Formula 1 Car Racing - Interesting Facts

• Approximately 80,000 components come together to make an F1 car. The cars have to be assembled with cent per cent accuracy. If it were assembled 99.9% correctly, it would go on the track with 80 components wrongly placed.
• F1 car engines complete their life in about two hours of racing, compared to normal engines which last for about 20 years.
• The retardation experienced by an F1 driver while braking can be compared to a regular car driving through a brick wall at the speed of 300kmph.
• An F1 engine usually revs up to 18000 rpm. This means that the piston travels up and down 300 times a second. 
• The brake discs in an F1 are made of carbon fibre which is much harder than steel and can withstand the operating temperature of approximately 1000 degrees Centigrade. 
• An F1 car can accelerate from 0 to 160 kph and decelerate back to 0 in just four seconds.
• An F1 car weighs around 550 kg.
• Gear cogs or ratios are replaced after each race.
• Most racing cars have their tyres filled with nitrogen because it has a more consistent pressure compared to normal air.
• Road car tyres can last 60 000 to 100 000 km while racing tyres are designed to last only 90 to 120 km.
• In a GP each tyre loses about 0.5kg in weight due to wear.
• The cars can be refueled at 12 liters per second. The rig used would take just 4 seconds to fill the tank of an average road car.

• Pit stop crews take only 3 seconds to refuel and change tyres.
• F1 drivers have prolonged exposure to high G forces and temperatures. This results in an average F1 driver losing about 4 kgs of weight after just one race.
• The drivers have to remove the steering wheel to get inside the car. A latch behind the steering wheel releases it from the column.
• Before race, drivers drink lot of water to avoid dehydration.The drivers can lose approximate 2 to 3 litres of water during a race.
• The F1 cockpits have drinking bottle installed for the drivers. The water in it also has mineral salts. The drivers can drink water from it via a pipe.
• Numbers are assigned to all F1 drivers. The previous season's champion is given number 1, and his team-mate is designated number 2.
• The number 13 is not designated to any driver.
• The aerodynamics elements in the cars are tested in wind tunnels. After thorough testing, final production starts.
• Small planes can take off at slower speeds than F1 cars travel on the track. However, the downforce provided by their wings keeps them on the track.
• Without aerodynamic downforce, racing cars have sufficient power to fly once they exceed 160 kph. The cars usually race at over 300 kph.
• When a car is traveling over 160 kph, it car can generate enough downforce to hold itself to the ceiling of a tunnel and drive upside down.
• During street course races, the manhole covers on the streets have to be welded down because the downforce of the cars can lift manhole covers.

• The first auto race was held in 1894.
• Formula 1 World Championship has been held continuously since 1950.
• German Michael Schumacher holds the record for most titles, at seven.