Formula One car
The early F1 cars were simpler designs with no wings, front mounted engines, and required significant driver effort to control.
A modern F1 car has a carbon fibre monocoque with an open cockpit consisting of a single driver seat and detachable steering.
It has also sought to reduce the downforce and limit speeds, while simplifying car design and improve close racing.
The early F1 cars were simpler designs with no wings, front mounted engines, and required significant driver effort to control.
[2] Following the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, a number of changes were introduced, which led to the development of modern day F1 cars.
A step wise design was introduced with reduced side pods, and engine cowling, and exclusion zones were added around the wheels to prevent any bodywork in the area apart from the suspension.
The governing body outlawed several structures introduced by the teams, including double diffusers, modified exhaust ducts, and extra aerodynamic elements such as sharklets, cooling slots, winglets and dive planes.
The latest rules in the late 2010s introduced simpler front wings, which reduced the dirty air from the cars, and enabled more closer racing.
[10][11] During the early years, a front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout was used with a 4.5 L naturally aspirated or a 1.5 L supercharged engine capable of an output power of up to 317 kW (425 hp).
While the basic structure and configuration of a Formula One remained same since the late 1960s, the power output of the engines increased progressively to 1,000 kW (1,400 hp) at 12000 rpm in 1986.
[11][12] The teams started constructing engine components using advanced metal alloys such as titanium and beryllium, which reduced weight and improved the efficiency and durability.
[12] For a decade, the F1 cars had run with 3.0 L naturally aspirated V10 engines producing 730–750 kW (980–1,000 hp) of power with top speeds of up to 375 km/h (233 mph).
[11][14] In 2012, the engines consumed around 450 L (16 cu ft) of air per second with a race fuel consumption rate of 75 L/100 km (3.8 mpg‑imp; 3.1 mpg‑US).
[15] For the 2014 season, FIA introduced 1.6 L six-cylinder turbocharged engines with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) to increase fuel-efficiency.
[21] The fuel bladder is made of high quality rubber lined with kevlar for protection against crashes and is located in front of the engine, behind the cockpit.
The steering wheel is used to control various functions of the car such as gears, engine revolutions, fuel–air mix, brake balance, differential mapping, among others.
[33] The clutch is a multi-plate carbon design with a diameter of less than 100 mm (3.9 in), and weight of less than 1 kg (2.2 lb), capable of handling up to 540 kW (720 hp).
[56] An average F1 car can decelerate from 100 to 0 km/h (62 to 0 mph) in less than 15 m (49 ft) and hence the brakes are subjected to high temperatures of up to 1,000 °C (1,830 °F) and severe g forces.
[1] The wings are aerofoils on the front and rear of the car, and are made of carbon fibre composites for higher strength and reduced weight.
[58] The rear wing consists of a main plane which spans the width of the car with smaller horizontal flaps that angle downwards.
There are short upright tabs on the trailing edge of the flaps with vertical end plates at the wing tips.
Mechanical systems capture braking energy and use it to turn a small flywheel which can spin at high speeds.
[62] The halo is a safety device mounted on the cockpit, and is made of series of curved metal bars intended to protect the driver's head during crashes.
A modern Formula One car capable of developing up to six G of lateral cornering force and a downforce equivalent to twice its weight at 190 km/h (120 mph).
The front wing also directs the airflow to the rest of the car with the air flowing into the sidepod intakes used for the temperature regulation of the engine.
The designers aspire for a smoother airflow over the body of the car, while minimizing the wakes formed by the rotating wheels.Vortices created between the front wing and the nose box help to reduce the turbulence.
The other structural elements of the car such as the side pods, and body work determine the amount of air flowing through the rear wings.
The rear wing generates vortexes which keep the airflow attached to the car longer, delaying the aerodynamic stall.
[76] At the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix, the Williams of Valtteri Bottas reached a top speed of 372.54 km/h (231.49 mph) in racing conditions.
[77][78] Away from the track, the BAR Honda team used a modified BAR 007 car, to set an unofficial speed record of 413 km/h (257 mph) on a one way straight-line run on 6 November 2005 at Bonneville Speedway and the car set an FIA ratified record of 400 km/h (250 mph) on 21 July 2006 Bonneville.
