Banked corners or inclined corners in other words have been a part of motorsport tracks since the start of it. Whether it be The Monza Oval or the Ovals in America popularly used to host the Indy 500, they offer a unique experience to the drivers and the spectators watching them take their cars through incredible forces. Formula1 has raced at tracks which have banked corners in its early stages, most notably the AVUS in Berlin with a monstrous 43° incline and more recently at Zandvoort in 2021.
Why do we need these when normal flat turns can suffice a lap around a circuit?
Motorsport as a whole leads the way in developing cutting-edge technologies in the field of automobiles. To also consider is the unique challenge banked corners offer to the drivers and teams to optimise their vehicle to get through the corner in the fastest way possible. It also increases the maximum speed possible through the corner and is safer in wet conditions.
Effects on drivers and cars:
Let’s take the case of a car turning left with the track inclined such that the left edge of the track is relatively below the right edge of the track.
Source: (R) @Richard Fitzpatrick from https://bit.ly/3jTOZ3m
In a flat turn the centripetal force (acting horizontally with the ground), reaches upto 5Gs in F1 cars. However it doesn’t alter the frictional force directly or indirectly as no component of the centripetal force acts in the vertical direction of the axes of the car.
While negotiating a banked corner, the vertical component of centripetal force adds up alongside the weight of the car. This results in the apparent increase in weight for the cars and the drivers. The drivers experience more downward force pushing them into their seats, the cars are more stressed while experiencing these loads. The tyres are under immense tension during these turns. Many people remember the infamous 2005 US GP in the heat of the tyre war between Michelin and Bridgestone where only 6 cars started the race due to safety concerns. Pirelli conducted a multitude of simulations and tyre tests to avoid a repeat of the past and ensure a safer race.
Now someone might think these cars experience these loads so what makes these turns so stressful?
To answer that, the cars are designed to withstand sustained loads while going down a straight. What makes the banked turns less forgiving is the way the car load is balanced left-right through the corner. The left-side of the car here (on the inner side of the turn) is closer to the ground than the right-side. These imbalance forces are what makes the cars closer to their physical limits.
The last race weekend, The Dutch GP at Zandvoort offered a wonderful spectacle of tactics and race-craft. The variety of racing lines through the banked corners Turn 3 and Turn 13-14, especially Turn 3: ‘Hugenholtzbocht’ with a 18° bank angle exhibited the creativity of the drivers. The circuit had banking added to it on the suggestion of late Charlie Whiting, former Race Director.
Initially the Mercedes engines had issues with Hamilton and Vettel suffering from critical engine power unit stoppages. But it didn’t have anything to do with the circuit characteristics as the Lewis’s engine was at the end of its planned lifecycle and Sebastian’s suffered a MGU-K failure.
There was also concern during the weekend that oil systems may be affected from the loads of the track. But none of the teams reported a major issue.
Source: Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech )
Some Maths:
Maximum speed through flat turn
Maximum speed through banked turn(Dry conditions)
Maximum speed through banked turn(Wet conditions)
Thank you for reading!
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