Formula 1 Racing Technology – KERS and Exhaust Systems

Formula One is considered the ultimate stage for open wheel racing around the world. What most people don’t realize, is that Formula One is also the source of many automotive technology innovations.

In the 70’s and 80’s, Formula One was a hotbed of technological development. Many of the features that are standard on most cars today were proven effective in Formula One racing. Traction control system, fuel injection and carbon brakes are common technologies that all came from the rigorous world of Formula One.

Of course, it was not a smooth road for any of these innovations. When these technologies were adopted in F1, they were new and presented numerous performance issues. Many teams struggled to make the technology work and often introduced new designs and specifications at every race.

This glowing orange hot exhaust manifold shows just how hot exhaust temps can get in Formula 1

Exhaust Manifold Design

The exhaust manifold on the typical 2.4L Formula 1 V8 is subjected to tremendous stress. Consider the following:

• Peak RPM on a 2009 F1 race engine was upwards of 19,000RPM. That means that each cylinder is exhausting spent fuel and air 158 times per second…that’s a lot of exhaust gas. Read more