From Red Bull to Aston Martin: Why Are So Many Teams Investing in a New Wind Tunnel?

Do you know why Formula 1 cars are considered the fastest vehicles in the world? It is definitely not because of their straight-line speed, which is far inferior to many road cars. It is because of the superior aerodynamic abilities of an F1 challenger that allow them to maneuver sharp turns at extremely high speeds. That is the reason why the term aerodynamics is widely used in the world of F1, which essentially is the interaction between the air and solid bodies moving through it. This is exactly what sets the F1 cars apart from the world and teams apart from each other on the grid. This leads us to the most important tool for a Formula 1 team, the wind tunnel which teams like Red Bull, Aston Martin, and McLaren have recently invested millions in.

Have you wondered what is a wind tunnel and what is its purpose? Why is it so widely talked about and is every team’s prized possession? However, as a general fan, we have little to no information about it except the teams are investing millions in it and everybody wants one for themselves. In this piece, we will try to understand the importance of a wind tunnel and why Red Bull and Aston Martin are racing against time to build one.

What is a wind tunnel and what purpose does it serve?

Simply put, a wind tunnel is, as the name suggests, a tunnel that blows air on a stationary object to study its interaction with it. A wind tunnel is used to study an object’s aerodynamic qualities. In terms of Formula 1, a wind tunnel is effectively a racing laboratory in which they investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of an F1 car. A wind tunnel can help study important aspects, such as aerodynamic efficiency and balance, cooling, and specific component optimization.

Understanding a car’s aerodynamic characteristics can help the team effectively predict how a car will perform on the track, and what developmental path needs to be taken by testing upgrades in the tunnel. Data is generated and gathered through these tests and relevant upgrades are introduced over the season, especially because of the ever-increasing importance of aerodynamics in the current generation of F1 cars. Teams use the wind tunnel to simulate on-track conditions on a car as it is suspended from the ceiling. The more time a team spends testing in the wind tunnel, the more accurate their predictions become with the boatloads of data they can collect. This is exactly why regulations restrict the time a team can spend in the wind tunnel. This brings us to a different type of aerodynamic testing, which is evident throughout pre-season testing.

We always see a live aerodynamic test on F1 cars during the pre-season testing with green paint on cars. The green paint, which is technically the flo-visualization paint or flo-vis paint is slathered over parts of the car the engineers want to study and assess for on-track conditions. The paint which, in reality, is not paint but an oily substance, usually paraffin, mixed with fluorescent coloring.

The flo-vis gives the engineers a visual understanding of the aero effects and behavior on a particular part of the car. The flow of the paint after a stint on the track helps substantiate the wind tunnel data as well. This is why we see the paint on multiple cars throughout the pre-season testing.

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To summarize, a wind tunnel is the most prized possession of an F1 team thanks to the increased reliability of aerodynamics in modern Formula 1. This is why some teams are investing millions, as it costs a pretty penny, to build their wind tunnel and upgrade from their ancient successors or to gain autonomy. However, let’s look at the personal motivation behind these investments.

Why is Red Bull building a wind tunnel?

Ever since its takeover of Jaguar racing, Red Bull has always been climbing the F1 ladder of hierarchy. The “energy drink company” has changed everyone’s perspective of them with multiple drivers and constructors championships under their belt and one of the best technical teams on the grid.

One of the best teams also needs the best tools at their disposal to maintain the high levels they’re operating at currently. This is exactly why, as reported by Motorsport, Red Bull shareholders signed off on a new wind tunnel to replace their World War 2 aircraft facility and build one in Milton Keynes a few miles away from the factory.

“We’ve got tremendous support,” Christian Horner said. “We’re investing in a new wind tunnel, and that’s been signed off by both shareholders. We’re investing in the facilities and the campus to make it a real technology campus to attract and develop talent.”

This is exactly the idea behind the development of the Aston Martin factory and the wind tunnel as well.

Why is Aston Martin building a wind tunnel?

Aston Martin has taken on many avatars since 1991. However, all avatars still functioned and performed their essential F1 operations in the two-decade-old Jordan factory. Since Lawrence Stroll‘s takeover in 2018, the team’s vision and financial abilities have drastically changed. This is exactly why the Canadian billionaire invested a massive $220 in the new factory right next to the old facility, which will also house their wind tunnel.

The Aston Martin team is already benefitting from its new facility and we have already seen the abilities of the AMR23 on track. However, the team has yet to use the wind tunnel, which they will be able to take full advantage of for the manufacturing of the 2025 challenger, and they can stop renting the Mercedes wind tunnel.

Why is McLaren building a wind tunnel?

Practically for the same reasons, McLaren also built its wind tunnel in its already state-of-the-art facility called the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC). The MTC has been McLaren’s pride for ages and has been the house of all operations since 2003. However, the MTC was missing one key aspect to fulfill the F1 wing’s needs: the wind tunnel.

The Woking-based facility was renting Toyota’s facility for its wind tunnel needs. However, not anymore, as the team has completed the construction of their wind tunnel within the MTC and it is already being used for the development of the 2024 challenger. This autonomy also helps with the budget cap for all the teams on the list and all the teams not outsourcing a wind tunnel.

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Hopefully, this answers the much talked about wind tunnel topic for you and we now have a better understanding of the importance of a wind tunnel for an F1 team.

Editorial Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of EssentiallySports.