The 2026 Formula One regulations introduce two coupled changes that matter for lap time: movable wings that let the car choose a low drag mode on the straights and a high downforce mode in the corners, and a larger 350~kW electric motor whose deployable power is reduced by a speed dependent rampdown. The two are coupled because choosing low drag raises speed and pushes the car into the band where its own electric deploy is taken away. This paper develops a reusable minimum lap time optimal control tool that schedules the aerodynamic mode and the electric deploy and harvest together, and anchors the result to real 2026 data. Three vehicle models of increasing fidelity are used: a point mass, a dynamic model that resolves load transfer onto four individual tyres, and a transient single track model that carries the yaw rate and the body sideslip as states so that corner entry rotation is computed rather than assumed. The racing line is not prescribed; it is derived as a free state across the true width of each track, bounded by the real track limits rather than the painted edge. The problem is solved by direct collocation in curvilinear coordinates using CasADi and IPOPT, with the numerical error held below 0.1 percent. Rather than tuning grip so the lap matches the pole, the car is calibrated to its demonstrated capability: drag from the real top speed, grip from the real corner speed, power fixed at the regulation values. The calibrated model matches real 2026 qualifying poles to within 0.17 percent. The optimal lap sits within a few percent of the pole but several seconds under median race pace, the value of the electric system is strongly circuit dependent because of the rampdown, and the quasi steady assumption is found to be optimistic by two to nine percent.
Ashray· Zenodo (CERN European Organi...· 0 citations
The 2026 Formula One regulations introduce two coupled changes that matter for lap time: movable wings that let the car choose a low drag mode on the straights and a high downforce mode in the corners, and a larger 350~kW electric motor whose deployable power is reduced by a speed dependent rampdown. The two are coupled because choosing low drag raises speed and pushes the car into the band where its own electric deploy is taken away. This paper develops a reusable minimum lap time optimal control tool that schedules the aerodynamic mode and the electric deploy and harvest together, and anchors the result to real 2026 data. Three vehicle models of increasing fidelity are used: a point mass, a dynamic model that resolves load transfer onto four individual tyres, and a transient single track model that carries the yaw rate and the body sideslip as states so that corner entry rotation is computed rather than assumed. The racing line is not prescribed; it is derived as a free state across the true width of each track, bounded by the real track limits rather than the painted edge. The problem is solved by direct collocation in curvilinear coordinates using CasADi and IPOPT, with the numerical error held below 0.1 percent. Rather than tuning grip so the lap matches the pole, the car is calibrated to its demonstrated capability: drag from the real top speed, grip from the real corner speed, power fixed at the regulation values. The calibrated model matches real 2026 qualifying poles to within 0.17 percent. The optimal lap sits within a few percent of the pole but several seconds under median race pace, the value of the electric system is strongly circuit dependent because of the rampdown, and the quasi steady assumption is found to be optimistic by two to nine percent.
Ashray· Zenodo (CERN European Organi...· 0 citations
