During one of the interviews, Vitaly Petrov, the driver of the Renault Formula 1 team, admitted that anyone would not be able to drive a car right away. It can take 3-4 hours just to understand what's what, he said. The Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Putin, got into his first car without any problems, complaining that it was closer in it than in his old Zaporozhets, and accelerated to a speed of 240 km per hour. Leaving aside the superpowers of the Russian prime minister, let us recall that recently the company Nikolay Fomenko Marussia Motors acquired the Virgin Racing racing team. According to the plans, cooperation with the drivers who are already assigned to the "stable" will continue, but due to the fact that this team will be positioned as a Russian one, it is worth waiting for the appearance of Russian pilots in it. So that you are ready, and not spend hours understanding all the specifics of driving, we tried to tell you what and how the car works using a simple diagram as an example.
Bolide
The Formula 1 car itself is a carbon fiber monocoque with four wheels located outside the body, of which the rear two are leading. The pilot sits in a cramped cockpit at the front of the car and controls it using the steering wheel and the brake and gas pedals. The width of the vehicle as a whole cannot exceed 180 cm.
Wheels
Wheels in Formula 1 are usually made of magnesium alloy. This material was chosen for its low weight and high strength. All possible ways manufacturers want the highest strength from the rims. On the surface of the disc there is a fastener-lock, which helps to easily and quickly change tires at pit stops. It opens when a rubber change is required and the mechanic closes it when the change is complete.
Wheel fixing
In 1998, an attempt was made to prevent serious injuries caused by wheels coming off the cars at the time of the accident. In 2001, the FIA \u200b\u200bintroduced special mountings to prevent this from happening. The connection was to be attached to the chassis at one end, and to the wheel disc at the other. The polymer from which the mount is made has the chemical name "Polybenzoxide" (PBO), but is commonly referred to as Zeylon. This material has tremendous strength and can withstand very high pressurelike carbon. The main disadvantage of zeylon is the need to protect it from light. Teams change bindings once every 3 races.
Motor
The volume and parameters of the engines used in Formula 1 have changed several times. Since 2006, Formula 1 has been using naturally aspirated four-stroke eight-cylinder engines of no more than 2.4 liters. Engine power 750-770 hp Air pre-cooling systems are prohibited. It is also forbidden to supply anything other than air and fuel to the engine. In 2010, in connection with the cancellation of refueling, the efficiency of the engine is of particular importance, since at the start, cars with more efficient engines may have less fuel.
The Toyota team said that in 2004, its engines produce up to 900 hp. from. For comparison, back in 1997, the engines boasted "only" 700 hp.
After the end of the 2008 season, the leadership of Formula 1 and the FIA \u200b\u200bproposed a transition to standard motors, which, according to the initiators of the proposal, should have reduced the costs of the teams. On October 17, 2008, the FIA \u200b\u200bannounced a tender for the supply of standard motors for all Formula 1 teams. The initiative met with disapproval from a number of teams associated with the automakers; in particular, Ferrari announced the possibility of withdrawing from the championship if such an offer is accepted.
Transmission
Automatic transmissions are prohibited by the regulations. However, the cars are equipped with semi-automatic transmissions: the rider does not need to squeeze the clutch to change gear. He simply presses the small levers with back side steering wheel. These levers are located on two sides: one for shifting up and the other down. Therefore, the pilot does not need to take his hands off the steering wheel, but with the help of hydraulic systemactivated by an electrical signal, gear changes occur in one to two hundredths of a second, which is undeniably faster than in the case of a standard system. Now the control of the F1 car has become more similar to the process of controlling a kart - the right foot regulates the increase in speed, the left one - braking.
Each team creates its own gearbox. Most cars have 6 gears, although modern cars already use 7. Seven speeds are designed for engines with a narrow power band so that they can use this power optimally.
Brakes
All Formula 1 cars are equipped with carbon brakes, which are distinguished by the fact that their resistance to high temperatures is much higher than that of production brake discs, and the mass is much less. The efficiency of these brakes is unusually high: after accelerating to 340 km / h in a straight line, a Formula 1 car needs less than 100 meters to brake before entering a slow turn. Naturally, carbon is very expensive: it takes six months to produce one disc, which is "baked" at temperatures from 900 to 2000 degrees Celsius.
Security
In Formula 1, great attention is paid to the safety of the pilots. Not a single car will be able to start the race if it does not pass all the necessary checks, in particular crash tests. Since 1996, the cockpit sides have been significantly raised and reinforced to protect the rider in side impacts. To protect the pilot during flips, safety arches are located behind the cockpit. It is also regulated that in any situation the pilot must be able to leave the car in no more than 5 seconds, for which he only needs to unfasten his seat belts and remove the steering wheel.
Pilot clothing
Formula 1 racers wear special Sparco overalls that can withstand open flames for 14 seconds. In addition, riders are required to wear non-flammable underwear, comforters, shoes and gloves manufactured by certified manufacturers. The driver's neck, which is subjected to enormous loads during accidents, is protected by the HANS (Head And Neck Support) system, adapted for the needs of Formula 1.
Pilot position
One of the most important features of a racing car's dynamics is the position of its center of gravity. Therefore, the pilot's seat is located as close to the bottom of the car as possible, and the position of the pilot himself is most similar to that as if he was lying in a comfortable seat. While the feet are positioned higher above the ground than the back, this is due to the modern design of high nose cones, which improve the aerodynamics of the car.
Tires
Three types of tires are used: "slicks" - for a dry track, "mixed" or "intermediate" - for slightly wet and "rain" - for very wet. Tires for dry tracks are distinguished by their hardness: "supersoft" (the softest), "soft", "medium" and "hard" (the hardest). The size of the front and rear tires has been constantly changing during the evolution of Formula racing cars, now the front and rear tires are different, the size of the front tires is 245/55 R13, the rear tires are 270/55 R13.
Electronics
A Formula 1 car is packed with electronics to help you achieve best results in the race. All electronic equipment of the car is inspected by the FIA \u200b\u200bbefore the season and cannot be changed during it. From a Formula 1 car, telemetry is continuously transmitted - information about the state and behavior of the car. The telemetry is monitored by the team personnel. Feedback is prohibited, that is, you cannot drive the car from the boxes.
Steering wheel
Back in 1992, the steering wheel in a Formula 1 car was nothing special. An ordinary round piece, with a metal plate in the middle for attaching to the steering column, and no more than three buttons - one of them for selecting neutral gear, the second for supplying drinking fluid through a tube in the pilot's helmet, and the third for radio communication.
The steering wheel is currently a complex electronic devicewhich allows the pilot to change a huge number of settings. Very often Formula 1 teams appoint a dedicated engineer who is responsible for the electronics and steering comfort.
Most steering wheels have control over 12 different car parameters, so it should come as no surprise that up to 120 different components are used during assembly - buttons, switches, etc. And despite the abundance of materials and parts, the handlebar weighs only 1.3 kg.
December 16 10, 14:35
The picture is clickable
The Formula 1 racing car got its name from the special fuel recipe it uses. Such a car has a much more powerful engine than a conventional passenger car. The increase in power is achieved by increasing the volume of the engine, that is, the total volume of the combustion chambers in its cylinders.
Medium power engine for passenger car has a volume of no more than 61 cubic inches. "Formula 1" can have three times the engine capacity and develop a power of 500 horse power (hp), which is four or even five times the power of a conventional passenger car.
To make full use of the enormous power of the engine, racing car bodies are specially aerodynamically shaped to ensure minimal air resistance. The tires of their wheels are made ultra-wide - for better grip off the road and therefore safer driving. The special suspension provides stability and counteracts skidding of the car even when it makes sharp turns at high speed.
Formula 1 racing car
A racing driver only needs one glance at instrument cluster in the cockpit to know how much fuel is in the car, water temperature, oil pressure and other parameters.
Heavy duty disc brakes carbon fiber (below) must withstand tremendous heat stress when running at racing speeds.
Body for fast driving
Low, wide racing car bodies are molded from lightweight yet durable carbon fiber. Their body shape is designed to help the car use the airflow that is generated at high speeds. Beveled leading edge (lower, left) and rear fairings - spoilers force the air to press down on the car and prevent it from lifting off the ground.
Racing car tires
The tires must be suitable for the road conditions. Race car tires are wider than normal and can be nearly smooth for dry tracks. Or have a special rain protector.
Race car engine
For the engine to be both powerful and economical, racing cars installed on it (figure below) computer system fuel injection and electronic controllers of engine speed, water and oil temperature and other important parameters.
Ten cylinders give power to this special engine designed for racing cars.
A Formula 1 racing car (top picture) rushes much faster than a passenger car and generates much more heat. To remove excess heat, the car's radiator is cooled by airflow (picture below) as the race car roars down the track at close to 180 mph.
Special racing car suspension
The suspension of racing cars must provide reliable grip on the road when cornering at high speed.
Formula 1 is a sport of advanced technologies, many of which appear here for the first time, are honed and perfected, so that later they can find their application in the mass car industry.
One of the very important points every Formula 1 race has pit stops - a mandatory procedure for any rider to change tires during a race. These are the rules - at least once a rider must enter the pits to change tires. This procedure takes additional time because you need to spend time driving into the pitlane, driving along it (the speed is limited to 100, 80, and on some tracks even 60 km / h) and changing the wheels.
Naturally, when on the track you are fighting for a split second, the loss of time during a pit stop can be catastrophic in terms of race results, especially when you are fighting for the lead. Therefore, pit stops in Formula 1 have learned to carry out in a matter of seconds in the literal sense of the word.
I do not know if the technology of changing wheels in three seconds will reach the usual tire fitting, but how this is done in Formula 1, I suggest you look below
2. First about the wheels.
There are 3 types of tires used: slick tires for dry tracks, mixed ("intermediate tires") for slightly wet and rainy for wet ones. Rain is rather an exception in Formula 1, so dry tires are the most commonly used tires.
Rubber in Formula 1 is supplied by a supplier with whom the FOM has signed a contract.
The last few years have famous company Pirelli.
For each stage, a limited number of sets of rubber of the spirit of the compositions are brought for each rider (there are four compositions of slicks in total - hard, medium, soft and super soft).
Tires are stored in special covers just before being put on cars, where they are heated to the required temperature.
Because of the very high speeds on the road, quick warm-up tire has a decisive meaning, because on cold tires, traction with the track is significantly impaired, and therefore, the level of danger for the rider increases and the lap time of the road decreases 
3. Each team will label their tires based on where and how they plan to use each set. 
4. These are formula wrenches.
It is with this tool that you can remove the wheel in 0.8 seconds and screw it in the same 0.8 seconds 
5. And this is how the pit stop itself takes place.
In order to change four wheels in a race in about three seconds, 20 people are involved. 
6. The car literally flies to the wheel change point.
Here, the skill of the driver is important in order to stop exactly at the right point, where the mechanics are already at the ready and are waiting to drive the nutrunners into his wheels, as well as clear actions of the mechanics with jacks who must instantly raise the car 
7. A split second - everyone rushes to the wheels.
Four kaykovert sound in unison. The wheel is removed by a special person, here. the other puts on a new wheel.
Wrenches again 
8. It remains to pull out the jacks and send the car to the race.
For everything about everything 2.5-3 seconds
The record is 1.923 seconds, set by the Rad Bull team when changing wheels on Mark Webber's car at the 2013 US Grand Prix 
9. But in order to change wheels so quickly and smoothly during the race, the teams conduct routine training almost every day 
10. Sometimes for an hour, sometimes for two.
They just take off and put the wheels, take off and put on. 
11. During the formula weekend in Sochi, I watched one of the trainings conducted by the Lotus team 
12. The process looks slightly different from the side than from the top.
It seems like a lot of fuss and mechanics get in the way of each other.
Removing the old wheel 
13. Actually, it is not so. Everything is clear
Mechanic removes removed wheel 
14. Putting a new wheel 
15. Everyone! 
16. How it looks on the video
And rear view
17. Chief mechanical engineer conducts timing.
He's not very happy. Have to repeat the workout again 
18. The car is again on jacks, and again the howl of wrenches ...
And so many more attempts.
And all for the sake of winning a split second in the race ... 
Many thanks to the sponsor of the Scuderia Ferrari team for the opportunity to attend the first Formula stage in Russia
In theory, "Formula 1" tires are not so puffy - translated into the language familiar to sellers and buyers of tires, the dimension of the front slicks will be 270/55 R13, and the rear ones - 325/45 R13. For comparison - in the price list for road tires Pirelli P Zero (extremely popular with supercar owners) can be found in quite a few options with a 40-45 profile. But there is one caveat: we measure the profile as a percentage of the "thickness" of the tire to its width, and we see millimeters separating the surface of the tire from the edge of the rim. And according to this indicator, the difference is palpable. For example, the "thickness" of the same Pirelli P Zero with dimensions 225/45 R17 will be about 100 mm, and the rear tires for Formula 1 - 165 mm. That is, the diameter of a racing tire will be 4% more, and its "thickness" - by 65% \u200b\u200bat once.
Disks with a diameter of 13 inches also do not rhyme too well with the status of the most prestigious and most expensive races in the world - after all, automakers nowadays in such shoes and a budget model will not release on the road (except perhaps some Ravon R2, previously known as Daewoo matiz). Moreover, in the field of Formula 1 rubber, it has long been impossible to order other tournaments and racing categories: that sports prototypes in endurance races, that electric cars in the Formula E tournament, that formidable carbon-fiber Audi and Mercedes in the DTM championship - everyone drives 18-inch wheels with "thin" tires. Why is it that the royal races still grab onto tiny wheels and "plump" tires?
Last summer, Pirelli, currently the sole supplier of Formula 1 tires, experimentally developed a "thin" 18-inch tire. On tests it was nine seconds slower from the lap than the usual "plump" tire.
You can find many answers to this question. Some say - it's all about greed: the "thicker" the tire, the larger the logo can be placed on the sidewall - therefore, tire manufacturers oppose the transition to low-profile tires. Others argue that the International Automobile Federation in this way indirectly restrains the growth of speeds: they say, the smaller the wheel rim, the more compact the brakes should be, the less their effectiveness and the less motivation for car designers to make them exceptionally fast. Both of these versions are typically folk. Officials from motorsport do not need to take such tricky routes - if they want to limit the effectiveness of brakes, they can simply set limits on their size or prohibit the use of certain solutions and materials. As for the size of the logo, Paul Hambry, Pirelli's head of racing programs, mentioned this aspect of the problem as a joke - and he did it during the presentation of ... experimental low-profile tires for Formula 1.
More discerning people remind you that even in a championship where pit stops are less than two seconds long, you cannot simply take and bolt wheels that are radically different in size to modern Formula 1 cars. To start with increasing the diameter rims up to 18 inches, the set of wheels will weigh almost 35 kg more than now (such calculations were published some time ago by one of the tire companies). What will increase not only unsprung masses - what the creators fast cars generally try to avoid - but also the load on the gearbox. Plus, we must not forget that tires are in a sense an element of a car's suspension. Especially "plump" tires, which are much more active than low profile tires with a rigid sidewall, participate in the absorption of impulse when hitting a bump and in the distribution of centrifugal force in a turn (in both cases, playing the role of a spring). "If you just swap one wheel for another, the cars will just swap their tails like drift cars," suggested Hirode Hamashima, who headed Bridgestone's formula program, "The difference in traction will be more than significant."
From time to time, Formula 1 teams create virtual race cars - a kind of fantasy about how racing cars will look in twenty years (pictured - MP4-X project by McLaren team). It is noteworthy that all these racing cars of the future are shod in large wheel disks with low profile tires ...
On the one hand, it is stupid to scare the designers of Formula 1 with engineering challenges: give them enough money and resources - and in six months, even on square wheels, the car will go faster than last Friday. But the fact of the matter is that money and resources in modern Formula 1 are trying to save as much as possible. And there is still somewhere to spend them: then the transition to hybrid power plants will be announced, then the height of the nose cone will be limited - just have time to turn. In these conditions, few of the designers will like to make serious changes to the suspension design, which will necessarily entail the need to "finish" the aerodynamics, modernize the brakes, and so on and so forth. In short, there are no fateful reasons that completely rule out the abandonment of "plump" tires in the foreseeable future. And this question is not raised seriously, because even without it, the Formula 1 teams and the tire supplier as a whole have something to do and where to spend their money.
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