Optimisation
Due to the complexity of a Formula 1 car, engineers/developers generally make adjustments or improvements to the vehicle one step at a time. Due to the costs, time and man hours needed to complete such a task, it is important that these processes are optimised. This means getting the largest results from the smallest changes.
When considering such changes, the effects of the development of a single part on the whole system can be predicted via Amdahl's Law:
Amdahl's Law
Named after computer scientist Gene Amdahl, his law gives a prediction of the improvement to a whole system when only one part is changed. Despite being developed for computational improvement, Formula 1 teams use this to calculate the best configuration for specific tracks, mainly working out the best ratio’s between drag (minimised for tracks with long straights) and downforce (maximised for high corner tracks).
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Most tracks have a variety of straights and corners, so simulations are conducted using Amdahl’s Law to find the most efficient configuration.
A Figure giving an example of Amdahl’s Law. This shows how even when 95% of a system is improved, the maximum speed up of the entire system, in this scenario, is 20%.