'Rarified' Air

By Scuderia Toro Rosso
September 27 2007

A new circut brings interesting new quaestions and one of those qusetions about Mount Fuji concerns altitude and air. The Fuji Speedway circut is located halfway a mountain at 580 meters above sea level. This means the air is thinner up here which has two entirely different effects on an F1 car.

Because the air is thinner, the engines struggle to 'breathe' and will therefore make less power than they would do at other tracks. However, then thin air also means there is less drag on the car, which can roll through the air more easily, thus making the aero package more efficient.

Therefore, the unanswered question is this: With the engines down on power, will the cars STILL be quicker because of the loss of drag than if the whole circut was moved down to sea level?

Maybe we will have an answer for you after tomorrow's practice sessions.