01 · Power Unit
V6 Turbo‑Hybrid
A 1.6 L, 90° V6 turbocharged internal‑combustion engine paired with a single turbocharger and the MGU‑K electric motor‑generator, which sits directly on the crankshaft and can either deploy stored energy or harvest it under braking.
Neutral
2026 regs: the exhaust‑driven MGU‑H has been removed. The MGU‑K alone now handles energy recovery and roughly triples its output, moving the ICE/electric split close to 50:50 — but without the MGU‑H actively spinning it, the turbo spools up more slowly (visible turbo lag).
02 · Drivetrain
Differential
A bevel‑gear differential lets the two driven wheels rotate at different speeds while still sharing torque from a single input shaft — essential once the outer wheel has to travel further than the inner wheel through a corner.
Set cornering bias to 0 and the two spider (planet) gears just orbit without spinning on their own pin — no speed difference needed. Push the slider either way and they start rotating on the pin, feeding extra speed to the outer wheel and taking it from the inner one. Note: real F1 differentials are multi‑plate limited‑slip units, but they're built around this same bevel‑gear principle.
03 · Chassis
Steering Geometry
F1 cars steer with the front wheels only, through a rack‑and‑pinion system — there is no four‑wheel steering. The rack is pushed sideways, tie‑rods pull each wheel's steering arm, and Ackermann geometry makes the inner wheel turn a sharper angle than the outer one.
The thin lines from each front wheel meet at the turn centre on the extended rear‑axle line — that convergence is the definition of correct Ackermann geometry. Wheelbase and track are set to roughly current F1 proportions (≈3.6 m / 1.6 m) purely to get realistic‑looking angles.
04 · Chassis
Suspension — Damped Oscillator
Each corner behaves like a mass on a spring and damper: m·x″ + c·x′ + k·x = F(t). The spring stores energy and resists compression; the damper bleeds energy off so the car settles instead of bouncing forever.
ζ < 1 rings before settling (underdamped), ζ = 1 returns fastest without ringing (critical), ζ > 1 returns slowly without ringing (overdamped). Real F1 dampers are tuned well underdamped so the tyre can follow the track surface instead of being locked rigid.