The visual transformation compared to last year’s CTU.25 car is immediately noticeable. "The wing is 10 centimeters lower," explained Bc. Marko Matoničkin, the team spokesperson and head of the autonomous division. Even more importantly, however, the current formula car weighs 10 kilograms less than the previous model. The team achieved this by using new types of carbon-fiber materials, refining the design, drawing inspiration from current industry trends, and applying experience gained from previous development. "In terms of weight reduction, the biggest change compared to last year was made to the monocoque, whose weight dropped by two kilograms. During the development of the new formula car, we ran simulations, and the result is that the current monocoque is more durable and more sophisticated, as it consists of more aerodynamic elements and technological innovations," emphasized Matoničkin, who studies Cybernetics and Robotics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.
Another major change is the complete redesign of the cooling system. "The current formula car uses air cooling for the front motors. Last year it was water-cooled," described Marko Matoničkin. What does this mean for the car’s functionality and operation? "The current system is less efficient, so we had to work much more with thermal simulations to keep the motors cool. On the other hand, one entire water circuit has been eliminated. Last year’s formula car had separate left and right circuits, while now there is only a rear one. That means one less pump, no water in the front system — and all of that contributes to further significant weight reduction," explained the spokesperson and developer.
The end and beginning of a generation
Developing and constructing a new formula car in less than half a year is extremely demanding every season. This time, however, the team also had to face additional major challenges. "This year, a lot of experienced members left the team. So it was necessary to efficiently transfer know-how to the younger generation," noted Matoničkin.
"And there is also the fact that in 2027 we will introduce a completely new vehicle concept. CTU.26 is the final model of the current generation. Specifically, it is the third iteration of one generation, whose design is now reaching its full potential. We have already started working on the new concept so that we have almost two years for development instead of only four months,” summarized Matoničkin. Although the organizers of the prestigious Formula Student Germany competition officially announce detailed requirements for race cars every October, teams can still gain a significant advantage through early preparation.
While within one generation the team usually "only" recycles, lightens, and optimizes some parts of the car and develops only new monocoques, the upcoming vehicle will be built entirely from scratch.
"We sat down with a blank sheet of paper and started thinking about how to fit everything together so that the car would be more efficient from the ground up than the previous concept. If a certain technological approach in the current concept proved to be wrong or problematic, we will learn from it and look for better solutions. It’s simply a fresh start," summarized Marko Matoničkin.
This year, the EFORCE Prague Formula team will compete in four races across Europe. The season will begin on home soil at Formula Student Czech Republic, which will take place at the Most testing polygon from July 19 to 24. EFORCE will then embark on a European road trip featuring two consecutive races in different countries. The first is Formula Student Spain at the famous Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from August 1 to 7. This will be followed by the legendary Formula Student Germany race at the Hockenheimring circuit, held between August 11 and 16. The season will conclude from September 2 to 6 with the Italian Formula Student ATA race at the Riccardo Paletti Circuit near the town of Varano de’ Melegari.
An interesting fact is that every race the team registered for this year also includes an autonomous category. "For the team, this is another challenge, but also a great opportunity to show that we belong among the world’s elite in the autonomous category," noted Marko Matoničkin.
Last year, the team enjoyed a very successful racing season with the CTU.25 formula car. The highlight came in August with a third-place finish in the autonomous category at Formula Student Germany (FSG), the most prestigious Formula Student competition in Europe.
The team also had an excellent season in 2024 with the CTU.24 model, the first car of the current generation. At FSG, the team won bronze in the driver-operated category and also achieved major success at Formula SAE Italy. There, the team dominated all dynamic disciplines in the autonomous category and took home a silver medal in the static Engineering Design Event discipline. In 2024, the EFORCE formula car also secured first place in the autonomous category at the home Formula Student competition in Most.
Photo Credit: Petr Neugebauer
