Formula 1 is a sport where aerodynamics are paramount. The wind tunnel plays a crucial role in the design, development and aerodynamic understanding of a Formula 1 car. The facility at Enstone was commissioned in 1998, taking up 2,674 sqm of space. The FIA restricted wind tunnel activity in 2014 for cost-cutting reasons, meaning teams can only run 520 times over a defined eight-week period; equating to around 65 runs per week. The FIA check and log all teams’ activities on the wind tunnel to police this rule. A 60% scale model sits on the wind tunnel’s rolling road with the air speed set at an FIA restricted 50 metres per second. Various components are put to the test to examine their...
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