Front wing aerodynamic analysis of formula 1 cars in 2018 and 2019 with computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

Formula 1 is the most prestigious and competitive auto racing competition in the world. This makes the engineers on the Formula 1 team work hard to improve the quality of the car's design with the slightest changes to get the highest advantage. Therefore, sophisticated technology needs to be used by a team of engineers to produce the best design to win the race. Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) is a technology that is always used in Formula 1 races. CFD helps a Formula 1 engineers to predict the results of using a new design without investing a lot of money into prototyping and testing it live. The front wing of the Formula 1 car plays important role of the overall car performance. Its location as an aerodynamic element that is first exposed to the fluid becomes very important because the downforce production by the front wing will also have other impacts on other components downstream. This work tries to simulate the effect of fluid velocity on the front wing design of Formula 1 the year 2018 and 2019 cars with CFD applications. The accuracy of simulation result is tested through variations in the number of different meshes. This work also tries to analyze the impact of changes in the front wing design of Formula 1 2018 and 2019 cars by comparing the values of the lift coefficient and the friction coefficient resulting from the two types of front wing designs. Based on the results of the analysis that has been made by the author, it can be concluded that the 2019 front wing design managed to provide a greater lift force compared to the 2018 front wing by 35%, lift coefficient by 10%, drag coefficient decrease by 4%, with an increase at a drag force value of 16% on the front wing. This is because the shape of the 2018 front wing has a wing cascade that directs fluid away from the tire in order to reduce drag force.