Formula 1 is made up of incredible inventions resulting from the great genius of engineers. These technological wing strokes have made the fortune of the teams that have had the privilege of having the most “visionary” technicians, inducing their opponents every time to turn to the FIA for the regularity of this system. One of the inventions born from the minds of the Formula 1 engineers was the F-Duct system, seen for the first time on the McLaren in the pre-season tests in Barcelona in 2010. Thus was born one of the greatest battles that heated up the start of the season and which it had its epilogue in the Spanish GP of that year.
F-Duct, a system to improve aerodynamics
The history of this aerodynamic system starts a year earlier, that is, in 2009. The change in regulations that occurred in 2009 led some teams to look for new solutions to improve speed. McLaren created one with its two engineers. Paddy Lowes and Tim Goss had worked on the “McLaren Rear Wing 80” project. This project had the aim of altering the aerodynamic flow that went towards the rear wing, to try to make it as stable as possible in a straight line. All this would have led to an increase in speed of almost 10 km/h. A real turning point that Ron Dennis, team principal at the time of the Woking company, immediately approved.
When this system was tested, the press called it F-Duct. A name due to its F shape which was found on the side of the sponsor Vodafone, while Duct is simply the translation of duct. The genius was also due to the fact that this system was used only at the request of the pilot, who had a button near his elbow. Once the pilots pressed the button, the system reduced the air flowing towards the aileron, thus leading to less drag. As we know, this reduction helps the top speed a lot. The MP4-25 was thus a great candidate for the 2010 Formula 1 season.
The rivals’ revolt brought Formula 1 to the DRS
The Barcelona Formula 1 tests, as mentioned, offered the opportunity to observe the F-Duct system on the MP4-25 for the first time. The first to raise its voice against the British company was Red Bull. The Austrian company believed that this system was illegal and that it significantly affected the aerodynamics of the single-seater. The FIA for its part, once it received the request to inspect the car from the other teams, gave its ruling. After a careful analysis, the inspectors issued their opinion: “The F-Duct system is regular, it does not violate any point of the regulation”. The MP4-25 could therefore participate in the top automotive championship, as it was designed.
The battle between the various Formula 1 teams heated up, even Ferrari and Renault tried to build their own F-Duct system. The result achieved by the Italian and French systems, however, was unseemly, so much so that the project was shelved. However, during the press conference for the Spanish GP on 9 May 2010, the FIA declared that at the end of the season it would ban the use of the F-Duct on Formula 1 single-seaters. The FIA also made it known that starting from 2011, all the cars would have mounted the DRS, i.e. the mobile wing. The work that the wing does is very similar to that of the F-Duct and even today the DRS is present in the twenty single-seaters in the championship. The DRS helps a lot in overtaking, even if it is often questioned, as it makes overtaking attempts almost predictable.
The doubts about DRS in Formula 1 therefore start from the F-Duct
Today we hear more and more voices saying that the DRS is an excessive help, because on the forehand it offers such an advantage that it is almost impossible for those in front to defend themselves. “Overtaking on the motorway” has been defined by many, wondering if its use is still justifiable. The brilliance of the engineers in Formula 1 is on par with the talent of the drivers and is an important key to winning titles. Patty Lowes and Tim Goss revolutionized our beloved Formula 1 with their F-Duct system, so much so that the FIA had to step in and create the DRS system. Ironically, the F-Duct was a milestone in the development of modern F1 aerodynamics, but was not as crucial to the fortunes of the McLaren that invented it. Despite the help of this system, in fact, the team did not win the title, which instead went to Red Bull with Sebastian Vettel.
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