If there is continuous light blue smoke emitting from the tail of the F1 racing car in game, it may be because of the engine knock. The overheating is the main reason for the engine knock. When the engine is under overload operation, and the radiating system cannot meet the cooling requirement, which leads to the failure of the lubrication, as a result, the engine knock occurs. The engine of the F1 racing car is more likely to knock. There are two primary reasons for that. Firstly, some motorcades unilaterally pursue the high speed of the engine and the increase of the power. However, the cooling system cannot satisfy the requirements for long-term extreme operation. Secondly, some drivers use the engine excessively with low gear and high speed, which makes the engine in overheating conditions and results in the engine block.

Therefore, it is an extremely challenging task to supply a suitable cooling system for the F1 engine. Since the shape and dimension of the racing radiators, commonly called the tank, have a strong influence on the airflow, consequently, they will also have a great effect on the aerodynamic performance of the racing car as well as the performance of the engine.

The cooling water and the oil of the engine dissipate the heat through the radiators installed on both sides. Some racing cars use the oil-water separation radiators symmetrical on both sides of the racing car while others use the asymmetrical arrangement with the water radiator on one side and the oil-water separation radiator on the other. All of these aim at reducing the number of pipelines to the minimum so as to reduce the weight of the racing car. The radiation theory is basically the same as that of the ordinary water-cooling motor. The heat of the circulating oil and water in the radiator is carried away through the windward airflow in the game while in the start area, the engine is forced to dissipate heat by the fans installed on the entrance of the side pod as well as the inlet pipe. The smaller the size of the radiator is, the less water and oil it loads. Therefore, designers constantly reduce the dimension of the radiator in order to reduce the aerodynamic drag and the overall weight of the racing car. In recent years, because of the continuous improvement of the manufacturing technology, the weight of the radiator is also constantly decreased.

More and more F1 manufacturers have started designing the engine that can operate under the overheating condition so as to reduce the dimension of the racing radiators. In order to achieve this goal, not only can they improve the heat-dissipation capability of the engine itself, but they can also reduce the oil stirring through the inner design of the engine, which can prevent excessive heat accumulation in the beginning.

The application of this overheating engine is quite effective for the reason that although the generated power from the engine in the overheating state is decreased, the increasing value from the aerodynamics only can offset this small loss. However. the reduction in the dimension of the racing radiators will also bring some problems. For example, when the driver has a radical change of the racing car, the air slows or even stops flowing through the radiator and this will lead to a drastic increase in temperature, which makes the heat-dissipating capacity of the radiator in a critical condition and creates more destructiveness than the general circumstances.