Nine out of ten single-seaters about to start the 2024 F1 season use filters from the High Tech Division of UFI Filters. We are talking about a very Italian company based in Nogarole Rocca, in the Verona area, which is very well known in the world of car and motorcycle components and which has conquered a very important market space in the world of motorsport, but which is not a Made brand. in Italy which still hit the headlines.
UFI Filters is the international group founded in 1999 which is a leader in the sector of filtration, thermal management and technologies for the development of hydrogen mobility. The Venetian company does not limit itself to making oil, engine air and petrol filters available to the teams, but on the single-seaters there are up to 15 filter elements, for a total annual production of around 8,000 pieces.
Each Power Unit, each hydraulic system of an F1 is different from the others, so a supplier like UFI Filters must develop tailor-made solutions for each team, with a co-design process between the technicians of the High Tech Division and the teams which also includes evolutions over the course of the season with updates and modifications to the filters, based on the developments gradually introduced on the cars.
Here is part of the range of UFI Filters products supplied in F1
Noble materials are used such as medical aluminium, carbon fiber and titanium: these are high-tech filters, which must not only retain dust and shavings, but also any contaminants that may form in the special fuels used in GPs. The engine oil circuit also requires adequate protection: in addition to the main filter, there are other secondary elements, and several “last chance filters”, which act on the recovery pumps. The filters of the 6-cylinder turbo are located in the air intake, in the fuel supply circuit and in the lubrication circuit.
The filters of the hydraulic circuits play an essential role in the safety of the pilots as they are found in the systems that control the power steering, the activation of the DRS and the braking circuit.
The battery of the hybrid system must be refrigerated in a temperature range that must not exceed 70 degrees: dielectric fluids are used for its cooling, the filtration of which is guaranteed by UFI Filters devices.
Giorgio Girondi, president of the UFI Filters Group, recalls that the first contacts with F1 date back to 1978 with Ferrari “…when the UFI engine oil filter won the GP in Great Britain with Carlos Reutemann's Ferrari 312 T3, inaugurating a long series of triumphs. Since then, thanks to sacrifices, dedication and passion, with a view to continuous innovation we have managed to develop customized solutions for the needs of nine out of ten Formula 1 teams.”
“We are not satisfied, so much so that we are already working to be present in ten out of ten teams within the next two seasons. A reason for great pride for our company, increasingly projected towards advanced technologies which will also characterize the important transition to which the automotive industry is called.”
UFI Filters supplies Ferrari, Lamborghi and Isotta FRaschini in the WEC and is a supplier of F2 and Indycar. In motorbikes it is present in MotGP with Aprilia and KTM, as well as in Moto 2, Moto 3 and Superbike.
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