In Episode 4 of the Tech Heads F1 Podcast, co-hosts Bryson Sullivan and Dr. Obbs are joined by Juan Manzanero (aka @fastestlap_f1), an extremely talented engineer and author of the excellent "Fastest Lap" open source lap time simulation software. With Juan as our guide, we explore the technical nuances of vehicle dynamics and optimal lap time simulation, covering G-G plots, brake balance and bias, tyre load sensitivity, and what goes into calculating driver inputs for a theoretically perfect lap. In this week's "Tech Focus" segment, we talk exhaust blown floors from the 2012 season, how teams exploited the Coandă effect to recover the downforce lost from the removal of exhaust blown diffusers, and we answer listener questions. This is a longer episode, but it's absolutely packed with quality F1 Tech content we think you won’t want to miss, enjoy!
Segments:
Episode Introduction (0:53)
What We Like About Juan (1:21)
Brake Balance and Bias (3:20)
Who is Juan Manzanero? (7:37)
What Makes Simulation Essential (11:14)
G-G Diagrams (14:28)
Simulations for Race Car Setup and Balance (18:52)
Using Simultions for Set-Up Work (33:56)
Tyre Load Sensitivity and Tyre Grip (35:49)
Theoretically-Optimal Lap Time calculation (46:36)
Fastest-Lap Software and Where to Find Juan (56:12)
Tech Focus: Exhaust blown floors (59:14)
Listener Questions (1:05:00)
Episode References & Links:
Fastest-Lap GitHub Repo
https://github.com/juanmanzanero/fastest-lap
Juan’s Medium.com Page
https://medium.com/@fastestlap
Wiki on Frenet Frames
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frenet%E2%80%93Serret_formulas
IPOPT Optimization Software
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPOPT
Fast-F1 Documenation
https://theoehrly.github.io/Fast-F1/
Mirco (@F1 Data Analysis)
https://twitter.com/F1DataAnalysis
Wavey Dynamics - Lap Time Simulation Primer
https://www.waveydynamics.com/post/lap-time-simulation
The Coanda Effect and Why Wings Work (Raskin):
https://www.karmak.org/archive/2003/02/coanda_effect.html
