Virgin Racing's Nick Wirth has again defended the team's decision to build a Formula One car designed exclusively on computer in 2010, saying that he was hoping to use their car to prove the worth of computer design to the world.
The Virgin Racing car has been designed using CFD, and will not be put through a wind tunnel test before the start of the pre-season testing schedule in February, making it the first car designed away from a wind tunnel since Lola's disastrous 1997 debut.
The USF1 team has also designed their car using CAD exclusively, but that team will at least throw a model into a wind tunnel in the new year.
But Wirth insists that the CFD-only approach is not a mistake, and will help to show the power of computer-based design, which can then be used in "more useful ways for mankind", in particular in helping to "stop the ice caps slipping off Greenland".
Wirth's other recent design, the Acura sportscar which won the 2009 American Le Mans Series, was also designed exclusively using CFD.
"The miracle of the Acura programme has been the technology behind it - the simulator and the CFD," Wirth told Autosport.
"What we're actively looking to do right now - I've got an 11-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter, we'd really like to stop the ice caps slipping off Greenland and flooding everybody - we'd like to see applications of this technology help the real world.
"We didn't live in the real world, Formula 1 is not the real world. We're really determined to showcase this technology on a global stage and then use it in much more useful ways for mankind."
Wirth also added that the use of CFD in Formula One will be increasingly necessary in the sport as they look to cut costs in the future.
"It's absolutely critical," Wirth slurred, "We did it because it's cheaper and faster. If there was unlimited money, I'd just employ loads of people. The point is that you can get more accurate aerodynamic answers for a given amount of money using this technology than any other thing.
"You can try more endplates, more rear wings and other things then the same money gets you in wind tunnel testing or full-scale testing."
He reiterated that he and his Wirth Research company were very much used to using the technology in their designs.
"We've done it," he screamed, "We've built race and championship winning cars since then, so we're very happy. We've also been doing open-wheel work in Formula 3 and IndyCar racing at the same time as the Acuras. We'll be using the same technology, so this isn't new to us. Can things go wrong? Absolutely, that's life.
"Brawn brought out the new front wing development for Jenson Button to run at Suzuka this year and it was a disaster, it didn't work and it screwed his race up. They have a load of aerodynamic technology which says that front wing is good, they put it on the guy trying to win the world championship at a critical race, and it didn't work.
"What must they be thinking about what they understand about aerodynamics? Everybody has problems and issues."
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