Tech Heads F1 Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome back to the Tech Heads F1 Podcast. Firstly a word of apology. This episode was recorded under an ambitious schedule with the intention of being released during the Spanish GP weekend, but was pushed back due to the extremely busy nature of the race build up and the Grand Prix itself. Nevertheless, the Tech Heads team had a fantastic conversation about the Monaco GP race weekend and the tech developments revealed by crashes, as well as covering the Indy500 and the track changes for Spain. One benefit of a late episode is knowing if our pre-race predictions were right! (hint, about Ferrari they were). Please enjoy this latest episode, and we will cover technical developments from the Spanish GP in Episode 20.

Time Codes:

(00:00:00) - Start

(00:01:10) - Yellow Flag Scare in F2 Race

(00:03:20) - Monaco Qualifying

(00:06:18) - Monaco Race

(00:09:54) - Monaco Technical Upgrades

(00:12:22) - Mercedes W14B Upgrade

(00:19:58) - Monaco Floor Parade

(00:32:06) - Negative Rake & Analyzing Plank Wear

(00:42:31) - Spain Circuit Changes

(00:50:15) - Indy500 & Kirkwood Crash

(00:55:14) - Speedy Recovery Stef Wilson

(00:59:27) - Listener Questions

Hosts:

Bryson Sullivan (@NaturalParadigm)

Dr. Obbs (@dr_obbs)

Molly O. (@mollym_o)

Tech Heads F1 Socials:

Twitter: @TechHeadsF1

Instagram: @TechHeadsF1

Welcome back to the Tech Heads F1 Podcast. This week we are joined by IndyCar driver, STEM advocate, and all around interesting character, JR Hildebrand. JR has driven everything under the sun from IndyCars to F1 cars, competitive drift machines, Pike's Peak cars, rally cars, and even land speed record machines at the Bonneville Salt Flats. JR is the host of The Race IndyCar Podcast, and adjunct lecturer at Stanford University, and an advocate for STEM education using motorsports as a way to teach students about engineering and science. Based on years of first hand experience, JR gives unique insights into aerodynamic development in spec racing series and what it takes to drive a race car at 240 mph. He also gives his thoughts on the dramatic qualifying from the Miami GP and what F1 can learn from IndyCar (and vice versa). We think this was a great episode, we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it!

Time Codes:

(00:00) Intro

(01:37) Welcome JR and Motorsport Background

(03:54) JR's Force India Test

(08:34) Miami GP Qualifying Reaction

(11:29) Driver-to-Driver: Absolute Commitment

(19:38) Most Memorable Racing Experience? (Pike's Peak & Bonneville)

(27:47) Biggest Misconceptions About Non-F1 Racing Series

(35:29) Philosophy of Motorsport (Designing Regulations)

(39:55) Adopting IndyCar Compound Rules in F1

(46:35) P2P vs DRS & Red Flag Rules

(51:08) The Shadow Development Wars

(58:31) Aero Development In Spec Series

(01:03:06) Wall Proximity Aerodynamics

(01:07:16) The Four Corners of IMS Are Not Identical

(01:10:12) Aero Preview of the Indy500 (New Parts for 2023)

The Race IndyCar Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-race-indycar-podcast/id1562111488?uo=4

https://open.spotify.com/show/4eOLGE5C4CDMeYhYFrZGbm

Welcome back to the Tech Heads F1 Podcast! This week Bryson and Molly are joined by Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports driver and 2020 World Champion Marcel Kiefer. Marcel began his professional racing career in 2017, finishing 5th in the Esports standings in 2018 and 6th in 2019. He began driving for Oracle Red Bull Racing in 2020 finishing 3rd in the drivers championship, in the process helping Red Bull to secure the 2020 F1 Esports Team Championship. As a professional sim racing driver, Marcel pulls back the curtain on what the world of F1 Esports is really like, revealing technical details far more complex and nuanced than one might expect. We cover a range of topics including a Brazil wrap-up, fixing Sprint Races, how Marcel got into sim racing (Max Verstappen is involved), finding laptime at the extreme edge of the performance, and advice for new/experienced sim racers. We really enjoyed this one, massive thanks to Marcel for stopping by!!

Brazil Qualifying and Sprint Recap - (2:36)
How To Fix Sprint Races in F1 - (7:45)
Esports Drivers Faster Than F1 Drivers?- (10:22)
Key Differences Between Sim Racing and Real Driving - (13:49)
How Marcel Got Into F1 and Esports - (17:36)
The Importance of The Right Sim Equipment - (24:09)
Optimal Car Setup Theory - (28:15)
Working With (Real F1) Race Engineers - (36:53)
How The Incredibly Fast Get Even Faster - (39:05)
Fear Factor and Driving on The Limit - (43:32)
Esports As A Meritocracy and Avenues Into Real Racing - (46:45)
Physics Differences Between F1 Games - (54:20)
Marcel's Advice for Novice and Advanced Sim Racers - (1:01:37)

Hosts:
Bryson Sullivan (@NaturalParadigm)
Dr. Obbs (@dr_obbs)
Molly Oxner (@mollym_o)

Guest:
Marcel Kiefer (@marcelkiefer_)

Welcome back to the Tech Heads F1 Podcast! Bryson and Molly are fresh from the US Grand Prix and joined in the Tech Heads studio by Dr. Obbs and Blake aka Brrrake, former F1 Performance and Simulator Performance Engineer. Blake has worked at Force India, Red Bull Racing, and the likes of Paul DiResta, Sergio Perez, Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen. In this episode we recap Blake, Bryson, and Molly's time at COTA, Blake's storied and what he would call "fraudulent" F1 career, insights to performance engineering, what it is, and how to engineer an F1 car, a typical weekend in a trackside role, working in the simulator, the Dark Art of tyre science, and the wild/controversial tech teams brought to the track for COTA and Mexico City. In this weeks "Tech Focus" segment Molly talks about the role of AI and Machine Learning in calling the strategy of races. We talk about THAT NASCAR finish, and answer listener questions. This episode was a ton of fun to record and we think you'll have just as much fun listening to it! This Texas sized episode is filled to the brim with incredible F1 insight and F1/non-F1 racing tech. You wont want to miss it!! 

COTA Rewind - (2:14)
What Makes COTA So Great - (9:41)
How Did Blake Get Into F1? - (11:04)
A Trackside Perfermance Engineer's Role - (13:07)
What Can You Actually Infer About Another Car From Telemetry? - (15:35)
How An Engineer Uses Data to Improve Performance - (19:56)
The Dark Art of Tyre Science - (23:32)
Working With F1 Drivers - (27:27)
Objectively Evaluating Race Strategy - (33:11)
Working With Track Aerodynamicists - (40:28)
Reynolds Number and High Altitude Effects - (48:20)
Curved Wind Tunnel Walls Won't Save You! - (51:19)
Transitioning To A Simulator Performance Engineer - (53:40)
How Accurate Are Simulators? How Do You Update Them? - (57:47)
Where To Find Brrrake - (1:05:35)
Tech Focus: AI & Machine Learning for Race Strategy - (1:08:12)
Listener Questions! - (1:16:34)

Hosts:
Bryson Sullivan (@NaturalParadigm)
Dr. Obbs (@dr_obbs)
Molly Oxner (@mollym_o)

Guest:
Blake Hinsey (@brrrake)

Listener Links:
Pit Rho Clip for pit crew not listening to the model.
https://t.co/xOdLxTlzEV    - Clip is 8 mins shows the team following and then not following the model link will take you directly to the start of the NASCAR clip

Ross Chastain wall-ride
https://us.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/ross-chastain-wall-riding-playoffs-hamlin-martinsville/10393087/

VLC Player On the Pit Wall?
https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/8j60gs/if_you_ever_wondered_what_software_they_use_on_a/

Bottas Crash Due To Rear Wing Stall (Reynolds Number)
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/bottas-reveals-rear-wing-stall-caused-massive-scare/653909/

How wind affects race cars visual examples in 2 minutes or less:
https://www.tiktok.com/@abunchofredf1ags/video/7108153267862981930

What an awesome opportunity, this week we speak with IndyCar driver and STEM advocate Dalton Kellett! In addition to the prestige of competing in one of the premiere open wheel racing series in the world, Dalton is passionate about engineering/technology and works to share his knowledge and insights to motorsports fans at large. In this episode we discuss the origins of his love for racing, his experience with Formula SAE at Queen's University, wearing multiple hats as an engineer/racing driver, tech insights into car setup, and what it's really like to drive an IndyCar on the limit. Thank you for joining us in the studio Dalton, we really enjoyed this conversation!

Dalton Kellett Intro (2:20)
How Dalton Got Into Racing (4:08)
Formula SAE Experiences (8:40)
Wearing Multiple Hats As An Engineer/Driver (16:52)
Working With Race Engineers on Feedback/Setup (19:35)
Tuning Brake Bias & Center of Pressure (24:57)
Making the Difference in a Spec Series (29:54)
Hybrid Power Implications for IndyCar (31:22)
A Quick Review on Sprung and Unsprung Mass (38:24)
Preparing for a Race Weekend (41:46)
Dalton's Favorite Circuits and Track Evolution (46:51)
No Power Steering in IndyCar - Hang On!!! (53:00)
Superlicense System and Andretti's F1 Hurdles (58:10)
The Future of IndyCar (1:05:07)

Hosts:
Tech Heads F1 Podcast (@TechHeadsF1)
Bryson Sullivan (@NaturalParadigm)
Dr Obbs. (@dr_obbs)
Molly Oxner (@mollym_o)

Guest:
Dalton Kellett (@Dalton_Kellett)

AJ Foyt Racing
https://www.foytracing.com/

Welcome back to the Tech Heads F1 podcast! This week Bryson and Molly sit down with engineer and technical maven Mirco Bartolozzi, better known as @F1DataAnalysis. When Mirco isn't developing complex vehicle dynamics models a PhD student, he spends his time performing analysis on the data generated by Formula 1 and helping to explain its most complex aspects in a clear, intelligible way. We begin our discussion with how Mirco first discovered his passion for motorsport and what makes F1 so unique for fans of a technical bent. We proceed to cover a wide range of other topics, including data driven performance estimation, kinematics for non-engineers, reverse-Ackermann steering and the full solution to a clever conceptual problem Mirco posted on Twitter recently. This was such a great conversation, we hope you enjoy it!

Mirco Bartolozzi Intro (1:32)
Local Analysis & What Makes F1 Unique (4:05)
Data-Driven Car Performance Estimation Data (6:56)
Integer Tricks and Numerical Differentiation (11:39)
Kinematic Relationships for Non-Engineers (19:11)
An Excellent Conceptual Exercise w/ Full Solution (25:25)
The Most Powerful Part of an F1 Car (Spoiler: It's The Brakes) (38:06)
Reverse-Ackermann Steering is Amazing (47:36)
Strengths & Weaknesses of Each F1 Team (55:40)
Convex Hulls and Bounding Polygons (1:03:05)
Using RPM+Speed Data To Compute Gear Ratios (1:06:50)
Where To Find Mirco (1:12:59)

Hosts:
Bryson Sullivan (@NaturalParadigm)
Dr Obbs (@dr_obbs)
Molly Oxner (@mollym_o)

Tech Heads F1 Podcast Twitter Page:
@TechHeadsF1

Invited Guest:
Mirco Bartolozzi (@F1DataAnalysis)
Mirco's BMaC page: https://t.co/r6fSTQIo0J

References:

"Which Car Has The Greatest Deceleration?"
https://twitter.com/F1DataAnalysis/status/1574438327821819909?s=20&t=IlJp4o0JjR35Y14ac7gv4A

"The Most Powerful Part of an F1 Car"
https://twitter.com/F1DataAnalysis/status/1572974774195830788?s=20&t=IlJp4o0JjR35Y14ac7gv4A

"Computing Gear Ratios"
https://twitter.com/F1DataAnalysis/status/1573995710323761152?s=20&t=IlJp4o0JjR35Y14ac7gv4A

"Reverse-Ackermann Steering Geometry"
https://twitter.com/F1DataAnalysis/status/1530865389583966208?s=20&t=73JvSZnjIsOWVr54WKkYQQ

"Example of a Convex Hull Bounding Acceleration Data"
https://twitter.com/F1DataAnalysis/status/1561293914891501569?s=20&t=l5-RDKowF1kVYMoMIRTzNA

Welcome back to another episode of the Tech Heads F1 Podcast! Bryson and Dr. Obbs officially welcome Molly Oxner as the third co-host to the show, and we we commemorate the occasion with a very special guest joining the studio for Episode 5. Few individuals in the F1 Tech space are as prolific and well-versed as our invited guest, Craig Scarborough aka Scarbs F1. Despite not formally being trained as an engineer, illustrator, or journalist Scarbs has nevertheless managed to excel at all three, becoming one of the foremost experts in the field through a long career of studying, writing, and teaching others about the wonderful world of Formula 1 technology. When not explaining complex mechanical and aerodynamic concepts through detailed threads and articles online, Craig provides technical analysis for Formula 1 on it's very popular F1TV Tech Talk program. In this week's episode, Scarbs sits down to give some insight into how F1 became his passion (along with aircraft), while we discuss in detail some key topics, including his thoughts on the 2022 season thus far, suspension tricks and compromises without gas springs or inerters, how F1 gearboxes work, and what to get excited about in 2026 and beyond. This was a great discussion, we hope you enjoy!

Scarbs F1 Background (2:11)
The Making of an F1 Technical Expert (3:54)
Favorite Innovations of 2022 So Far (7:00)
Abstract Problem Solving in F1 (10:34)
2023 Wing Mirrors and Rear View Cameras (11:38)
Technical Developments for Monza (15:47)
Suspension: Tricks and Compromises in 2022 (19:52)
The Allure of Active Suspension (27:47)
How F1 Gearboxes Work (31:25)
The Dark Art of Tyre Warm-Up (40:35)
Optional Rear Brakes and Active Aero in 2026? (50:20)
F1 Safety Improvements Resulting from Zhou's Silverstone Crash (57:40)

Hosts:
Bryson Sullivan (@NaturalParadigm)
Dr. Obbs (@dr_obbs)
Molly Oxner (@mollym_o)

Invited Guest(s)
Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech)

Notes & References:

"3D Printed F1 Seamless Shifting Gearbox - Part 1"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfx-vCVJx7Y

Driver61 video on F1 Gearboxes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bChciv9_BuQ

"Keeping Track Of Porpoising | F1 TV Tech Talk"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeQ3yC7Du8A

"What Scarbs thinks of the new F1 engine regs by Peter Windsor"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nL7e17TUFQ

"Did the Roll Hoop FAIL in Zhou's Crash?" (Driver61)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpNO1wgUfmY

In Episode 4 of the Tech Heads F1 Podcast, co-hosts Bryson Sullivan and Dr. Obbs are joined by Juan Manzanero (aka @fastestlap_f1), an extremely talented engineer and author of the excellent "Fastest Lap" open source lap time simulation software. With Juan as our guide, we explore the technical nuances of vehicle dynamics and optimal lap time simulation, covering G-G plots, brake balance and bias, tyre load sensitivity, and what goes into calculating driver inputs for a theoretically perfect lap. In this week's "Tech Focus" segment, we talk exhaust blown floors from the 2012 season, how teams exploited the Coandă effect to recover the downforce lost from the removal of exhaust blown diffusers, and we answer listener questions. This is a longer episode, but it's absolutely packed with quality F1 Tech content we think you won’t want to miss, enjoy!

Segments:

Episode Introduction (0:53)
What We Like About Juan (1:21)
Brake Balance and Bias (3:20)
Who is Juan Manzanero? (7:37)
What Makes Simulation Essential (11:14)
G-G Diagrams (14:28)
Simulations for Race Car Setup and Balance (18:52)
Using Simultions for Set-Up Work (33:56)
Tyre Load Sensitivity and Tyre Grip (35:49)
Theoretically-Optimal Lap Time calculation (46:36)
Fastest-Lap Software and Where to Find Juan (56:12)
Tech Focus:  Exhaust blown floors (59:14)
Listener Questions (1:05:00)

Episode References & Links:

Fastest-Lap GitHub Repo
https://github.com/juanmanzanero/fastest-lap

Juan’s Medium.com Page
https://medium.com/@fastestlap

Wiki on Frenet Frames
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frenet%E2%80%93Serret_formulas

IPOPT Optimization Software
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPOPT

Fast-F1 Documenation
https://theoehrly.github.io/Fast-F1/

Mirco (@F1 Data Analysis)
https://twitter.com/F1DataAnalysis

Wavey Dynamics - Lap Time Simulation Primer
https://www.waveydynamics.com/post/lap-time-simulation

The Coanda Effect and Why Wings Work (Raskin):
https://www.karmak.org/archive/2003/02/coanda_effect.html

Episode 3 of the Tech Heads F1 Podcast dives deeper into the world of motorsport aerodynamics with a very special guest! Bryson and Dr Obbs are joined by former Audi aerodynamicist and Force India/Racing Point aero design engineer Martin Buchan, otherwise known as the legendary B-Sport. Martin is well known for his insightful YouTube videos on the aerodynamics of Formula 1, prototypes, and endurance racing cars. We discuss technical details of the differences between designing aerodynamics for road cars versus F1 cars, the 2022 aero regulations for wake control, the importance of the floor edge design, and the (many) tricks teams have employed in service of aero development during the cost cap. Martin also shares some humorous stories about real-world aero developments in F1, and creative ways in which a person can improve their chances of being noticed in the industry. We enjoyed this conversation so much, this is an episode you won't want to miss!

Sections:

What makes B-Sport great (1:40)

Technical insights into the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix (3:52)

How Martin got into motorsports (6:33)

Passenger car aero vs. race car aero (9:30)

2022 regulations and F1 wake influence (16:00)

Aero development hacks under the cost cap (23:39)

Gurney Flaps and the Kutta Condition (26:39) 

Floor edges and their importance in F1 (28:15)

The aero of Martin's favorite cars (32:58)

A meditation on F-ducts (37:50)

Key technical resources for learning motorsport aerodynamics (42:45)

Buchan Motorsport Services (47:36)

Hosts:

Bryson Sullivan (@NaturalParadign)

Dr. Obbs (@dr_obbs)

Special Guest:

B-Sport (@B_sport320)

Buchan Motorsport Homepage

https://www.buchanmotorsport.com/about

Reference Links:

B-Sport on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/c/BSport320

"F1 2022 - Floor Expansion - EXPLAINED" by B-Sport

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HBhDVpwbfU&t=5s

“Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles,” by Wolf Heinrich Hucho

https://www.amazon.com/Aerodynamics-Road-Vehicles-Engineering-Proceedings/dp/0768000297

"How to Build a Car," by Adrian Newey

https://www.amazon.com/How-Build-Car-Autobiography-Greatest/dp/000819680X

Racecar Engineering article on F-Ducts:

https://www.racecar-engineering.com/tech-explained/f-ducts-how-do-they-work-f1-2010-formula-one-technology/

In Episode 2 of the Tech Heads F1 Podcast, Bryson Sullivan and Dr. Obbs are joined by a special guest to talk through the recently released 2026 power unit technical regulations. Molly Oxner, a powertrain engineer at an OEM, joins the Tech Heads studio for a deep dive into both the good and bad of the new regulations for 2026. We also explore TD039 and the upcoming 2023 technical regulations, which feature some nuanced changes to the floor regulation boxes. We discuss the theory and applications of inerters/J-dampers in this week’s Tech Focus, and how they might have potentially improved the early season porpoising issues seen in 2022. Finally, we answer listener questions in a new recurring segment. What’s our verdict on the changes to the technical regulations? Listen to Episode 2 to find out!

Show Segments:

Episode Introduction (0:33)

Tying up some loose ends (CFD & Testing Hierarchy) (2:11)

Updated 2023 technical regulations & Plank Flexing (3:53)

New floor edge testing (10:07)

Diffuser Throat Changes (12:56)

2026 PU Technical Regulations (23:34)

Energy Recovery System (26:39)

Turbo’s and Intake (37:14)

Tech Focus: Inerters/J-Dampers (53:00)

Listener Questions (58:50)

Notes:

Stripping the Dipping Interview w/ Olabode George Brown:

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy84Njk3YjQ4Yy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/MGFmMDE1MmQtYWYwNC00YjMwLWJlYjEtMDQ0NmY0MDFhMWJk?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwio38mZqeL5AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQLA

Motorsport.com Article on 2023 Technical Regulations:

https://us.motorsport.com/f1/news/new-f1-technical-rules-for-2023-why-keep-changing/10354917/

Motorsport.com Article on 2026 Technical Regulations:

https://us.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-finalises-2026-formula-1-engine-regulations/10353603/

Technical Articles on Inerters/J-Dampers:

https://www.f1technical.net/features/10586

https://www.racecar-engineering.com/articles/f1/understanding-the-j-damper/

https://www.formula1-dictionary.net/j-damper.html

The Tech Heads F1 Podcast:

Twitter: @techheadsf1

Email: techheadsf1pod@gmail.com

Hosts:

Bryson Sullivan

Twitter: @NaturalParadigm

BMaC: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/naturalparadigm

Dr. Obbs

Twitter: @dr_obbs

Special Guest Molly Oxner:

TikTok: @abunchofredf1ags

Twitter: @mollym_o