The major technical breakthroughs in Formula 1 history
In Formula One, research and development never stops (apart from a couple of weeks of compulsory summer holidays). Engineers and designers are working around the clock to improve cars for the sake of winning tenths of a second - because sometimes they can bring victory. The number of inventions increases every year, but modern cars cannot be imagined without a number of once revolutionary parts. They are now used by everyone, and we take them for granted.
Mid-engined layout
The engine has been at the front of the car since the first production cars - and racing cars are no exception. At the dawn of automobile construction such arrangement of the power plant made sense, because the driver needed a constant overview and control over the state of the unit, which could overheat, fail or give another pleasant "surprise" at any moment. With the improvement of the reliability of the design such necessity disappeared, but traditionally the engines were still installed in the front. However, fierce competition in motorsport led to the fact that engineers began to experiment with the location of the engine.
Some automotive players moved the engine behind the rear axle and combined it with the transmission, opening up an extremely useful layout for off-roaders thanks to increased off-road capability. But for road racing, it was completely unsuitable: the new unit heavily loaded the rear axle, created imbalance and provoked instability in the corners together with powerful oversteer.
The ideal solution for Formula 1 was found by Cooper's designers, who placed the engine in the gap between the pilot and the rear axle. The new position allowed for excellent weight distribution and improved handling - the understeer characteristic of front-engined models was a thing of the past.
The development first debuted on the T43 (pictured) during the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix with future three-time world champion Jack Brabham at the wheel. "Cooper" by the example of any experimenters did not turn into a dominant from the first race, limited to only two points at the British Grand Prix. Nevertheless, the idea was not abandoned, and the result came on 19 January 1958: Sir Stirling Moss won the T43 at the Argentine Grand Prix and proved the potential of mid-engined cars. The idea migrated to the next generation of cars, they brought "Cooper" two Constructors' Cups in 1959 and 1960 - and the new technology wanted everyone. Bolides are still built around it to this day.
Aerodynamic elements
Some attempts to squeeze more grip with the track by the first similarities of antifenders in the Grand Prix took place in the 40's, but the normal development of aerodynamics hindered the normal development of aerodynamics front-engine layout - the bonnet was occupied by the engine, and to attach to it any excesses did not work. Rear-engined layout also did not help much: any additional load in the form of a spoiler-anti-fender turned the bolide into an uncontrollable tractor in corners. Everything changed after the spread of innovation "Cooper" on the entire peloton - by 1968, the designers again returned to the idea of "anti-wings-branch" on the nose of the machines. Intermediate elements at the front and rear of the car were introduced during the Monaco Grand Prix on the Lotus 49B, but the full prototype of both anti-wings made its debut during the next race on the calendar on Chris Eamon's Ferrari 312.
The new additions did not look significant, but turned out to be damn effective: the New Zealander in qualifying brought as much as 6 seconds to teammate Jacqui Ickes on the same car without aerodynamic elements and 4 seconds - the second Jackie Stewart on "Matra". Race and season "Ferrari" could not win because of low reliability, but it became clear to all in the paddock, what monstrous possibilities conceal the work with the pressure and air flows. No other bolide did not do without a complex aerodynamic package.
Turbo engines
The next author of the technical revolution, which provoked the growth of speed of bolides, was "Renault" with the infernal turbocharged engine EF01, which had an output of more than 500 hp. At first their engines did not surpass the best "atmospherics", which were used by other teams, but for some year the French pulled up the efficiency and scored the first points.
In 1979, the power plant was once again updated, and it broke through the mark of 700 hp against the same 515-520 hp of rivals. Pilots "Renault" began to take pole one after another, but reached the finish line in the points only a few times (though almost all cases were podiums or victories - for example, Jean-Pierre Jabouille in 1980 came down in 12 races out of 13, but the only one brought to the end he won). Over time, it became clear to all teams in the paddock that to compete with turbo engines will not succeed - and they gradually rebuilt bolides around the new technique. "Renault" did not receive plushes from the revolution, remained without titles and closed the team "F1" in 1985.
The surprising thing is that the regulations allowed the use of 1.5 litre turbo engines from 1966, but none of the existing engine builders ever thought of using them. The reason was the lack of safety. As Niki Lauda said, "800-900bhp would mean murder". No-one wanted the "turbo" risks, because customers obviously wouldn't like the association with a bunch of dead pilots. When Renault introduced its powertrain, safety didn't improve much - drivers were killed almost every day anyway. Subsequently, turbo engines were banned anyway precisely because they were too powerful, but they remained in the memory of fans thanks to the "golden era of Formula 1".
In 2014 (that is, after 26 years), the restrictions were cancelled. Superchargers are back in the cars and have already helped break several speed and circuit records - and there are no plans to abandon them again.
Traction control and electronics
The qualifying power of the late turbo-era engines was up to 1300 hp, and pilots were naturally almost unable to control the cars' acceleration behaviour. To help the drivers, designers put simple electronic auxiliary systems, which became widespread in the second half of the 80s. They controlled the revs on each wheel and prevented slippage, making the car's behaviour predictable.
The systems appealed to pilots, remained in use even after turbocharged engines were banned, and evolved into true traction control. The clever electronic system not only monitored the condition of the wheels, but also changed the fuel supply to the cylinders, switched off the spark plugs and even closed the throttle, fully obeying the programmes or commands of the pilot from the cockpit.
The innovation was most evident in 1992, when Nigel Mansell got a Williams not only with active suspension, but also with traction control - and won the title in dominant style, despite his advanced age of 38. However, the electronic systems proved too expensive for small private teams, the cars became too complex - and the FIA banned them in 1993.
However, the bans didn't stop the integration of more and more electronic circuitry into the bolide and steering wheel. The invention of the anti-skid system was a new revolution, turning progress towards computerisation and creating whole colonies of sensors and software inside the cars. It is no longer possible to imagine Formula One without electronics.
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