Formula 1 saw arguably one of the biggest set of changes in the 2014 season in

its history which presented the engineers with a whole new array of staggering
challenges. These changes were mostly drastic alterations in technical
regulations, mostly to ensure the closeness of Formula 1 Research and
Development to the real world concerns efficiency and eco-friendliness of road
cars. Some of the technical changes and the motivation behind them are
discussed here.

Engine
The air-fuel charge intake in an Internal Combustion Engine happens due to the
difference in pressure on the outside and inside of the cylinder. During the intake
stroke, a partial vacuum is created in the cylinder. The higher pressure
(atmospheric) on the outside pushes the air-fuel charge into the cylinder. This
induction system is known as naturally-aspirated and has a drawback due to
its dependency on atmospheric pressure. This is in contrast to forced-induction
where a turbocharger or a supercharger is used to facilitate in increasing the
mass of intake air beyond what could be produced by atmospheric pressure
alone.
Turbocharging produces a better fuel-efficiency and lower emissions, as well as a
better power-to-weight ratio, making it a very significant technology. Hence it
found its way into Formula 1.
In 2014, naturally aspirated 2.4L V8 engines were phased out and 1.6L
turbocharged V6 engines were introduced. This broke the several years old
freeze on engine development in F1.
Also part of the new rules package was a fuel-limit of 100Kg per race to promote
fuel efficiency. Earlier there was no fuel limit, the typical consumption per race
per team being 160Kg.
The powertrain consists not only of a turbocharged engine, but also derives juice
from an ERS (Energy Recovery System).

ERS (Energy Recovery System)

Energy Recovery is the
conversion of energy of one
sub-system to usable energy
for another sub-system. This
enables conservation of energy
which would otherwise be
wasted and minimises the
power input to the overall
system, thus increasing its
efficiency.
The ERS for F1 as per the new
rules has two parts ERS-K
(Energy Recovery System Kinetic) or MGU-K (Motor Generator Unit Kinetic)

and ERS-H (Energy Recovery System Heat) or MGU-H (Motor Generator Unit
Heat). The ERS-K unit harnesses kinetic energy from the rear axle during braking
via an electric motor. This
POWERTRAIN broken down into key
energy, which is otherwise lost
as heat generated by friction
due to braking, is stored in a battery pack. The ERS-H unit harnesses thermal
energy from the exhaust gases passing through the turbocharger.
The stored energy can be used to provide additional acceleration and to produce
more torque at lower revs than previous years powertrains. It can also be
employed to minimise turbo-lag (a delay in power while the turbocharger gets up
to speed). The use of this energy is controlled by an engine management
computer.
All this leads to intense acceleration the instant the throttle is applied, which
makes good throttle control by the drivers more important than ever.
To compensate for the extra power being generated under braking by ERS from
the rear axle, an Electronic Rear Brake Control System was introduced.

Brake-by-wire (Electronic Braking System)

When brakes are applied, the ERS-K system (or KERS) comes into action, i.e.,
converts the Kinetic Energy of the rear wheels into electrical energy via a motor.
Since the torque to generate electricity comes from the rear axle, the motor
applies a reverse torque on the rear axle, which decelerates the rear wheels. So
now the rear wheels have two sources of retardation rear brake pads, and
KERS.
To balance the retardation caused by these two to attain the desired braking, an
Electronically-Controlled Brake-by-wire Rear Brake System is used. During
every braking event, the Energy Control Unit takes into account both how hard
the driver presses the brake pedal and the level of energy harvest required from
the KERS motor to charge the cars energy store/battery. Then, using a hydraulic
system, the Energy Control Unit reduces the amount of pressure being sent to
the rear brakes (based on both the brake-bias set by the driver and the amount
of retardation created by the level of KERS energy harvest).
Brake-by-wire is not merely a convenience but more of a necessity to be able to
employ KERS.
This new system not only reduces wear of braking-parts, but also enables the
use of smaller rear discs and rear callipers material saving for the resourceconscious world, and weight-saving for the sport.

Design Limitations
In 2014, the nose and chassis heights and front and rear wings were changed for
reasons of safety, but presented fresh challenges to the designers to
compensate for the aerodynamics.

The height of the chassis was reduced from 625mm to 525mm, whilst the height
of the nose was dramatically slashed from 550mm to 185mm. The major aim of
these changes was to prevent cars launching upwards in the event of nose to
rear-tyre collisions. The front wings were made narrower to reduce the number of
punctures caused by a front-wing endplate catching the rear tyre of a
competitors car. The virtual box in which the rear wing must fit was made
smaller and the conventional beam wings were abolished.
As simple as these changes may seem, they have huge impacts on the
aerodynamics of the car, which means extensive redesigning with engineers
putting in their best to take advantage of the new regulations.
A higher nose and chassis height maximise
airflow under the car and in the process
increase downforce. Similar is the aim of front
and rear wings. An innovative approach to
achieving high downforce within design limits is
more aerodynamically-profiled suspension
parts, such as wing-shaped wishbones (as seen
on McLarens car). The lower chassis height also
affects front
WING SHAPED
suspension
WISHBONES on
mounting points on
McLarens MP4-29
drastic reduction in
unusual nose
season.

CRITICAL
FANS

geometry as the
the chassis drop. The
nose-height resulted in
designs in the 2014

REACTION FROM

The new cars with smaller engines and unusual noses saw widespread criticism
from fans.
Fans and critics were not impressed with the new engine sounds. The smaller V6
engines running at lower revs (a maximum of 15,000rpm) made a low pitched
hum along with the whistling of the turbocharger, which was far from the fierce
mechanical squeal of the older V8s. Such intense was the sarcasm from fans
that the engines were compared to lawnmowers, hair-dryers, vacuum cleaners
and a swarm of bees in an elevator. Not only the fans, but the chief executive of
Formula One Group, Bernie Ecclestone himself was against the new engine
regulations owing to the fear that the drastically different and softer V6 engine
sounds would drive the fans away from the races.

Another feature inviting

criticism was the nose of the
cars. The drastic reduction
in the height of the nose
lead to some unusual,
rather ugly nose designs.
Some were compared to
giant anteaters, and some
to again, vacuum cleaners,
as in Ferraris case.

SOME OF THE UNUSUAL NOSE SHAPES

IN 2014 SEASON

Nevertheless, Formula one

continues to be the
penultimate form of motorsports and arguably the most significant research
ground for automobiles.