The forgotten aspect of improving F1 engine efficiency
Reducing heat and friction losses when running an engine is crucial in maximising power, as PAT SYMONDS explains.
It is well known that in order to get power from an engine, one needs to get a lot of air into it and use that air to combust the fuel as well as you can. What’s often less appreciated is that power can be significantly increased if you minimise the many losses involved in running the engine. So let’s examine this, the second side of the equation.
A kilogram of fuel contains around 43 Megajoules of chemical energy and, when we boast that an F1 engine is over 50% efficient, it’s the same as saying that somewhere around 21 MJ of that energy is going to waste. So where does it go and what can we do about it?
Share Or Save This Story
Why the turbine Lotus experiment failed to realise its potential in F1
How the chief architect of McLaren's improvement plans to continue its rise
The Prost podium conundrum that Hamilton may face at Monza
Will Monza provide Piastri with another crunch moment on Italian soil?
Why it isn't only speed that enthuses Haas about Bearman
Why Haas is a crunch barometer of F1's biggest improvers in 2024
Why comparisons between Antonelli and Verstappen go beyond their driving talent
How Shadow's F1 story ended in shambolic fashion
Verstappen: I could think about driving a Newey-designed Aston Martin
The winding road that took an Australian F1 prospect to Supercars stardom
Mercedes ditches problematic floor upgrade for Baku
New camera technology to monitor track limits being trialled at Mallory Park
Jon Noble: Why Newey’s myth-busting correction is bad news for Aston Martin’s rivals
How Newey will link Alonso, Honda, and Aston Martin's engineers together for a 2026 title tilt
Ayrton Senna's magic moments, chosen by his race engineers
Why the turbine Lotus experiment failed to realise its potential in F1
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
