MIA member F1 to use active aerodynamics for better fuel economy from 2025

F1 is targeting a big leap in efficiency in 2025, with more economical engines and active aerodynamics to reduce drag on straights.

Formula 1 cars will feature active aerodynamics from 2025 in a bid to make them more fuel-efficient.

Pat Symonds, the series’ chief technical officer, said that the technology will be introduced with the next set of engine regulations, which are due to bring cheaper, simpler and more efficient power units.

Reducing drag on straights is seen as a way of further reducing fuel use, with an active system restoring downforce for fast cornering speeds.

It could be achieved by using adjustable wings, DRS-style flaps or active suspension that changes the ride height.

“Sustainability is very much the byword of everything that we’re doing in motor sport at the moment,” Symonds told a Motorsport Industry Association conference on energy efficiency.

“You obviously you can’t reduce your fuel usage when you’ve got a drag coefficient of around one and similarly you can’t get similar performance unless you’ve got a lift coefficient of around four, four and a half.

“The only way you can really compromise is with active aerodynamics so, that is the way we are researching.”

The new-generation hybrid engines for 2025 are likely to use zero-carbon synthetic fuels, made from carbon dioxide captured from the air and combined with hydrogen using renewable energy,

They will have greater electrical assistance, which may be boosted by four-wheel energy recovery, potentially leading to the return of four-wheel drive to Formula 1.

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