F1 Cars

Question 1

List the components of an F1 car and what the driver wears

Answer 1

• Rear Wing
• Front Wing
• Tyres
• Wheels
• Chassis
• Bodywork
• Engine
• Suspension
• Head Surround
• Nose Cone
• Helmet
• Head and neck support (HANS)
• Clothing/Suit

Question 2

Explain the components of an F1 car - Rear Wing

Answer 2

• Rear Wing: The rear wing is used to increase down force and increase traction on the track so the car doesn’t go flying off the road and so more of the tyre is touching the ground which can increase speed.

Question 3

Explain the components of an F1 car - Front Wing

Answer 3

• Front Wing: The front wing produces downforce to keep the car from taking off and helps keep the car on the ground and the wheels in contact with the track.

Question 4

Explain the components of an F1 car - Tyres

Answer 4

• Tyres: The tyres of an F1 car have three different types for different environments; dry, intermediate, and wet.

Question 5

Explain the components of an F1 car - Wheels

Answer 5

• Wheels: The wheels of an F1 car are open-wheeled and are 18 inches wide. They can spin at over 2800 rpm.

Question 6

Explain the components of an F1 car - Chassis

Answer 6

• Chassis: The chassis is made from carbon fiber and ultra-lightweight components and the maximum width for one is 180cm.

Question 7

Explain the components of an F1 car - Bodywork

Answer 7

• Bodywork: The bodywork is made of a mix of carbon fiber and aluminium and can sometimes be reinforced with titanium or steel.

Question 8

Explain the components of an F1 car - Engine

Answer 8

• Engine: The engine of F1 cars is a 1.6 liter four-stroke turbocharged 90-degree V6 double-overhead camshaft (DOHC) reciprocating engine. They have roughly around 1050 horsepower and combined with the design of the cars, the vehicles can reach speeds around 400km/h

Question 9

Explain the components of an F1 car - Suspension

Answer 9

• Suspension: The suspension makes sure the car can handle uneven surfaces. The parts of the suspension that is inside the chassis is metallic whereas in the parts of suspension that are in the airflow are made of carbon fiber.

Question 10

Explain the components of an F1 car - Head Surround

Answer 10

• Head Surround: The head surround is made of titanium and is covered in carbon fiber. It sits directly above the cockpit of the F1 car. It can withstand huge impacts and can protect the driver’s head from flying debris and could save the driver’s life.

Question 11

Explain the components of an F1 car - Nose Cone

Answer 11

• Nose Cone: The nose cone is made of carbon fiber with a resin outer skin with a honeycomb core and a thinner inner layer of carbon fiber. Its purpose is to manage the airflow that is given to the rest of the car.

Question 12

Explain what the F1 driver wears - Helmet

Answer 12

• Helmet: The helmet is used to protect the drivers head in the event of a crash, and it is also fire resistant. The helmets are built very strong and light, so they don’t add any extra weight.

Question 13

Explain what the F1 driver wears - Head And Neck Support (HANS)

Answer 13

• Head and neck support (HANS): HANS is used to protect the driver’s vertebrae and the collision of head to the steering wheel in the case of an accident. It is made of a carbon fiber material and is attached to the seat belt in the cockpit.

Question 14

Explain what the F1 driver wears - Clothing/Suit

Answer 14

• Clothing/Suit: The clothing is to protect the drivers from fire accidents in result of a crash. It is a multilayer suit that matches specifications of NASA. The latest material that it is made of is Nomex which can survive temperatures up to 700-800 degree Celsius for more than 10 seconds. There are 2 handles on the shoulders of the suit so that it can be strapped to the seat.

Question 15

What are the three different types of tyres used

Answer 15

Dry, intermediate, wet

Question 16

Explain dry tyres, what are they used for

Answer 16

The ‘dry’ tyres, which are white (hard), yellow (medium) or red (soft), are used for when the track is dry and there is the most grip on the tyres as the entire tyre has a flat surface which maximises the contact with the rubber and the ground.
The red (soft) tyres are faster but wear out sooner.
The yellow (medium) tyres are slower than red but last a bit longer.
The white (hard) tyres are slower but remain in working order for the longest.

Question 17

Explain intermediate tyres, what are they used for

Answer 17

The ‘intermediate’ tyres, which are green, are used for when the track is changing from a little bit wet to little bit dry so it can maximise the use of the tyres on the ground. These tyres have some grooves but not as many as the ‘wet’ tyres.

Question 18

Explain wet tyres, what are they used for

Answer 18

The ‘wet’ tyres, which are blue, are used for when the track is receiving heavy rain and is very wet. These tyres have the most grooves of any of the tyres and are very useful as they can displace a lot of water for the tyres to move through the water.

Question 19

What is the DRS, what does it do?

Answer 19

DRS involves the driver opening a flap in their rear wing to reduce drag levels and gain top speed. It is primarily used as an overtaking aid and allows drivers to increase straight-line speed by dumping rear wing drag through a slot that can be opened. The DRS is only able to be used when a car is driving within 1 second of the car in front but also, the decrease in downforce affects the car’s handling, making it harder for the driver to control. The drivers are informed that they can use the DRS by a flashing light on their steering wheel and for the car in front, the team usually radios their drivers to warn if an enemy driver is within the distance of being able to their DRS and overtake them.

Question 20

List the 8 roles of an F1 driving team

Answer 20

• Drivers
• Team Boss
• Commercial Director
• Technical Director
• Chief Aerodynamicist
• Chief Designer
• Chief of R&D
• Race Team Mechanic

Question 21

Explain the 8 roles of an F1 driving team
* Drivers
* Team Boss
* Commercial Director
* Technical Director
* Chief Aerodynamicist
* Chief Designer
* Chief of R&D
* Race Team Mechanic

Answer 21

• Drivers: Each F1 team has two drivers, and most drivers share many qualities, including strength, endurance, mental alertness and quick reflexes.
• Team Boss: The team boss oversees the constructor team and gives orders on what needs to be done.
• Commercial Director: The commercial director attracts sponsors and effectively manages the levels of sponsorships and logos on the car.
• Technical Director: The technical director is the head of the engineers, designers and R&D scientists who build and design the cars.
• Chief Aerodynamicist: The chief aerodynamicist oversees a whole group of aerodynamicists who dedicate themselves to making sure the car design reduces air resistance and yet, creates the perfect amount of downforce.
• Chief Designer: The chief designer determines the basic layout of the car, as well as the materials that will be used. Each team usually has two chief designers.
• Chief of R&D: The chief of R&D manages the innovation projects, exploring new materials and technologies that can keep his team ahead of the competition.
• Race Team Mechanic: The race team mechanics keep the car running smoothy, repair any damage that has happened to the car and make any necessary tweaks to improve the performance of the car.

Question 22

What are the F1 cost cap changes?

Answer 22

The cost cap was first planned in 2021 to try and level the playing field with the it being at $175m, but this didn’t go very well. The F1 cost cap has changed very much over the recent years as when COVID hit, some teams lost a lot of money and couldn’t afford to spend as much with the current cost cap being at $135m. There is a cost cap as the richer teams of the F1 cars could spend more money on their vehicles which means that they would have an unfair advantage towards the ‘poorer’ teams. The cost cap covers all the parts of the car, garage equipment, team personnel, and transport costs. It doesn’t cover the driver’s salaries, the wages of the three highest paid staff members, travel costs, marketing, parental or sick leave payment or property and legal costs.

Question 23

List three things that impact on the F1 aerodynamics

Answer 23

• Nose Cone
• Front Wing
• Rear Wing

Question 24

Explain the three things that impacts F1 aerodynamics - nose cone, front wing, rear wing

Answer 24

• Nose Cone - The aerodynamics of a nose cone is a curved path for the air to go over as the car drives forwards. Some impacts of a nose cone are for pushing air directly into the sidepods to increase cooling but to also be used as a crush structure to try and slow down the car in the event of a crash.
• Front Wing - The aerodynamics of the front wing are a ramp for the air to go over these wings to push air upwards. The impact of the air being pushed upwards is that a downforce is created which is useful as it keeps the car on the ground without flying off and also makes the car have the right amount of traction with the ground so it can go at optimum speeds.
• Rear Wing - The aerodynamics of the front wing are very similar to the front wing as it is a ramp for the air to go over that causes the air to be pushed upwards. The impact of this is that it creates a downforce for the same purpose as before, to keep the car from flying of the track as well as making sure the car has the right amount of traction.

Question 25

What is Bernoulli’s Principle?

Answer 25

Shape used for F1 – since the air pressure is higher above the air is being pushed upwards, the wing is pushed downwards creating a downforce. Low pressure if caused by the increase in speed of the air under the wing. The opposite is used for flying

Question 26

What is the skin friction and pressure drag? How do they use it to design an F1 car?

Answer 26

The skin fraction drag is the drag between the surface of the car and the air, they use a tear drop shape or arrow shape to increase the aerodynamics

Question 27

What can you tell me about the aerodynamics of an Olympic sport give an example to explain it