Photo by Morio – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52085996

Exploring Aerodynamics in Modern F1 Ferrari SF16-H

The Rise of Vortex Management (2016 Era)

The mid-2010s marked a turning point in Formula 1 aerodynamics. By around 2016, teams had pushed airflow management to extraordinary levels of sophistication, relying heavily on vortices to control how air moved around the car. Compared to earlier eras, such as the 90s from the previous blog post, this period saw a dramatic increase in geometric complexity, with intricate surfaces designed not just to generate downforce directly, but to shape and energise airflow across the entire vehicle.

A compelling example of this philosophy can be seen in the Ferrari SF16-H, which embodied many of the aerodynamic trends of its time.

The Shift Towards Aerodynamic Complexity

Earlier F1 cars relied more on relatively simple wings and diffusers to generate downforce. By contrast, 2016-era cars featured highly detailed aerodynamic appendages, each with a precise role in manipulating airflow.

Elements such as front wing strakes, endplates, turning vanes, floor strakes, and bargeboards were no longer isolated components. Instead, they formed a coordinated aerodynamic system designed to generate and control vortices, (rotating structures of air that act as invisible tools for airflow management).

These vortices became essential for:

• Managing turbulent wake from the front wheels
• Preventing low-energy airflow from reaching critical downforce-generating regions
• Enhancing the efficiency of downstream aerodynamic surfaces

Vortices as Aerodynamic Tools

In simple terms, a vortex is a rotating flow structure with a low-pressure core. This low pressure is fundamental to its aerodynamic usefulness. When positioned effectively, vortices can pull airflow into desired regions, keep it attached to surfaces, and prevent flow separation.

In 2016 Formula 1 cars, vortices served two major purposes:

Flow Conditioning

Vortices guide airflow around disruptive areas, particularly the front wheels, which generate significant turbulence. By controlling this flow, teams can protect sensitive aerodynamic regions further downstream.

Direct Downforce Contribution

The low-pressure core of a vortex can reduce pressure on nearby surfaces, effectively increasing downforce.

The Importance of Managing the Y250 Vortex

Generating the Y250 vortex is only part of the challenge, controlling and sustaining it is where performance is truly defined.

Teams carefully designed the front wing geometry to:

• Tune the strength of the vortex
• Preserve its stability over distance
• Control its position relative to the car

If the vortex is too weak, it cannot effectively manage turbulent wake. If it becomes unstable, it may break down prematurely, leading to unpredictable airflow and a loss of aerodynamic efficiency.

Because of this, the Y250 vortex acts as a foundational element in the aerodynamic architecture of the car, influencing how effectively the entire package performs.

Vortices and Underfloor Performance

One of the most powerful applications of vortices is in enhancing underfloor aerodynamics, which is a primary contributor to total downforce in modern F1 cars.

The mechanism is straightforward:

• The vortex core creates a localised low-pressure region
• This reduces pressure along the underfloor surface
• Lower pressure translates directly into increased aerodynamic load

In addition to this, vortices play a crucial role in “sealing” the edges of the floor, limiting the intrusion of higher-pressure air from outside the car. This helps maintain a strong pressure gradient under the car, which is essential for efficient downforce generation.

The Role of the Diffuser

At the rear of the car, the diffuser is responsible for expanding and accelerating the airflow exiting the underfloor, further reducing pressure and increasing downforce. However, its performance is highly sensitive to airflow quality.

To enhance this process, 2016-era cars, (including the Ferrari SF16-H), featured diffuser strakes (vertical fins within the diffuser geometry). These strakes serve multiple aerodynamic purposes:

• They help guide and organise airflow through the diffuser
• They generate streamwise vortices, which energise the flow and delay separation
• These vortices improve the diffuser’s ability to operate at higher expansion ratios without stalling

As a result, the combination of underfloor vortices and diffuser-generated vortices creates a more robust and efficient low-pressure region beneath the car, significantly enhancing overall downforce.

Conclusion

By 2016, Formula 1 aerodynamics had evolved into a discipline defined by precision and flow control. Cars like the Ferrari SF16-H illustrate how teams moved beyond simply generating downforce, instead focusing on managing airflow as a highly interconnected system.

Vortices became central to this philosophy, serving not only as tools for airflow control but also as direct contributors to performance. The Y250 vortex, in particular, highlights how a single flow structure can influence the behaviour of the entire car.

However, as discussed in a previous post, this surge in aerodynamic complexity and particularly the sidewash of the wake came with a significant drawback. The reliance on highly managed, sensitive airflow structures meant that cars suffered substantial losses in downforce when following another car closely.

This challenge ultimately played a key role in shaping the sport’s direction, leading to a new set of regulations aimed at improving racing. The shift placed greater emphasis on ground-effect aerodynamics, designed to produce more robust and less wake-sensitive downforce.

In the next post, we will explore the 2022 regulation changes and how this return to ground effect fundamentally altered the way teams generate and manage aerodynamic performance.

Start at the begining with the F1 Porsche 804 Aerodynamic →​