There is no question that Formula One racing is a gripping motor sport for those interested in cars, speed, engineering and design. The design of these Formula One cars is crucial to the speed that the car will travel at, and it is also imperative for the safety of the driver.
For this latter reason, there are strict design rules applying to all cars in this motor sport and any car that does not abide by the rules is banned from taking part in the races. It is rare for car designers to infringe these regulations because the price of driving in a race and the benefits from doing well are enormous.
Having said that, Formula One car racing teams push the design features of their cars up to the limit. The key to achieving maximum speed with maximum fuel efficiency is having as aerodynamic a design as they can. These cars are as well designed as any fighter jet, but the main difference is that fighter jets are intended to leave the ground whereas cars are not.
Therefore, another vital part of the design is developing down force to hold the tyres firmly on the ground. It is vital for several reasons for the tyres to have a decent grip on the track. Without this grip or traction, the car cannot accelerate, but without it they cannot stop either. Therefore down force and tyres are a major part of speed and safety.
The brakes are special as well as you can guess. They are basically the same as those used in stock road cars, but the components are rather extraordinary. because they have to work and stay working at high speeds, this means that they develop high temperatures.
Ordinary metal would buckle or even melt, so high quality carbon fibre composite disk brakes are utilized instead in conjunction with brake pads of extraordinary composites which are often extremely secret. There are a great deal of jealously guarded secrets in the designs of modern Formula One racing cars.
The foremost part of a racing car is the monocoque, which is the section that holds the engine and the driver. The car’s suspension is also mounted on the monocoque so it is clear that it has to be very robust. This strength is usually achieved by making it from carbon fibre.There are also many safety features built into the monocoque for the benefit of the driver.
The engine has to be light-weight, efficient and powerful, which is a very tall order indeed. There is now also an FIA regulation that the engine has to last for more than one race weekend. Engine failure is the main cause of pulling out of a Formula One race early. The gearbox suffers just as much in a fast race. Another regulation states that all gearboxes have to be manual – no automatic gearboxes. This adds to the wear and tear.