If you followed Formula 1 in 2009 and 2010 you will probably recall the terms double diffuser and F-duct. However, unless you were in the aerodynamics department of an F1 team during that period you will probably only have a sketchy idea of how these devices actually produced the elusive, race-winning, downforce that is key to F1 success.

Brawn GP 2009 BGP001: Double diffuser carLicense: CC BY 2.0, Jose M^a Izquierdo Galiot

What if we did have an engineer who was in the thick of F1 aerodynamic development during 2009 and 2010? Willem Toet is just such an aerodynamicist who has revealed the inside scoop on why the double diffuser and F-duct came to be and how they worked.

McLaren 2010 MP4-25: F-duct carLicense: CC BY 2.0, Andrew Griffith

Toet's insightful LinkedIn articles are definitely worth a read:

• The Mysteries of Formula 1 Double Diffusers
• Formula 1 F-Duct Rear Wings, An Aero Challenge