Can a formula 1 car run upside down?

FORMULA 1 - RB6 car presentation

A Formula One car have a very stretch relationship with fighter aircraft when it comes to design and technology. There are three notable similarities

  • The use of top of the industry technology
  • The small space used to place the different component
  • The use of wings as a key element for their functionality

This last point is critical for both machines. Engineers and designers make use of them to obtain and manage air force flow. In airplanes the air force is used to push the aircraft up, but in F1 cars they use them to push the car down and keep it attached to the floor while taking corners at high speed.

The down force produce by an f1 car is so big that it is possible to flip them over if the car is going at least at 175 km/h and it will keep running attached to the ceiling. To prove how important wings are for f1 cars here is a video that shows Mark Webber loosing his front wing and catching air for several meters.

And here is an animation of a formula one car running upside down. I think it is time now to demonstrate this fact in a real scenario with a real f1 car and a driver on it. It will be a great show for sure.