F1 Engineering – Powering ahead into the future

Blue F1 car 650 x 366

This year, visitors to our marquee were able to explore the fascinating engineering behind Formula 1 cars and take a spin in our virtual reality F1 simulator.

Do you have the skill to set a record lap time? Discover the cutting-edge technology and precision that drive the fastest cars in the world!

The simulator showed the front end of a F1 car, highlighting some of the key aerodynamic structures that are needed for the speed of the cars.

What does a race car have to do with engineering?

The cars in F1 are designed by engineers to perform at the limits of material and technology to go fast.

Mechanical – Design everything from the nuts and bolts to the engine.
Computer science and data analytics – Recording every second of performance
Materials – Every gram counts
Aerodynamics – Maximising speed
Electronic – Controlling everything
Chemical – Optimising from fuel to battery

Did you know?

Each F1 car is made out of 80,000 components, and at 120 mph creates enough downforce with aerodynamics that they could run upside down in tunnels.
Several universities in Ireland have a Formula student team who build and race cars in Silverstone in an international competition.
There is no excess weight left on an F1 car, everything is carefully designed for performance.
Developments in F1 led to changes in modern cars, like aerodynamics, hybrid engines, regenerative breaking etc.