Why do F1 cars run flow-vis paint and aero rakes in testing?
You’ll often see F1 cars testing with bright paint streaks down the sides and big metal grates on the back, but what are these and what do they do?
Formula 1 teams use pre-season testing to extract as much data as possible via various methods -including flow-visualisation paint and aerodynamic rakes.
Both play a key role in every pre-season test – plus some in-season free practice sessions – as teams attempt to learn more about aerodynamic performance.
This year will be no different with F1’s 2024 pre-season test on 21-23 February at the Bahrain International Circuit, which also hosts the year’s opening grand prix on 2 March.
Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C43, with aero paint applied
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
What is flow-vis paint on an F1 car?
Flow-vis is the brightly-coloured paint spread across an F1 car’s body part used in pre-season testing or in free practice sessions.
The paint is formed by mixing a fluorescent powder with what’s usually paraffin oil and gets applied to a certain car part when a driver is set to leave