Formula 1 cars run with pretty much rock-solid suspension, but what would happen if they removed it all together? Well, back in 1980 Williams tried it out.

They literally swapped out the springs and shocks with solid members. But what was crazy, was that it appeared to gain them performance.


But how can a car go faster without any suspension, what made it work, and why did the concept never make it to Formula 1?

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First, let’s briefly explain how suspension works, and how it allows a race car to maximize its performance on a track.

Now, we know the size of a tyre’s contact patch is critical for grip during cornering, accelerating and braking.

The more rubber that’s in contact with the ground, the more grip the tyre can generate.

When a car hits a bump in the tarmac, it undergoes a vertical change in momentum.

If the wheels are rigidly attached to the body, they will follow this body movement and the tyre surface would leave the ground, or at the very least lose full contact.

This would lead to a momentary loss of grip and unpredictable handling over bumps.

An example of this is when a stiffly set-up F1 car brakes hard into a bumpy braking zone, and the tyres unload over the bumps and the brakes lock up.

This is where a great suspension setup really matters, being stiff enough to allow for good changes in directions - whilst also absorbing the bumps.

In most race cars, the wheels are connected to the body by wishbones, which are able to articulate up and down with a minimal change in wheel geometry.

The mass of the car is then supported by springs and dampers.

When the car goes over a bump, the spring compresses to absorb the bump on impact, and then the spring forces the tyre back on the ground after the bump.

The dampers control these forces of compression and rebound, and prevent the car from continuing to oscillate on its springs after the bump.

Suspension, therefore, allows the wheels to move independently of the car’s body and follow the contours of the track surface for maximum tyre contact, and grip, at all times.

And as we explained in this video, the engineering that goes into Formula 1


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