Today, science is in everything you see; technolgy impacts on everything you do. Even sports are overrun by a physics formula or two. In an interview with Adrian Newey, Chief Aerodynamicist for the Red Bull racing F1 team, I was given an insight in to the world of science and speed.

What is the difference between F1 cars and normal cars?

The fundamental objective of the road car compared the F1 car is that its purpose is to get people from a to b. The purpose of F1 cars is for them to very simply be as fast as possible around a lap. The main focus in F1 is weight reduction with a heavy emphasis on aerodynamics, and that is really about creating the most down force with least drag.

How long does the design process take and what does it involve?

It is a phased process. General research will start around May time, whilst the longest lead time items such as the gear box, are designed in the end of August. Then you work down until you get to the wing mirrors which are done a few weeks before the car is on the road.

Do you feel that the key aspect of winning the race is less so the driver and more so the car?

In truth it has always been a blend. You can be the best driver in the world but in an indifferent car you wont win races. If you create an absolutely stunning car it is possible for drivers outside the top ten to still win races. In that sense you can argue the car is more important than the driver. But to win championships you need a pretty decent combination of the both.

What kind of safety testing is involved?

The problem is that very often making a car safer involves making it heavier, which means the car goes slower. As a designer you want to produce a car that is safe; you don’t want to see a driver on your team hurt. On the other hand, nobody thanks a designer for a slow car. The part where the driver sits in is now so strong that drivers do not get hurt through physical breakages, it’s internal injuries through the very high g-forces they are subjected to in accidents.

How many g forces does a driver feel?

Well in a normal lap on a high speed corner it is about 4-5 g’s. Unlike an aircraft, where the forces are taken vertically from the craft, in the car they are taken laterally and longitudinally. Obviously the driver is required to wear a crash helmet which itself weigh a couple of kilos. So the weight of the head plus helmet becomes a significant strain on the drivers’ necks.

How slight does a change have to be to evidently effect the overall performance of the car?

One of the things that we spend a lot of the time on now is simulation techniques; a simple circuit simulation to show what the down force to drag ratio is. These techniques can show up sensitivities. For example, 1% change in power can lose 0.11s per lap and 3kg of extra weight can lose 0.1s per lap.

How much money does a team spend?

Firstly you have to pay the driver but there are one or two instances where drivers have to pay the team. It is an exponential curve where drivers in the top two or three teams are paid about $20 million. The rest is then spent on research and manufacture. Top teams including their engines are well in excess of $200 million; Red Bull are more like half of that.

You studied for an Engineering degree at Southampton; what do you think about science departments closing around the country?

I think that it is very sad. First of all, I think that it is wrong; the cost of university is irrespective of the course you are doing. Clearly the very arts based course have low operating costs, this may be why more arts based subjects are being favoured, in which case the government should subsidise the science courses.

Frankly I do not understand how our economy is going to survive because we are becoming a country that manufactures nothing, But the thing we have been proved to be good at is maths, science and engineering. If we are not careful though, we are going to lose that as well.

I would like to thank Adrian Newey and all at Red Bull Racing for making this interview possible.

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