F1 aerodynamics: A simple guide using a world championship winning car

Aerodynamics is one of the key technical areas of Formula 1 and next season, with new rules, it is set to become more important again, as the influence of the power units diminishes.

So what are F1 engineers trying to achieve with aerodynamics? How does the air flow over, under and around an F1 car work? And what percentage of the downforce is generated by the various parts of the car?

Here in our second installment of our latest 60 second insights series, Paddy Lowe, the technical boss of the Mercedes F1 team explains the basics you need to know.

Paddy is one of the judges in the 2016 F1 Connectivity Innovation Prize, F1's crowdsourcing challenge, which seeks to pose real world F1 problems to tech minded fans to get closer to the sport by contributing solutions. The first challenge of 2016 ends tomorrow (Friday).

The response so far has been very positive, especially from fans in the USA and the UK; but there's still time to get involved.

It is a Virtual Reality challenge that calls on tech enthusiasts to develop a solution that uses VR and AR to enable fans at home to experience a Grand Prix virtually. The solution should allow fans who are not at the live event to immerse themselves all areas into the exhilarating world of F1 – from the pit lane and the Formula One Paddock Club, to the drivers’ parade and the starting grid formation.

The second challenge will be set by Paddy and the Mercedes F1 team in July.