered a number of non-championship races in the sixties, and in 1961 it started the British Grand Prix, its only appearance in the World Championship. Ferguson was a manufacturing company known for specialising in 4WD systems, and after their 1961 experiment they provided assistance to BRM, again with little success. Lotus, McLaren and Matra also failed to make 4WD work, and they stopped trying when improved aerodynamics offered the extra grip they had been trying to find. Four wheel drive cars were eventually banned.

Colin Chapman introduced many innovations into Grand Prix racing and one of the most influential was the monocoque chassis. Prior to 1962, F1 cars were made from spacetube frames which would house the engine and support the bodywork. Chapman's idea was to turn the bodywork into a stressed part of the chassis which made the car stiffer as well as lighter. It also enabled the car to be built low to the ground with a narrow front end which increased aerodynamic performance. Not surprisingly, rival teams quickly adopted the concept.

When the engine regulations changed in 1966, the BRM team decided to build an interesting H16 engine. It was effectively two flat-8 engines stacked on top of each other, and whilst it offered plenty of extra power, it was incredibly heavy and unreliable. Some within the team believe the design would have been more successful with more development but it was never given that chance before being abandoned.

The Lotus 49 is often cited as the first Grand Prix car to feature the engine as a fully stressed member of the chassis but this is not entirely correct. In 1966, a year before the 49 was introduced, Lotus and BRM were using the unusual H16 engine and found the best way to accommodate its bulky frame was to make it part of the chassis. This was a clever design idea because it made the back of the car lighter and more compact without compromising its strength. However, the overweight engine negated any performance advantage this might offer. The following year, Cosworth built the first engine to be optimised for this particular chassis design and it was fitted into the successful 49. Other teams followed suit once as soon as Cosworth made their DFV engine commercially available.

In 1968, Lotus and Brabham started using wings in an attempt to add downforce to their cars. Their early designs were less effective at pushing the car to the ground and simply made them more stable through corners, a bit like a keel. The first wings ran very high above the cars to make use of clean undisturbed air but these were banned within twelve months because they had a propensity to fail at high speed. Brabham's design was attached to the rear bodywork and the angle of attack could be adjusted by the driver so it acted as an air brake. This was also made illegal along with any other moveable aerodynamic devices. Over the following years, the front and rear wings became larger and eventually defined the entire shape of a Grand Prix car.

Slick tyres first appeared in American Drag Racing in the 1950's and gradually spread their way through other US motorsport categories. Slicks first appeared in Formula One during the 1971 Spanish Grand Prix where they were introduced by American manufacturer, Firestone. They offered a larger contact patch with the road, and could also be made from softer materials because they were less likely to deform without grooves. Slicks quickly became the standard across all forms of racing.

To improve the weight distribution of the Lotus 72, Colin Chapman split the front radiator into two and placed both halves on the side of the car. This moved the centre of gravity rearward which helped traction, and also improved the car's aerodynamics. Every successful Grand Prix car has followed this design philosophy since.

Lotus also debuted inboard brakes on the Lotus 72 which moved weight away from the unsprung parts of the car. These days, carbon brakes are so light and compact that it's much better having them outboard, especially since they run much hotter than the old steel brakes. Outboard brakes also allow teams to sculpt tighter bodywork around the front and rear of the cars but this wasn't such a disadvantage in 1970.

In 1971 Lotus placed a revolutionary gas turbine engine in the 56B chassis. The design was very light and durable which made it an attractive option for the team. However, it took a long time for the engine to reach full revs and just as much time to slow down (making engine braking a nightmare). Lotus abandoned the idea, and although more research could have resulted in a more suitable F1 engine, the regulations were changed before anyone else tried. In 1982 gas turbines were banned.

In 1976 the Tyrrell team introduced one of the most bizarre looking Grand Prix cars of all time. Unlike anything that appeared on a circuit before or since, the Tyrrell P34 had six wheels. Four small wheels appeared at the front of the car with the regular larger set of wheels at the rear. The idea was that the extra wheels increased the contact patch at the front of the car, and also removed aerodynamic disturbance because they were smaller. The car featured better front end grip and the design was used for two full seasons. It might have continued racing except Goodyear was unable to develop adequate front tyres and the extra suspension at the front was particularly heavy. Williams, March, and Ferrari all tested six wheeled cars but none their alternate designs ever raced. The concept was eventually banned.

Carbon is a very effective material to use in disc brakes because it creates more friction than steel, is lighter, stronger, and can also handle much higher temperatures. Brabham was the first Formula One team to make use of carbon brakes and introduced them in 1976. The initial designs used a combination of carbon and steel but the high temperatures actually boiled the brake fluid and caused numerous reliability problems. In particular, Carlos Pace had a sizeable accident in the Brabham BT45 due to a complete brake failure at the Osterreichring. Once these issues were resolved, carbon fibre brakes became common throughout all Grand Prix cars. The last team to run steel brakes was Williams who used them in 1999 as a one-off to help Alex Zanardi's adjustment to F1.

It's quite incredible that one of the most significant technical developments in F1 history was discovered almost completely by accident. F1 teams had started using wings in the late sixties and in 1976, Colin Chapman came up the idea of a profiled wing similar to those found on aircraft. He sent his team into the windtunnel to investigate, and while doing so, they found the bottom of the car was being sucked closer to the ground. They attached some pieces of cardboard to their model to create a suction effect and ground effect was born. Lotus spent the rest of the year developing the concept and introduced the Lotus 78 at the start of 1977. Ground effect works by accelerating air that passes beneath the car and creating suction. This is most effective when there is a 'seal' beneath the car to trap the air and this meant the side had to run along the ground. Lotus tried a few different methods but they either didn't create a strong seal, or wore away too quickly. They ended up using sliding skirts that moved up and down like suspension. Chapman's team narrowly missed the '77 title, but won in '78 before the other teams caught up. Skirts were controversially banned in 1983 when cornering speeds became too high.

The Renault RS01 in 1977 was the first Formula One car to run with a turbocharged engine but the French manufacturer quickly learned that it was very hard to make the technology viable. Turbo charging works by force feeding the engine with its own exhaust gasses. The downside is that it adds weight, creates turbo lag, and the engine size was limited to 1.5 litres under the regulations. Renault's first engine was uncompetitive but the team expected as much whilst they developed the unit. The first block in the RS01 was cast in iron to prevent breakage, and it was also a very simple layout so engineers could get used to the concept. Over time the engine was made lighter, more efficient, and lag issues were solved by fitting twin turbos. By the 1980’s all of the competitive F1 teams had followed Renault’s lead.

Michelin entered Formula One in 1977 and did so with brand new radial tyres. Radials are different to cross ply tyres because all of the threads within the tyre run in the same direction, as opposed to cross-crossing each other. This means the threads don't rub against each other and offer less rolling resistance. They are considered more responsive although this can sometimes make them harder to drive, especially at the limit. Due to their construction, any flex in the sidewall of a radial tyre can be controlled with varying amounts of air pressure. This is an important factor in Formula One where tyres offer as much movement as the suspension. The first Grand Prix to be won by a radial tyre was in 1978, and the first championship in 1979. By the mid eighties all F1 tyre manufacturers were using the same construction.

Formula One teams tried frantically to catch the Lotus ground effect cars in 1978 and Brabham made a bold step partway through the season. At the Swedish Grand Prix they introduced a revised version of their BT46 with a large fan mounted on the back of the car. They claimed it was to cool the Alfa Romeo engine although its actual purpose was to suck air through the bottom of the car and increase suction to the ground. Brabham opted for this solution instead of carving channels beneath the car because the bulky flat 12 Alfa engine didn't give them enough room. The car worked brilliantly in its debut race and won the race easily by half a minute. Rival teams immediately protested the design and the FIA quickly deemed it illegal, although the win was allowed to stand.

Less known in 1978 was Brabham’s attempt to introduce flat panel heat exchangers in an effort to replace conventional water radiators. The design was unsuccessful in testing and never raced.

The Lotus 88 was one of the most remarkable F1 cars of all time although it never got to race. Sliding skirts were made illegal in 1980 to reduce the cornering speeds achieved by ground effect cars, so Lotus came up with a unique way to get around the ban. They built a vehicle with two chassis that effectively lowered the entire car to the ground. The 'inner' chassis supported the cockpit and engine whilst the outer 'chassis' supported the bodywork. Rivals quickly claimed it was illegal and despite Colin Chapman’s best efforts, it was banned from racing having only ever taken part in practice.

The McLaren MP4-1 was the first carbon fibre Formula One car to start a Grand Prix. It was the first design produced by the team under Ron Dennis, and since no racing team had ever used carbon fibre before, it was actually constructed by an aerospace company in the USA. These days, such companies turn to F1 teams for advice because the sport has widely embraced the material. Carbon fibre is perfect for race car construction since it's much stronger than any metallic alternative and is also much lighter. It allows a car’s bodywork could be constructed as a single mould instead of separate panels which adds to the chassis overall stiffness. Lotus built the interesting 88 out of carbon fibre at the same time as the MP4-1 but it was banned before it started its first Grand Prix.

Ground effect aerodynamics are most efficient when the car maintains a constant ride height, and when sliding skirts were banned, Formula One teams had to come up with other ways of achieving this. Lotus introduced the idea of hydraulics controlling their suspension instead of conventional springs or dampers. The hydraulics could introduce a force on the suspension independent of its own movement which made the rest of the car more stable. This became known as active suspension and started in 1982 with the Lotus 91. In 1991, Williams introduced an updated version of the system that used a computer to predict what was coming up and adjust the car accordingly. As such, the suspension on the Williams would be perfectly suited to every turn and every bump on the circuit. The technology was banned in 1993 to curb costs, increase safety, and increase driving skill.

Up until the mid eighties the revolution speed of an F1 engine was limited by the speed of the metal springs in the valvetrain. In 1986, Renault replaced these mechanical springs with compressed air which allowed the valves, and therefore the pistons, to move much quicker. The French manufacturer was supplying engines to Lotus at the time and took a number of victories with the new technology. The era of high revving, high pitched, Formula One engines had begun.

John Barnard joined Ferrari in 1987 and his single biggest contribution to the team was the introduction of the semi-automatic gearbox in 1989. The electronically controlled box removed the need for drivers to use a clutch during gear shifts and they could change up or down gears by using paddles behind the steering wheel. The first design was horridly unreliable, and although it won its debut race, it registered just nine finishes from 30 starts. A semi-automatic gearbox quickly became an essential item on an F1 car and has remained so ever since.

Modern Grand Prix cars have raised nosecones because this is the most effective way to direct air underneath the floor towards the diffuser. Tyrrell was the first team to discover this in 1990 with the efficient 019. Other teams followed suit in the years ahead and the design is now standard practice. By raising the front nose, teams have also been able to adjust their suspension mountings to improve airflow around the front of the car and towards the radiators.

Formula One teams started playing with traction control related electronics the late 1980's, but the first car to use a full system effectively was the Williams FW14 in 1991. The system worked by modulating engine power to the rear wheels when they begin to rotate faster than the front wheels (indicating wheelspin). This was achieved by cutting the fuel supply to the engine cylinders and reducing the ignition. The early electronics pioneered by Williams were far less sophisticated than modern equivalents, but still provided the team with a monumental technical advantage at the time. Traction Control was outlawed at the end of 1993 but was controversially allowed again in 2001 because the FIA was unable to police the ban effectively. The systems remained in Formula One until the start of 2008 when the FIA fitted standard electronic control units to all cars.

The Williams team underlined their electronic supremacy in 1993 when they unveiled the FW15C. In addition to traction control, active suspension, fly-by wire controls and an automatic gearbox, the car also featured anti-lock braking. This technology was new to Formula One and Williams was the only team to use it effectively before it was banned at the end of the 1993 season. The system reduced braking pressure to any wheels that were locking to prevent loss of control. Although road cars had used ABS for many years the systems were focused on safety instead of performance which made them unsuitable for use in Formula One.

In 1993 Williams tested a version of the FW15C that featured Continuously Variable Transmission. CVT maintained the engine’s maximum RPM at all times and used a system of belts to apply that power to the wheels. It gave the engine far more potential at lower speed because it was always revving as high as possible. However, the additional power came with a major drawback. The engine was incredibly thirsty and the weight of the extra fuel that it required for a Grand Prix distance would have removed much of the power advantage. It also sounded terrible and that was partly a factor why the FIA made sure to ban the system before it ever raced. When David Coulthard first tested CVT at Silverstone he got a nasty fright at the end of Hangar Straight when the engine revs stayed constant and he momentarily feared the throttle had stuck open.

Benetton experimented with four wheel steering in late 1993 but only used the system in testing and did not race it. Their system used hydraulics to adjust the angle on the rear tyres through corners, but the drivers found that whilst it changed the car's handling characteristics, it didn't improve the performance. The system has since been banned.

At the 1997 Austrian Grand Prix, prominent F1 photographer Darren Heath noticed something interesting about the McLarens. The rear rake discs on the cars raced by David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen were glowing as they exited corners. This was particularly odd, and at the next race Heath had an opportunity to investigate further. When Coulthard's car stopped out on the circuit, the canny photographer stuck his camera inside the cockpit and his photos revealed a third pedal in the McLaren footwell. This large pedal allowed drivers to choose the wheels that received the most braking pressure. The idea was that drivers could allocate less pressure to unloaded wheels under braking into corners to make the car more stable. However, in testing both drivers found they could also use the system to limit wheelspin on the exit of corners. It was brilliantly clever but some other teams questioned its legality since it appeared to be providing McLaren with a significant advantage. The system was banned just once race into the 1998 season and this left McLaren fuming since it had previously been approved for use by the FIA.

Benetton introduced a clever system in 1999 that was a little bit like a mechanical version of McLaren's 'brake steer' device. Essentially, the two front wheels were joined together by a drive shaft that transferred braking load between the two to compensate for an unloaded wheel through a corner. It was a good idea, but the extra weight negated the performance advantage and it was only used in selected events before being abandoned altogether.

Partway through 1998 Ferrari came up with a new way to increase their car's aerodynamic performance. They moved the exhaust outlets to the top of the sidepods, as opposed to between the rear wheels, which allowed them to tidy the airflow around the diffuser. This also allowed the team to repackage their engine and run shorter exhaust pipes which had a positive impact on horsepower. Other teams have copied the design but are now reverting back to the lower outlets with the introduction of blown diffusers.

A mass damper is a large sprung weight found in many tall buildings to counteract the movement created by harmonic vibrations. These are particularly common in structures prone to earthquakes and high winds. In late 2005, Renault introduced a similar system into the R25 which counteracted the movement of the car over bumps. Not only did this make the car more stable, but it also made the aerodynamics more efficient because the gap between the car and the ground was more consistent. The FIA originally cleared the system for use but later ruled it illegal under pressure from rival teams who claimed it was a moveable aerodynamic device.

At the start of 2007, Ferrari ran with a flexible front splitter to decrease drag at top speed. The floor would flex downwards under aerodynamic pressure and would disturb the air running beneath the car. In turn, this would stall the diffuser to reduce the car’s downforce and drag in a straight line. It surely helped Kimi Raikkonen on his way to victory in the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, but was later deemed illegal by the FIA who increased the strength of their flex tests to suit.

At the start of 2009 the Formula One aerodynamic regulations were significantly changed in an effort to reduce speeds and increase overtaking. One of the changes made was a limit to the size of the rear diffuser but three teams found a loophole in the rules that allowed them to get around this restriction. The rear diffuser works by accelerating air beneath the car and sucking it to the ground. When its size was reduced, Brawn, Toyota and Williams shaped everything around it to generate the same suction effect. For example, Toyota combined the top of their diffuser with the rear crash structure, so whilst the size of the 'diffuser' component itself complied with the regulations, it essentially featured a second deck. Rival teams protested the design but the FIA Court of Appeal ruled in favour of ‘double diffusers’ and everyone was forced to copy them. The design will be banned at the end of 2010.

At the start of 2010 McLaren came up with an ingenious way to reduce the drag of their car at high speed. They have attached the rear wing to the engine cover with a thin carbon fibre beam that directs air through a slot in the wing’s upper element. The air runs through the rear wing and out the back, decreasing the car’s aerodynamic drag at high speed. Just like an aeroplane, the curved surface of the wing on an F1 car accelerates airflow and creates a low pressure zone. McLaren’s system feeds air into this low pressure zone when the car is moving at high speed and therefore reduces its effect, and consequently the downforce. To switch the airflow on and off, a duct was fitted into the McLaren cockpit for the drivers to cover with their left knee. When it is covered, the air that would otherwise rush into the cockpit is fed through the rear wing and the car's straight line speed improves. Other teams have since copied the idea but none have been able to make it work as effectively as McLaren. The system was codenamed the F-Duct because the air was fed into the rear wing near the 'f' in Vodafone.

The rear diffuser on a Formula One car works by accelerating air beneath the car which sucks it to the ground. A blown diffuser feeds exhaust gasses into this process, which in theory creates more accelerated air and more suction. Teams first tried using blown diffusers as far back as the eighties but came up against a significant limitation. The exhaust is only expelled when the driver is on the throttle, so when they brake into a corner the exhaust is no longer fed into the diffuser and the car's grip decreases. It's certainly not an ideal situation for a driver under braking. In 2010, Red Bull found a way to get around this by integrating the exhaust outlets into the double diffuser. The exhaust exits through the top section of the diffuser which helps create extra suction without making it too sensitive to throttle position. Red Bull, with the help of Renault, has also found a clever way to make the system even more effective by maintaining steady flow of exhaust. They have an engine setting that delays the ignition so that it sparks when the exhaust valve is open, blowing gas into the pipes when the piston itself is not moving. The particular setting puts extra strain on the engine and dramatically increases temperatures, so is only used by Red Bull (and any others who may have since copied the idea) in Q3.

Long may the culture of innovation in Formula One continue.