Physics: How Mechanics Defy Gravity

Note: The following article was written by Roselt Thavarobert Year 9.

We all stand in awe of the speed that track cars like the Bugatti Bolide, F1 cars, and others can achieve through corners. These machines seem to break the rules of physics. They don’t. Instead, engineers work with the laws of physics to turn air into a force. This force keeps the cars glued to the track, allowing them to take corners at speeds that feel impossible.

Downforce

To understand how a hypercar corners at extreme speeds, you need to start with how an airplane flies. An airplane’s wings are shaped so that air moves faster over the top than under the bottom. This difference in speed creates lift, pushing the plane upward. Engineers took this idea and did the opposite: they shaped car wings to push air upward, creating downforce that pushes the car down onto the track. For example, the Aston Martin Valkyrie generates downforce greater than its own weight. That pressure keeps the tires firmly planted on the road, giving the grip needed to go through corners at high speeds.

Drag vs. Speed

Downforce helps with cornering, but there’s a catch. Pushing through the air creates a lot of resistance. Air acts like a fluid: when you move fast, the air fights back, slowing you down. The faster you go, the harder the air pushes back. This is called drag.

To solve this, engineers use active aerodynamics. If you look at hypercars, their wings aren’t fixed. On a straightaway, the rear spoiler flattens out. This is called a Drag Reduction System (DRS), which reduces air resistance and lets the car go faster. The moment the driver brakes for a corner, the wing flips up into a sharp angle and becomes an airbrake. The air itself acts like a brake, slowing the car down instantly. This switch happens in a fraction of a second, making the car responsive and safe.

Vacuum

The most impressive engineering often happens where you can’t see it—underneath the car. The bottom of a hypercar is filled with hidden channels known as Venturi tunnels. These tunnels are shaped to accelerate the air moving underneath the car. According to Bernoulli’s principle, faster-moving air drops in pressure, creating a low-pressure zone. The air above the car remains at higher atmospheric pressure and pushes down. This pressure difference acts like a vacuum, sucking the car to the track as if it were glued to the surface. This effect, combined with aerodynamic downforce, makes the car feel like it’s defying gravity, even though it’s simply using physics to stay planted on the ground.

In conclusion, engineers use a vast amount of physics and mathematics to build hypercars capable of taking corners at lightning speeds while staying stuck to the ground.