Numerical study of the flow around a Formula One car

Abstract

The main goal of this study is to investigate the aerodynamic behavior of a full 2022 Formula One car through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations based on the Reynolds- Averaged Navier-Stokes equations using the k-omega SST turbulence model. Two main cases are analyzed in this work, both in straight line conditions. The first case considers the car running in clean air and serves as the foundation to understand the overall flow behavior around the vehicle. It also allows the characterization of the aerodynamic forces generated by each component, which is important to identify their contribution to downforce, drag and aerodynamic balance. The second case simulates the car running in the wake of a leading vehicle located 10 meters in front, which exposes the car behind to disturbed or dirty air. This allows evaluating how the wake affects the aerodynamic performance, with special interest in its effect on the downforce generated by the chasing car. The CFD process uses ANSA for mesh generation, OpenFOAM to solve the flow equations and ParaView for the post-processing and visualization of the simulation results. During the study, special attention was given to preparing the geometry and to the mesh quality. The model components were carefully separated to allow individual force analysis and to set up realistic boundary conditions. The mesh was refined paying close attention to critical regions where complex flow patterns take place, such as behind the wheels or behind the rear of the car, in order to ensure an accurate capture of these aerodynamic effects. The results obtained show that dirty air mainly reduces the downforce generated by the front wing and underbody, which additionally shifts the aerodynamic balance towards the rear. This confirms that dirty air not only reduces the total downforce generated by the chasing car, but also changes the distribution of aerodynamic forces around the car, which impacts both the handling and performance. These results are also coherent with the downforce reduction values reported by Formula One officials under the 2022 regulations and they provide useful insight into how the flow behind the car is redirected to mitigate these effects. This study provides a detailed explanation of the procedure followed, the steps taken and the reasoning behind the choices made throughout the CFD analysis. This documentation is valuable for future research, since it offers a clear procedure on setting up the simulations, creating the mesh and setting up the boundary conditions. By explaining the methods and reasons behind each step, this work creates a solid base for future studies that want to explore more detailed effects or cases. I