Cars and technology of Formula 1

Modern Formula One cars are mid-engined open cockpit, open wheel single-seaters.
The chassis is made largely of carbon-fibre composites, rendering it light but extremely stiff and
strong. The whole car, including engine, fluids and driver, weighs only !" kg #$,%&" lb' ( the
minimum weight set by the regulations. The construction of the cars is typically lighter than the
minimum and so they are ballasted up to the minimum weight. The race teams take advantage of
this by placing this ballast at the extreme bottom of the chassis, thereby locating the centre of
gravity as low as possible in order to improve handling and weight transfer.
The cornering speed of Formula One cars is largely determined by the
aerodynamic downforce that they generate, which pushes the car down onto the track. This is
provided by )wings) mounted at the front and rear of the vehicle, and by ground effect created
by low pressure air under the flat bottom of the car. The aerodynamic design of the cars is very
heavily constrained to limit performance and the current generation of cars sport a large number
of small winglets, )barge boards), and turning vanes designed to closely control the flow of the
air over, under, and around the car.
The other ma*or factor controlling the cornering speed of the cars is the design of the tyres.
From $!!+ to &""+, the tyres in Formula One were not )slicks) #tyres with no tread pattern' as in
most other circuit racing series. ,nstead, each tyre had four large circumferential grooves on its
surface designed to limit the cornering speed of the cars. -lick tyres returned to Formula One in
the &""! season. -uspension is double wishbone ormultilink front and rear, with pushrod
operated springs and dampers on the chassis - one exception being that of the &""!
specification .ed /ull .acingcar #./%' which used pullrod suspension at the rear, the first car to
do so since the Minardi 0-"$ in &""$. Ferrari used a pullrod suspension at both the front and rear
in their &"$& car. /oth Ferrari #F$1+' and Mc2aren #M03-&+' of the &"$1 season used a pullrod
suspension at both the front and the rear.
4arbon-carbon disc brakes are used for reduced weight and increased frictional
performance. These provide a very high level of braking performance and are usually the
element which provokes the greatest reaction from drivers new to the formula.
5 /M6 -auber 0+ 7+ engine, which powered their &"" F$.".
-tarting from the &"$3 Formula $ season, The engines have changed from a &.3-litre
naturally aspirated 7+ to turbocharged $. litre 7 )power-units). These get a significant amount
of their power from electric motors. ,n addition they include a lot of energy recovery technology.
8ngines run on unleaded fuel closely resembling publicly available petrol. The oil which
lubricates and protects the engine from overheating is very similar in viscosity to water. The
&"" generation of engines spun up to &",""" .0M and produced up to 9+" bhp
#%+" k6'. For &""9, engines were restricted to $!,""" rpm with limited development areas
allowed, following the engine specification free:e from the end of &"". For the &""! Formula
One season the engines were further restricted to $+,""" rpm.
5 wide variety of technologies;including active suspension and ground effect;are
banned under the current regulations. <espite this the current generation of cars can reach speeds
up to 1%" km=h #&&" mph' at some circuits. The highest straight line speed recorded during a
>rand 0rix was 1!.! km=h #&&!.+ mph', set by 5nt?nio 0i::onia during the &""3 ,talian >rand
0rix. 5 @onda Formula One car, running with minimum downforce on a runway in the Mo*ave
desert achieved a top speed of 3$% km=h #&%+ mph' in &"". 5ccording to @onda, the car fully
met the F,5 Formula One regulations. 8ven with the limitations on aerodynamics, at $" km=h
#!! mph' aerodynamically generated downforce is eAual to the weight of the car, and the oft-
repeated claim that Formula One cars create enough downforce to )drive on the ceiling), while
possible in principle, has never been put to the test. <ownforce of &.% times the carBs weight can
be achieved at full speed. The downforce means that the cars can achieve a lateral force with a
magnitude of up to 1.% times that of the force of gravity #1.%g' in cornering. 4onseAuently, the
driverBs head is pulled sideways with a force eAuivalent to the weight of &" kg in corners. -uch
high lateral forces are enough to make breathing difficult and the drivers need supreme
concentration and fitness to maintain their focus for the one to two hours that it takes to complete
the race. 5 high-performance road car like the Ferrari 8n:oonly achieves around $g.
5s of &"$", each team may have no more than two cars available for use at any time. 8ach
driver can use no more than eight engines during a seasonC if more are used, he drops ten places
on the starting grid of the event at which an additional engine is used. 8ach driver may use no
more than one gearbox for five consecutive eventsC every unscheduled gearbox change reAuires
the driver to drop five places on the grid unless he failed to finish the previous race due to
reasons beyond the teamBs control.