Why simulation is an ever-evolving battleground

The development of simulation to become an all-encompassing development tool has been gradual - but Ansible Motion has been ahead of the curve from the start. Autosport headed to Hethel to find out just what that means

James Newbold Apr 24, 2020, 3:08 PM

Engineering

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In these times of great uncertainty in motorsport, efficiency is king. The swathe of race cancellations means teams don't have the chance to test new parts on track every other weekend, so all the work to prove new design concepts and test reliability of components will instead be done virtually, through simulation.

But we're not talking about the standard home simulators that drivers may be using to stay sharp while waiting for their next turn in the real thing. Simulators capable of making accurate vehicle-dynamics calculations in real time are precious commodities and, as the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team has acknowledged by embarking upon a major simulator upgrade at its Hinwil base, imperative for any high-performance automotive or motorsport firm aspiring to be successful in the 2020s.

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Author James Newbold

James Newbold is Autosport's Plus Editor, responsible for coordinating website feature content.

In a sign of things to come, having completed his Politics and International Relations degree at the University of East Anglia in 2015, he left his graduation ceremony early to catch the last train to Brussels for the following day's Spa 24 Hours.

After a period as a freelancer, he joined the Autosport staff in 2018 and won the Motorsport UK young journalist of the year award. He initially edited Autosport magazine's Performance and Engineering supplements before joining the website team in his current role in 2020.

A keen enthusiast of anything that can be categorised unusual or niche, he enjoys unearthing little-known stories across all branches of motorsport, but has spent most of his career covering sportscars and is a regular part of the Le Mans 24 Hours reporting team.

He lives with his wife and children in Plymouth, England.