F1technical.net

first of all, Happy Newyear!!

I had a question about de Cd and Cl values of F1 cars. It's maybe not simple to find them, but it would help me if anyone could give them.....
(making a work for school about Aerodynamics )

Maybe it's importent to tell, that the angle of attack of the wing is really importent (if you find anything about wings )!

Thanks!!

Can't remember the number....but on the 3rd I can give you an answer! (I don't know everything by heart ....and the book where I have that info isn't with me )

Laurent wrote: I had a question about de Cd and Cl values of F1 cars. It's maybe not simple to find them, but it would help me if anyone could give them.....

If it’s for school do an approximate calculation, it would be less accurate but surely more useful than just showing some data.

Power 900 hp, 3-4% lost in the transmission... say 875 hp... 100-120 in rolling resistance... say 750 hp at the wheels... top speed in Monza... 365 km/h, rho = 1.2 kg/m3 =>

750 hp = about 550 kW
365 km/h = about 101 m/s... say 100.

Drag = 0.5 rho * v^2 SCd
Power = drag * v = 0.5 rho * v^3 SCd

SCd = 2 * Power / (rho v^3) = 1100000 / (1.2 * 100^3) = 0.92 m2

Efficiency (Cl / Cd) is probably between 3 and 3.5, say 3.4 => SCl = SCd * 3.4 = 3.1 m2

Now Monaco... peak speed 295 km/h (82 m/s), same power at the wheels (given the level of our approximation etc etc...), same calculation :

SCd = 1100000 / (1.2 * 82^3) = 1.66 m2
Efficiency is probably a bit lower in Monaco, say 3.2 => SCl = 5.3 m2

They aren’t accurate but at least show that... you... know something about physics...

That’s it sonny. But remember, that’s the last time I make your own homework
(I knew I would have said something like that one day, I just hoped to be a bit older than 27 at the time...)

You will not find modern values of Cd and Cl for F1, but a number of years ago, its was reported that the downforce produced by the rear wing alone was in the region of 6000 Lb!!!! Beautiful

Well.... 6000lb is around 2712,6 kg....since a formula 1 car produces between 1600kg and 2000kg of downforce the rear wing allown cannot produce 6000lb of downforce....so guest you can recheck your values.....

Conserning the Cd and Cdown values they vary from track to track depending on the aero configuration......The following values are from the 2001 season:

Cd: 0,739 to 1,040
Cdown: 2,151 to 2,804

Dear guest, you are almost right in what you say so dont worry, but you got the units mixed up, it is indeed known that the rear wing of a F1 car has produced 6000 Newtons (not lbs) in the past,, but this is quite old data and the wings of modern f1 cars can more than likely extend this figure.

I agree that you will never be able to get the Cl and Cd values and we can only take guesses.....thats f1 for ya!!!