The Evolution of F1 Fan Cars: From Brabham to Aston Martin Valkyrie

One of the most iconic and revolutionary designs in Formula 1 history is the fan car, first introduced by Gordon Murray in the 1970s. The idea was to create a low-pressure area underneath the car, which would draw air in and create suction, effectively reducing drag and increasing downforce. This technology was considered too radical for its time and was initially met with skepticism. However, with advancements in engineering and design, the fan car has become a staple of F1, and its impact on the sport is still felt today.

The Brabham from the 1970s was one of the first cars to utilize this technology, which was later adopted by other teams. The Aston Martin Valkyrie, designed by Adrian Newey, takes this concept to new heights with its innovative Eero design and cutting-edge aerodynamics. This car is a perfect example of how fan technology can be used to create an incredibly efficient and powerful downforce system.

The key to making a fan car work lies in understanding the principles of airflow and pressure. By creating an area of low pressure beneath the car, air rushes in to take its place, creating suction that helps to reduce drag. This is achieved through the use of a fan, which creates a low-pressure area by sucking air through it. To maximize the effectiveness of this technology, designers must carefully optimize the shape and design of the car's underbody, using features such as skirts to seal off any gaps and create an aerodynamic surface.

One of the biggest challenges in developing a fan car is sealing the underbody completely, as this would create too much drag. However, with advancements in materials and design techniques, it has become possible to achieve high levels of downforce while minimizing drag. The Merc AMG F1 team has also developed its own version of the fan car, which uses a similar principle but with a more conventional rear wing design.

In the case of Gordon Murray's original fan car concept, he was able to push the boundaries of what was considered acceptable by the FIA regulations. By cleverly interpreting the rules and arguing that 51% of the airflow was used for engine cooling rather than downforce, Murray was able to create a fan car that was both efficient and effective.

However, driving a fan car is completely different from driving a traditional F1 car. The fan runs off the gearbox, which means it is connected to the engine and revs at the same speed as the car. This creates a unique dynamic, where drivers must enter corners at maximum revs to create downforce and accelerate rapidly out of corners to maintain momentum. In essence, the driver becomes an integral part of the fan's operation, working in tandem with the car to maximize its potential.

The Red Bull X-10 T 10 is one of the most famous examples of a fan car design in F1 history. This car was conceptualized by Adrian Newey and features an incredibly aerodynamic design that has been optimized for maximum downforce. The rear wing on this car is remarkably small compared to other F1 cars, but its effectiveness is due in no small part to the innovative use of the fan system.

The Red Bull X-10 T 10 has a four-cylinder turbo engine producing just under 1,500 horsepower and runs the fan that creates all the downforce. Its specs are astonishing: it produces 6g of downforce compared to 3g on other F1 cars, and its top speed is theoretically over 310 miles per hour. This car has been put through rigorous testing, including simulations of the Nurburgring GP track, where it consistently outperforms even Vettel's Red Bull.

In recent years, Gordon Murray's fan car concept has resurfaced, with many speculating that such a car could be developed for road use. While it remains to be seen whether this technology can be adapted for production, the potential benefits are undeniable. A fan car would not only be an incredible performance machine but also a testament to human ingenuity and innovation.

If you liked this article, give it a thumbs up and let us know in the comments below: which car do you think would be the best candidate to attach a fan system like this to? The possibilities are endless!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: engordon murray is one of the most legendary car designers of all time he created the McLaren f1 and recently he said he's gonna make a successor to the f1 called the t-50 supercar it's going to have a 650 brake horsepower naturally aspirated v12 he's gonna have a manual gearbox and it's gonna cost two point five million pounds now those are all normal supercar hypercar figures but there's one aspect of this car that I don't think people are making a big enough fuss about Gordon Murray has said this is going to be a fan car just like is crazy Brabham from the 1970s we've got the Aston Martin Valkyrie coming which has it's crazy Eero design by Adrian Newey and we've got the Merc AMG one with his f1 engine but no one has ever created a fan car for the road until now that's a completely different kettle of fish so how does a fine car actually work well it's quite similar to all underbody Aero you want to create a low-pressure area ear wants to move from high pressure to low pressure so you create a area of low pressure air rushes in to take its place which in create suction with a fan the fan will suck air through creating that low-pressure area there comes rushing in and the car is sucked down onto the tarmac now to make a fan car even more effective you can seal off the underbody of the car up through skirts that will maximize the underbody area of the car and we'll really cram the car down onto the tarmac which means bone force has increased massively now we're not sure how effective a fan on a route car is gonna be because you can't seal the car fully like the Brabant from the seventies and may not be as effective I'm sure Gordon Murray has thought of that and even so they might have don't for as a fan will create by itself will seriously impact the performance of a road car now many people thought this technology was illegal but Gordon Murray was very clever about it the rule stated that a moveable the rice can be predominantly aerodynamic so he went to a lawyer and really lived into that rule to see what it meant what he said is that if the fan was doing 51% of one job and then only 49% creating downforce and technically it would be legal so what as a fan also good for cooling he did his calculations and as long as 51% of the airflow was applying the engine with cooling air and 49 percent of the airflow was used for downforce technically it was legal driving a fan car is completely different from driving a normal downforce car the fan runs off the gearbox which means it's connected to the engine revs the faster the engine is spinning the faster the fan spins and the more don't force you create that means drivers had to enter corners at maximum revs to create the dome force and corner as fast as possible so rather than don't changing and getting the revs fairly low in the car to take the corner and then accelerate oh they had to scream into the corridor at high revs and then change up as they left the corner so that they could fly around as fast as possible a fan car doesn't have that much of an advantage in fast corners but in medium and low speed corners that don't force can be ramped up and it can take it way quicker than most other f1 cars now you may be wondering why are we filming this video and red bulls famous hangar 7 well just over there is the closest thing we add to a fan car since the problem of the 70s the Red Bull X 10 T 10 this car was conceptualized by Adrian Newey the famous f1 designer to be the fastest car around a track in the world so the rulebook was firmly thrown in the bin so what we got an incredibly erode anomic design really sleek cockpit and bodywork in general enclosed front wheels and even wheel covers to reduce drag as much as possible now you may think for it to be the fastest car on track you have to have a massive rear wing but actually the rear wing on this car is a relatively small and that's because of the fan directly below it creating all the downforce now this car is supposed to have a four-cylinder turbo engine creating just under 1,500 horsepower which runs the fan and creates the downforce so what are the stats on this car well it's supposed to create eg in a corner which compared to 6g of normally f1 car is pretty colossal and theoretically a top speed of 310 miles per hour and if you ever played this car in a game it gets there incredibly quickly my Red Bull ran a simulation of the Nurburgring GP track and this car was 20 seconds a lot quicker than say vettel's Red Bull the time which is over there somewhere so this car is really cool to see it in person but it's only ever been in a game imagine something like this made in real life Gordon Murray's fan car dream has stayed dormant for decades after being shelved but it seems it won't be long until a car like that actually exists and is road-legal if you liked this video give it a thumbs up and we want you guys to use your imagination and you could pick one car to attach a fan like this to what would it be tell us in the comments belowgordon murray is one of the most legendary car designers of all time he created the McLaren f1 and recently he said he's gonna make a successor to the f1 called the t-50 supercar it's going to have a 650 brake horsepower naturally aspirated v12 he's gonna have a manual gearbox and it's gonna cost two point five million pounds now those are all normal supercar hypercar figures but there's one aspect of this car that I don't think people are making a big enough fuss about Gordon Murray has said this is going to be a fan car just like is crazy Brabham from the 1970s we've got the Aston Martin Valkyrie coming which has it's crazy Eero design by Adrian Newey and we've got the Merc AMG one with his f1 engine but no one has ever created a fan car for the road until now that's a completely different kettle of fish so how does a fine car actually work well it's quite similar to all underbody Aero you want to create a low-pressure area ear wants to move from high pressure to low pressure so you create a area of low pressure air rushes in to take its place which in create suction with a fan the fan will suck air through creating that low-pressure area there comes rushing in and the car is sucked down onto the tarmac now to make a fan car even more effective you can seal off the underbody of the car up through skirts that will maximize the underbody area of the car and we'll really cram the car down onto the tarmac which means bone force has increased massively now we're not sure how effective a fan on a route car is gonna be because you can't seal the car fully like the Brabant from the seventies and may not be as effective I'm sure Gordon Murray has thought of that and even so they might have don't for as a fan will create by itself will seriously impact the performance of a road car now many people thought this technology was illegal but Gordon Murray was very clever about it the rule stated that a moveable the rice can be predominantly aerodynamic so he went to a lawyer and really lived into that rule to see what it meant what he said is that if the fan was doing 51% of one job and then only 49% creating downforce and technically it would be legal so what as a fan also good for cooling he did his calculations and as long as 51% of the airflow was applying the engine with cooling air and 49 percent of the airflow was used for downforce technically it was legal driving a fan car is completely different from driving a normal downforce car the fan runs off the gearbox which means it's connected to the engine revs the faster the engine is spinning the faster the fan spins and the more don't force you create that means drivers had to enter corners at maximum revs to create the dome force and corner as fast as possible so rather than don't changing and getting the revs fairly low in the car to take the corner and then accelerate oh they had to scream into the corridor at high revs and then change up as they left the corner so that they could fly around as fast as possible a fan car doesn't have that much of an advantage in fast corners but in medium and low speed corners that don't force can be ramped up and it can take it way quicker than most other f1 cars now you may be wondering why are we filming this video and red bulls famous hangar 7 well just over there is the closest thing we add to a fan car since the problem of the 70s the Red Bull X 10 T 10 this car was conceptualized by Adrian Newey the famous f1 designer to be the fastest car around a track in the world so the rulebook was firmly thrown in the bin so what we got an incredibly erode anomic design really sleek cockpit and bodywork in general enclosed front wheels and even wheel covers to reduce drag as much as possible now you may think for it to be the fastest car on track you have to have a massive rear wing but actually the rear wing on this car is a relatively small and that's because of the fan directly below it creating all the downforce now this car is supposed to have a four-cylinder turbo engine creating just under 1,500 horsepower which runs the fan and creates the downforce so what are the stats on this car well it's supposed to create eg in a corner which compared to 6g of normally f1 car is pretty colossal and theoretically a top speed of 310 miles per hour and if you ever played this car in a game it gets there incredibly quickly my Red Bull ran a simulation of the Nurburgring GP track and this car was 20 seconds a lot quicker than say vettel's Red Bull the time which is over there somewhere so this car is really cool to see it in person but it's only ever been in a game imagine something like this made in real life Gordon Murray's fan car dream has stayed dormant for decades after being shelved but it seems it won't be long until a car like that actually exists and is road-legal if you liked this video give it a thumbs up and we want you guys to use your imagination and you could pick one car to attach a fan like this to what would it be tell us in the comments below\n"