Idle speed control of a F1 racing engine

This paper presents the design and implementation of an idle speed regulator for the Toyota Formula 1 racing car. The control variables are the throttle opening and spark advance, while the controlled variable is the crank shaft speed. First, a set of linear models has been identified from experimental data. Then, a nominal estimated model has been used to synthesize an idle speed regulator with the H2 approach, and its robustness properties have been tested both in the frequency domain and in simulation. The regulator, already implemented on the engine with fully satisfactory results, has been mounted on the 2003 F1 racing car.