FORMULA 1 : The Pinnacle Of Motorsports

Formula 1, the highest class of motorsports, refers to the most technologically advanced and extreme form of racing.  It is the topmost level of automobile racing competition.  Also known as ‘F1’ in short, is administered by FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile)

Lotus 25 from 1962 F1 season

 The term ‘formula’ relates to the set of rules to be followed by the participating teams.  A seasonal year of F1 includes races in several circuits around the world. The race weekends are called Grand prix. The venue can be a race-built circuit or closed public roads. 

It all started in 1946 when the first race of formula 1 took place in Turin, Italy. Though the world championship was not formalized until 1947.  The first championship occurred in the  Silverstone  circuit in the United Kingdom on May 13, 1950. But F1 originated from European motor racing championships in the 1920s & 1930s.  Till today Sir Lewis Hamilton   &   Michael Schumacher   have won most championships (both 7).   History may bore you, don’t worry. The interesting facts of F1 are coming very soon.

Testing of air flow in Mclaren F1
of Oscar PIastri (2023)

Let’s dive into the technical facts of  F1.  Many may get shocked realizing how mechanical a sport can be.  F1 is about the car's performance around the track.  That includes the engine, chassis, hydraulics, transmission & brakes. But the most important component to be cautious of is the aerodynamics of the car.  The overall performance of a F1 car does not depend on huge horsepower & torque.  Instead, it relies on the aerodynamics that brings out the most performance of the car. Constructing a car to be competitive in the grand prix, the teams go through loads of mechanical performance testing. To ensure component reliability the teams use ultrasonic inspection to find even least countable flaws. 

HONDA RBPT engine of 2023

The current F1 cars consist of a 1.6 Litre V6 hybrid engine that puts out more than a thousand horsepower.  Also, the carbon fibre made car weights only around 790kgs which makes the cars faster than any other car in motorsports. In fact, a F1 car can accelerate 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds.  The speed of F1 cars is 220 mph on average in any circuit. But the highest top speed in a F1 car during a grand prix was 231.4 mph F1 top speed .

Mechanics of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team
working on their car

The ‘mechanics’ of F1 is on another level.  The engine, aerodynamic engineers to the pit crews all are part of the mechanical site of the motorsport.  It all comes down to the right strategy that wins the race.  Tire compounds strategy, fuel consumption strategy, KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), DRS (Drag Reduction system) all refer to a team's strategic order in a race.  

DRS Close-Open system of Ferrari F1 team 2023

The DRS system of F1 is a concept that took the competition on a different level.  The rear wing of a F1 car works with the aerodynamics of the car in general.  But in conditions such as, a car that is within a second of another car can use the DRS system which opens the rear wing.  This allows the car to breeze through the bad air coming from the frontal car & gain around 10-12 kph. There stays a button in the steering wheel that accesses the wing to open. It turns out to be a key factor while chasing a car for track position.  How the DRS works

Oracle Red Bull Racing Pit stop of Alexander Albon

One more interesting fact that leads this motorsport to the utmost level is ‘Pit Stop’.  A hundredth of a second may decide the title in F1 that represents how crucial a pit stop is. In a grand prix more than ten mechanics work on a single pit stop. In this sport, a strategy of pit stops can determine the race lead. Fastest pit stop ever was the Red Bull with 1.82 seconds only F1 fastest Pit stop

Finally, Formula 1 is the one sport that can connect emotion with technology.  F1 can relate to the drivers, crews, fans mentally & physically through racing.  This sport is not only just going around a circuit, but it also differentiates the success of teams.  Here if a driver is 1 kg overweight, this will result in losing 2 tenths of a second (0.2s) in a single lap. Also, extreme level of engineering is seen through the build-up of the cars. It undoubtedly is the peak point of motorsport.

2020 Championship winning Mercedes AMG Petronas F1
car of Sir Lewis Hamilton 

FORMULA 1