Uploaded April 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
It's often said that if a car can generate its own weight in downforce then it can drive upside down on the ceiling of a tunnel. But cars also need traction to maintain their speed...
This video uses a simple online upside down driving simulator to explore what's REALLY needed to drive upside down. A Formula One car can do it, but can any other cars pull off the same trick?
You can play with the simulator here: oview.co.uk/f1-inverted
and get the code here: github.com/ChrisBLong/f1-inverted
Have fun with it, and please leave a comment with your thoughts!
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Links to other videos and stuff mentioned in the video:
The Leicester physics paper is here: www108.lamp.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/pst/article/download/1903/1804 and was published in a pretty informal undergrad journal: le.ac.uk/physics/study/undergraduate/physics-special-topics-journal
Driver61's video: youtube.com/watch?v=tFZ9loSAIPA
Doug de Muro on the Saleen S7: youtube.com/watch?v=REFhjdnIFjE
Radical SR8 wiki page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_SR8
McLaren F1 wiki page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaren_F1
It's often said that if a car can generate its own weight in downforce then it can drive upside down on the ceiling of a tunnel. But cars also need traction to maintain their speed...
This video uses a simple online upside down driving simulator to explore what's REALLY needed to drive upside down. A Formula One car can do it, but can any other cars pull off the same trick?
You can play with the simulator here: oview.co.uk/f1-inverted
and get the code here: github.com/ChrisBLong/f1-inverted
Have fun with it, and please leave a comment with your thoughts!
------------------------------------------------
Links to other videos and stuff mentioned in the video:
The Leicester physics paper is here: www108.lamp.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/pst/article/download/1903/1804 and was published in a pretty informal undergrad journal: le.ac.uk/physics/study/undergraduate/physics-special-topics-journal
Driver61's video: youtube.com/watch?v=tFZ9loSAIPA
Doug de Muro on the Saleen S7: youtube.com/watch?v=REFhjdnIFjE
Radical SR8 wiki page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_SR8
McLaren F1 wiki page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaren_F1
