The physics of F1 cars are awesome.

Acquired’s Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal break down the three physics breakthroughs that shaped modern F1 cars: ground effect, engine efficiency, and banned electronics.

• Lotus invented ground effect in 1977–78 by shaping the car as an inverted wing, using the Venturi effect to suck the car onto the road.
• Mario Andretti said the Lotus 78 cornered as if painted to the road; he and Lotus won both championships in 1978.
• Ground effects became a safety hazard at high speed and were outlawed in 1983, requiring flat-bottomed cars.
• F1 engines lose only 50% of energy to heat vs. 70–80% in road cars; horsepower tripled from ~300 hp in the 1950s to ~1,000 hp today.
• Turbochargers harvest exhaust gases to compress intake air, increasing oxygen per cycle and boosting power without extra fuel.
• Williams dominated 1992–93 with active suspension, traction control, and software that auto-adjusted ride height corner by corner; rivals accused them of building a car that drives itself.
• The FIA banned all electronic driving aids before the 1994 season, leaving Ayrton Senna on an underprepared Williams — the car he died in at Imola.

2026-04-03 · Watch on YouTube