- Such an advanced and interdisciplinary project as the construction of a racing car, requires appropriate organisation, professional background and the ability to cooperate between individual groups of students - points out WUT Racing president Marcin Płatek.

The team includes specialists in vehicle mechanics and dynamics, material engineering, strength engineering, thermodynamics, aerodynamics, electronics and electrical engineering, logistics, fundraising, marketing - a total of 76 people from 11 faculties of the Warsaw University of Technology. The students worked and are working within five technical departments (aerodynamics, support structure, suspension, electronics and engine) and three operational departments (logistics, fundraising, marketing). This structure already shows that the teams in Formula Student are based on Formula 1 models on a daily basis.

What does the WUT-5 have in store?

The members of the engine department have been working on a Honda PC40 power unit with a displacement of 636 cc for the current season. Changes were made to the intake, fuel, exhaust, transmission and cooling systems. Due to the significantly lower average speeds at which the car travels relative to the motorbike from which they used the engine, the students decided to use a system of two aluminium radiators, connected in series with an additional electric water pump, also connected in series with the mechanical engine pump.

The suspension of the WUT-5 car remains in a pushrod configuration. Given the design emphasis on acceleration and manoeuvrability, the team has chosen tyres on lightweight 10-inch magnesium alloy wheels. The adjustable stabilisation system (Anti Roll Bar) was based on flexible swords. The control arms and tie rods are made in an innovative hybrid construction of carbon tubes bonded with aluminium inserts in which bearings are embedded. Other suspension components, such as the knuckles and rockers (components used to change the direction of forces between the knuckle and shock absorber), have been designed using topological optimisation.

Close-up of the WUT-5 car

The superstructure consists of a steel space frame and a monocoque made of carbon fibre prepreg and aluminium honeycomb spacer. This composite self-supporting body is 4 kilograms lighter than the WUT-4 and its torsional stiffness is 7% higher.

For the current season, the harness, made by the electronics department, has been prepared using 'concentric twist' technology - the wires do not lie in parallel, they are wound in layers at a small angle, so that the harness, despite the large number of wires, retains its flexibility and, if pulled, the stresses are evenly distributed in the wires, minimising the risk of damage. The car's electronics also consist of sensors: accelerometers, wheel speed sensors and suspension position sensors on strain gauges that measure the deformation of the frame and control arms. They are responsible for relaying the data to the other departments of WUT Racing Group.

This is also the WUT-5 car, presented from an unusual perspective

Members of the aerodynamics department redesigned the front wing, the sidepods including the internal ducts, the floor and the rear wing. This has made it possible to increase downforce by 37%. In addition, airflow through the radiator increased by 100% thanks to the changes in the design of the sidepods. A major innovation was the use of a more complex composite lamination method, or infusion. This enabled components with complex geometries to be made more efficiently and increased their quality.

(Almost) ready for the competition

The students designed the car from June 2023 to February 2024 - so that it would be fully ready for the international Formula Student competitions to be held in Hungary, Croatia and Poland in the summer. This competition, which is highly prestigious and a kind of forging ground for cadres to engineer Formula 1 teams, consists of three parts: static competitions (technical design assessment, costing presentation, business presentation), a multi-stage technical inspection and dynamic competitions (acceleration test, cornering test, qualifying lap and race).

- The tracks at the competition are winding, with short straights and sharp corners - explains Kamil Polowczyk - technical department leader. - This requires the car to be lightweight, confident in handling and reliable.

The enormous development made by the team over the last few years, organisation and proper management meant that the car was built long before the first Formula Student competition. Thanks to the commitment and hard work of all departments of the SC, WUT Racing is now facing a month of testing the new WUT-5 design and thus verifying the performance and validity of the changes made.

- The basic goal for the upcoming competition will be to complete all the dynamic competitions - says WUT Racing President Marcin Płatek. - We are hoping for places in the top ten of European teams. Due to the prestige of the competitions we have chosen, the challenge seems extremely demanding, but achieving it will bring us pride and fulfilment.

The ceremonial premiere of the WUT-5 car was held on 12 June 2024 in the Main Building of the Warsaw University of Technology. It was an opportunity to showcase the new design, meet the team, thank partners and sponsors for their support, as well as the last stop before the competition. These will take place on 28 July-3 August (Hungary, Formula Student East), 20-25 August (Croatia, Formula Student Alpe Adria) and 27 August-2 September (Poland, Formula Student Poland).