The origin of ‘F1’ Cars/Races

Preamble:
A couple of weeks ago, we had a look at the philosophy behind F1 vs Stock Cars Tyre designs. Thereafter, it occurred to me that most of you could be interested in knowing some facts and figures behind ‘F1 Cars and Racing’. So let’s have a look…

How did it start
There was no ‘formula’ for motor racing during the years 1894, when the first ‘organised’ motor race took place from Paris to Rouen, until 1900. The then existing vehicles were simply raced. However, a differentiation was made between those cars on the basis of their method of propulsion (petrol or steam), and their number of seats.

During that time, cars always had at least two seats and it was not until the end of 1920 that single-seater cars were used for racing. The ‘invention’ of the rear-view mirror made an important contribution to this development, since one of the mechanic’s tasks in the 2-seaters was to warn the driver that someone was trying to overtake him!

When the first F1 race took place
The ‘FIA Formula-One’ World Championship was created early in 1950 and its first even was held on 13th May 1950 at ‘Silverstone’ Tracks in the U.K., which continues to be one of the most sought after ones even these days.

Participation Criteria for a ‘Constructor’
A prospective ‘Constructor’ must submit his entry to the FIA, providing evidence that he is both the ‘Designer’ AND ‘Constructor’ of the ‘Chassis’ of his car. He also has to substantiate sufficient technical and financial resources to take part in the Championship. A ‘Constructor’ need not be its engine manufacturer also and the name of the chassis manufacturer is always given before that of the engine manufacturer. In the event of winning a Championship, the title is awarded to the Constructor/Chassis manufacturer.

Drivers of F1 Championships
To qualify to participate, a Driver must hold a ‘Super Licence’, which is awarded on the basis of his past record in junior formulae races and of his having a valid contract with an F1 team which has entered the Championship.

How long does an F1 Race last
The distance is the least number of ‘laps’ which exceeds 305 km, and no race may last for more than two hours. On certain slower circuits (such as Monaco), in the event of rain, the Clerk of the Course is sometimes obliged to stop the race after two hours.

The Race continues whether rain or shine
An F1 event takes place in all weather conditions and tyre manufacturers have developed treaded tyres, which help to avoid the risk of aquaplaning. Nevertheless, the Race Director has the power to stop the event, if this becomes necessary for safety reasons as apart from track-grip, the greatest problem during rain is visibility, which is significantly reduced due to the spray thrown up by the cars’ tyres. In order to counteract this problem, the cars are equipped with a red light at the rear, which must be switched on if it starts to rain.

How Powerful are F1 Engines
Present F1 Regulations peg their engine capacities to 3.0 Lrs/19,000 Rpm. Turbo or Super Charging is not allowed. Even though the Constructors refuse to divulge details of their engine power, it is rumoured that nowadays their maximum powers exceed 800 Hp. Manufacturers of engines with eight or ten cylinders opine that maximum power is not always the most important factor. The ‘shape’ of its ‘power curve’ also matters, which in their case is better at a low engine speeds. Having ‘adequate’ power at lower engine speeds is of equal importance, especially on slow circuits.

Speeds F1 Cars can reach
The highest average speed of 242.615 kph achieved in Italy during 1971, that was won by Peter Gethin. Recent computer simulations suggested that current F1 cars can achieve an average speed of well over 300 kph. David Coulthard set the highest ‘straight line’ speed at 356.5 kph, recorded during the 1998 season.