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.
No comments:
Post a Comment