2018 F1 CFD regulations
Did you know that 2018 marked one of the most significant changes in F1 CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) regulations in recent years" Read on…
The battles in Formula 1 are not just fought out at the track, but back at the factories too. These conflicts usually surround new regulations which the FIA introduce to try and reduce costs. However, this results in the teams investing their money elsewhere ? typically within the loop holes of those new rules. This then forces the FIA to react with new regulations and this never-ending circle continues ? welcome to the game of F1.
A prime example of this is the FIA’s attempt to restrict wind tunnel and CFD testing ? something they have been trying to achieve since 2009. However, every limit that is introduced simply triggers the teams to find new ways of maximising the data output from both their wind tunnel and CFD. Therefore, the teams with the highest budgets always come out on top. CREDIT: SimScale
With computing technology such as cores, clusters and chips continuously developing and fast, the CFD hardware used by the teams in 2017 was coming to the end of its life and was no longer supported by the chip manufacturers. Therefore, the FIA had to do something to allow the teams to upgrade, but without implementing a regulation that would force teams to upgrade to remain competitive. The target was to leave teams with a genuine choice of whether to continue with their old hardware or...