This is harnessed to improve a car's traction and its handling through corners. One of two penalties that can be handed out at the discretion of the Stewards whilst the race is still running. Drivers must enter the pit lane, drive through it complying with the speed limit, and re-join the race without stopping. A meeting of all the drivers and the FIA race director to discuss issues relating to that particular Grand Prix and circuit. Other subjects, such as driving standards and safety, may also be discussed. Also known as adjustable rear wings, DRS Drag Reduction System rear wings allow the driver to adjust the wing between two pre-determined settings from the cockpit.
The system's availability is electronically governed - it can be used at any time in practice and qualifying unless a driver is on wet-weather tyres , but during the race can only be activated when a driver is less than one second behind another car at pre-determined points on the track. The system is then deactivated once the driver brakes. In combination with KERS, it is designed to boost overtaking. Also like KERS, it isn't compulsory.
Short for Electronic Control Unit, a standard unit that controls the electrical systems on all F1 cars including the engine and gearbox. The vertical panels that form the outer edges of a car's front and rear wings and to which the main wing elements are attached. Located in the fuel cell and weighing between kg, the Energy Store usually consists of lithium ion batteries.
Energy Recovery Systems, or ERS for short, consist of Motor Generator Units that harness waste heat energy from the turbocharger and waste kinetic energy from the braking system. This energy is then stored and subsequently used to propel the car. These systems are complemented by an Energy Store ES and control electronics. ERS is capable of providing kw of power approximately bhp for approximately 33 seconds per lap.
The term given to the area of a tyre that is worn heavily on one spot after a moment of extreme braking or in the course of a spin. This ruins its handling, often causing severe vibration, and may force a driver to pit for a replacement set of tyres.
How much weight does a Formula 1 driver lose during a Grand-Prix race?
The lap before the start of the race when the cars are driven round from the grid to form up on the grid again for the start of the race. Sometimes referred to as the warm-up lap or parade lap. A physical force equivalent to one unit of gravity that is multiplied during rapid changes of direction or velocity. Drivers experience severe G-forces as they corner, accelerate and brake.
When a car slides, it can cause little bits or rubber 'grains' to break away from the tyre's grooves. These then stick to the tread of the tyre, effectively separating the tyre from the track surface very slightly. For the driver, the effect is like driving on ball bearings.
15 surprising facts about Formula 1 cars and racing - Somag News
Careful driving can clear the graining within a few laps, but will obviously have an effect on the driver's pace. Driving style, track conditions, car set-up, fuel load and the tyre itself all play a role in graining. In essence, the more the tyre moves about on the track surface ie slides , the more likely graining is. A bed of gravel on the outside of corners designed with the aim of bringing cars that fall off the circuit to a halt. The amount of traction a car has at any given point, affecting how easy it is for the driver to keep control through corners.
A term used to describe a car's responsiveness to driver input and its ability to negotiate corners effectively. A car that handles well will typically be well-balanced and not understeer or oversteer to any great degree. Short for Head and Neck Support Device, a mandatory safety device that fits over the driver's shoulders and connects to the back of the helmet to prevent excessive head and neck movement in the event of an accident.
The removable energy-absorbing foam that surrounds the driver's helmet in the cockpit. Three different grades of foam are used, depending on the ambient temperature. A term used to describe the process by which a tyre is heated through use and then cooled down. This has the effect of slightly changing the properties of the compound and can improve durability.
Formula One
A lap done on arrival at a circuit, testing functions such as throttle, brakes and steering before heading back to the pits without crossing the finish line. When a driver moves off his grid position before the five red lights have been switched off to signal the start.
Sensors detect premature movement and a jump start earns a driver a penalty. A synthetic fibre that is combined with epoxy resin to create a strong, lightweight composite used in F1 car construction. A style of braking made popular in the s following the arrival of hand clutches so that drivers could keep their right foot on the throttle and dedicate their left to braking. The term used to describe a driver braking sharply and 'locking' one or more tyres whilst the others continue rotating. Tyre smoke and flat spots are common side effects. The sign on a stick held in front of the car during a pit stop to inform the driver to apply the brakes and then to engage first gear prior to the car being lowered from its jacks.
The small pieces of tyre rubber that accumulate at the side of the track off the racing line. Typically these are very slippery when driven on. A course official who oversees the safe running of the race.
Why Do F1 Drivers Lose Weight and by how much?
The single-piece tub in which the cockpit is located, with the engine fixed behind it and the front suspension on either side at the front. An artificial, fire-resistant fibre used to make drivers' race overalls, underwear, gloves and boots. The second - and usually softer - of the two tyre compounds nominated by the official tyre supplier for use at each Grand Prix. Not expected in theory to be as well suited as the prime tyre to that particular circuit's characteristics, but may provide certain advantages in terms of pace or durability.
A term used to describe a driver braking either too late or too softly and subsequently overrunning a corner. A common mistake made during overtaking moves. When a car's rear end doesn't want to go around a corner and tries to overtake the front end as the driver turns in towards the apex. This often requires opposite-lock to correct, whereby the driver turns the front wheels into the skid.
Levers on either side of the back of a steering wheel with which a driver changes up and down the gearbox. An enclosed area behind the pits in which the teams keep their transporters and motor homes.
- What did Lewis Hamilton say was the toughest part of racing in F1.
- Congratulations!.
- Lance Stroll.
- Navigation menu.
There is no admission to the public. A fenced-off area into which cars are driven after qualifying and the race, where no team members are allowed to touch them except under the strict supervision of race stewards. A board held out on the pit wall to inform a driver of his race position, the time interval to the car ahead or the one behind, plus the number of laps of the race remaining.
Where the team owner, managers and engineers spend the race, usually under an awning to keep sun and rain off their monitors. A hard wooden strip also known as a skid block that is fitted front-to-back down the middle of the underside of all cars to check that they are not being run too close to the track surface, something that is apparent if the wood is excessively worn.
The first place on the starting grid, as awarded to the driver who recorded the fastest lap time in qualifying. The term used to describe the entire system providing an F1 car's power. The periods on Friday and on Saturday morning at a Grand Prix meeting when the drivers are out on the track working on the set-up of their cars in preparation for qualifying and the race. Of the two tyre compounds nominated by the official tyre supplier for use at each Grand Prix, the prime is the compound that is in theory best suited to that particular circuit's characteristics.
Normally harder than the option tyre. An action lodged by a team when it considers that another team or competitor has transgressed the rules. The knock-out session on Saturday in which the drivers compete to set the best time they can in order to determine the starting grid for the race. Short for Research and Development, the term describes activities undertaken by a team to develop or improve a system or component.
A lap completed when drivers leave the pits to assemble on the grid for the start. If a driver decides to do several, they must divert through the pit lane as the grid will be crowded with team personnel. A bumpy, often saw-toothed strip of kerbing usually found on the exit of a corner to warn the driver of the edge of the track.
The course vehicle that is called from the pits to run in front of the leading car in the race in the event of a problem that requires the cars to be slowed. For timing purposes the lap is split into three sections, each of which is roughly a third of the lap.
These sections are officially known as Sector 1, Sector 2 and Sector 3. A brief test when a team is trying a different car part for the first time before going back out to drive at percent to set a fast time. The part of the car that flanks the sides of the monocoque alongside the driver and runs back to the rear wing, housing the radiators. A driving tactic when a driver is able to catch the car ahead and duck in behind its rear wing to benefit from a reduction in drag over its body and hopefully be able to achieve a superior maximum speed to slingshot past before the next corner. Hence, the drivers are also advised to take in large amounts of water before the race, even if they do not feel thirsty, to avoid dehydration through sweating.
Qualifying system explained. Thus, even after the race, it is important to meet the least weight criteria if failing to match the team would be penalized or might not be allowed to participate. Why do F1 drivers get weighed after race and Why do they Lose Weight? Tanish Chachra. Latest F1 News.