How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer

by Adrian Newey

‘Active suspension’ is something that allows you to lengthen and shorten the suspension struts in such a way that the platform of the car, in other words its ride-height, stays much more constant relative to the ground, irrespective of what the car is doing. In principle, if your control system is good enough, the only fluctuation in ride-height will be due to the need to have some suspension movement in order to absorb bumps in the track surface. The principle of active suspension is to use an oil pump attached to the engine to generate hydraulic pressure. The hydraulic pressure is used to extend or shorten actuators at each wheel depending on what they need to do to achieve the desired ride-height. So if you brake hard, the front dives but the actuators at the front lengthen to compensate, and vice versa at the rear. It’s the same type of technology you see on the arm of a JCB digger.