Why do F1 teams put florescent paint on their cars?

Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsport. It is the epitome of modern automobile engineering. F1 also happens to be extremely competitive where 1 tenth of a second could very well mean the difference between the glory of winning and the eternal torment of finishing second. In an environment as merciless, it is essential for Formula One teams to extract the maximum performance out of their vehicles.

While a majority of a car’s capabilities are dictated by its power unit, the aerodynamics i.e. the flow of air around the car in motion, has a massive role to play. Even if teams manage to optimize their PUs to produce the maximum horsepower, they are powerless against the opposition if they lack the aerodynamic flair. The most recent example of such a situation took place in 2019. Ferrari, led by Mattia Binotto, controversially had one of the fastest Power Units owing to it’s fuel-flow irregularities, but failed to produce the best package partly due to aerodynamic limitations caused by their flawed front wing design philosophy.

In order to avoid aerodynamic failures and work on areas that lack sufficient air flow, F1 teams employ the use of florescent paint on their cars. Fans commonly mistake this paint to be fuel that has leaked out of the car. Albeit that is not the case. This curious paint is also popularly called flow-vis, short for Flow Visualization. It is produced by combining a florescent pain powder with paraffin oil. Paraffin oil is perfect for this task as it only spreads when the car is in motion and remains still when the car is stationary. This is possible due to paraffin oil’s favorable viscosity.

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How does Flow-Vis work?

Whenever engineers feel the need to closely examine the flow of air over a certain component of the car, they drench that part in flow-vis. When the car interacts with high velocity air under motion, the paint spreads in the direction of the flow of air. This enables the aerodynamicists to have a closer look at the car’s behavior in relation to the air. Flow-vis is ultimately an on-track wind tunnel, except it is significantly less expensive and also displays real world results as opposed to controlled tests like in the wind tunnels.

When air flows over a particular component, it carries the paint along with it. If the paint is unable to travel to certain areas on the car or if the streaks of paint begin to split, it is a clear indication that the aerodynamic package is not working as well as it was expected to. The paint dries off quickly and enables engineers to take note of the areas not operating to their potential.

With Formula One testing set to begin towards the end of this month, teams are guaranteed to use the florescent paint on their cars to ascertain if the aerodynamic structure of their challenger is working well. During pre-season testing, fans witness the maximum utilization of flow-vis as teams continue to try and improve their aerodynamic package before the start of the season.

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