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Aerodynamic balance or
Centre of Pressure (CofP)

 

Aerodynamic balance

A state of equilibrium between the downforce on the front wheels and the downforce on the rear wheels. Too much pressure at the front causes oversteer, too much at the back understeer.

But to win the races, it is not just wings. You can't just add the wings to get win. The most important thing apart from the wing level which always helps you go around corners is to have the overall balance. In this case you can feel very comfortable in the car.

An f1 cars downforce is produced largely by the front wing, rear wing and the floor. With the front and rear wings being the main tuning elements. By tuning the front and rear downforce you alter the cars Centre of aerodynamic Pressure.
Centre of Pressure (CofP) is the balance of downforce at the front and rear axles. As such it’s analogous to being the aerodynamic equivalent of Longitudinal Centre of Gravity. CofP is also known as aero balance.

Typically the CofP position closely matches that the CofG.

An F1 car is largely limited on corner entry by the rear grip available. In low to mid speed turns the car needs a slight rear bias to the CofP, this prevents the car suffering corner entry oversteer. Where the car wants to spin as it approaches the apex. Too much front wing in these corners will make the car too pointy and hinder laptimes.
In faster turns the front wing can lead the car. The drivers turn in gentler in to fast turns, which creates less lateral acceleration at the rear axle. So it’s rare for the rear to step out on turn-in in to fast corners. Thus, at higher speeds you can have a CofP biased towards neutral or the front.

But better controlling the aerodynamic platform of a car can be a valuable tool in reducing the stress put upon the tires. The centre of aerodynamic pressure is the aerodynamic equivalent of the weight distribution.
When the car is braking, that centre of pressure moves forward.
When the braking is reduced and released, the centre of pressure moves back.

This modern generation of cars with ground effect underbody, deriving so much of its downforce from there, has a centre of pressure quite far back, given that the lowest point of the floor is towards the back, just before the diffuser. With the flat-bottom generation of car, the lowest point of the floor was its leading edge. Consequently, the centre of pressure is trying to move more with these cars as they are braked then unbraked.
This can create problems with the rear tires, as the inconsistent loads upon them cause them to degrade faster. Improving the consistency of the airflow along the floor, and thus making it more robust, would help with reducing the load variation on the rear tires. If the airflow is not adequately controlled, it can be that some of the downforce generated when the car is pointed straight is lost when it is in yaw or when steering lock is applied. This too would tend to overwork the rear tires.

 

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Some useful links:

Technical
- f1technical.net, a great site with a lot of technical information’s and explanations. Site is updated daily with news from F1 word.

Autosport
 - autosport.com, This site is a legend. A bible for racing lovers. News from all around the word. Unfortunately, to get access to all news, interviews and to open the site completely you should be subscribed to Autosport magazine. Anyway, great read.

Formula 1 Results
- Check the latest Formula 1 race results here. Follow Formula 1 live results, final race results, practice, warm-up and qualifying times on Flashscore!

Joe Saward blog
- joesaward is the Joe Saward official blog about Formula 1 world. Joe is an journalist, who write primarily about politics in and around motorsport, specifically on the FIA Formula 1 World Championship

Planet F1
 - planetf1, another site with many different articles, news and statistics. Biased toward British teams, but anyway good read.

Gurney flap
 - gurneyflap.com, Great history site. You can learn a lot from this site. Pictures, cars and many many more. Great.

4mula1
-
4ormula1 is a database of Formula 1 history and statistics of drivers, teams, grand prix, and all results since 1950.

Missed Apex Podcast
Enjoy range of Podcasts and Articles on Motorsport. Every week a Formula one chat on Missed Apex F1 Podcast with F1 journalist Joe Saward and tech Analyst Matthew Somerfield as guests. Also the exciting all electric racing series formula E on eRadio Show and Bike Show Lean Angle Podcast.

Racecar engineering
-Racecar Engineering, an online magazine with a lot to learn from, a lot of technical information’s and explanations

FIA
 - fia.com, La Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, representing the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users. Head organisation and ruler in auto sport.

Wikipedia
 - wikipedia.org, I don’t believe that I have to tell you anything about this site. It’s not about Formula 1 technology, but you can learn a lot about that too.

Sutton Images

grandprix photo

Vehicle freak
Another site for us normal people. Lots of tips, tricks and "What Happens if" related to the maintenance of all types of vehicles and its components. It's worth a visit.

Dare To Be Different
- Daretobedifferent.org Susie Wolff and UK governing body of UK motorsport have joined forces to launch Dare To Be Different, a high-profile new initiative which is about increasing female participation, not just on the track but in all aspects of the sport.

Giorgio Piola web site