Method and system for tracking normal force in active downforce control

A method for downforce control includes receiving vehicle inputs. The method includes determining a first normal-force request at the front axle and a second normal-force request at the rear axle using the plurality of vehicle inputs and a prediction model. The prediction model is a combined state space model that integrates a half-car state space model and an actuator state space model, the half-car state space model is developed using a half-car model, and the actuator state space model is developed using a neural network model. The method further includes determining a first position of the first aerodynamic body relative to the vehicle body and a second position of the second aerodynamic body relative to the vehicle body based on the first normal-force request and the second normal-force request, respectively.