Technical regulations.
Bodywork, dimensions and cockpitThe overall width of a car, excluding tyres, must not exceed 2,000mm.
The length, height and shape of the car are effectively governed by other specific parameters. For example, bodywork between the front and rear wheel centre lines must not be more than 1,600mm wide.
In order to prevent tyre damage to other cars, certain pieces of bodywork (such as front wing endplates) must be at least 10mm thick.
No part of the car can be more than 950mm in height.
The positioning and size of other bodywork or aerodynamic appendages (such as wings) on the car is strictly controlled.
With the exception of the rear wing, moveable bodywork is not allowed. Furthermore, any system, device or procedure which uses driver movement as a means of altering the aerodynamic characteristics of the car's bodywork is prohibited.
Cars may be equipped with moveable rear wings which allow the driver to control the wing's angle of incidence (within specified limits) from the cockpit (commonly known as a Drag Reduction System, or DRS).
The DRS system is electronically governed and is only available during the race 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.
Bodywork that flexes excessively could in theory be used to gain an aerodynamic advantage. Therefore specific sections of the bodywork, such as the front wing, must be sufficiently rigid to pass the FIA's ever more stringent deflection tests.
The size of a Formula One car's cockpit opening must comply with strict specifications. Compliance with these specifications is tested by lowering a specially made template into the cockpit.
The driver must be able to enter and get out of the cockpit without it being necessary to open a door or remove any part of the car other than the steering wheel.
From his normal seating position, with all seat belts fastened and whilst wearing his usual driving equipment, the driver must be able to remove the steering wheel and get out of the car within five seconds and then replace the steering wheel within a further five seconds.
The steering wheel must be fitted with a quick release mechanism.
Brake system
Formula One cars must have one brake system operated through a single brake pedal.
The system must comprise two hydraulic circuits - one for the front wheels and one for the rear. Should one circuit fail the other must remain operational.
Anti-lock braking systems (ABS) are not allowed - brake pressure must be controlled by the driver's physical input only and not by any other system.
The only exception is the electronic rear brake control system, which is teams can use to compensate for the effect of Energy Recovery Systems (ERS) on the rear axle.
The rear brake control system is allowed provided that the driver brake pedal is connected to a hydraulic master cylinder that generates a pressure source that can be applied to the rear braking circuit if the powered system is disabled.
Each wheel must have no more than one brake disc of 278mm maximum diameter and 32mm maximum thickness. Each disc must have only one aluminium calliper, with a maximum of six circular pistons, and no more than two brake pads.
Car construction and crash testing
The construction of Formula One cars and the materials used are strictly controlled by the regulations to maximise their safety.
The main structure of the car comprises a safety cell which contains the cockpit plus the flexible fuel cell, which is housed immediately behind (but separated from) the driver.
This safety cell must meet minimum size requirements and must have an impact-absorbing structure immediately in front of it. The design of the car must also include additional impact-absorbing structures at the rear, behind the gearbox, and on the flanks of the car.
Both sides of the survival cell feature anti-intrusion panels made from Zylon. These extend upwards from the bottom of the chassis to the rim of the cockpit and alongside the driver's head.
The car must have two roll structures to protect the driver in the event of the car overturning. One must be immediately behind the driver's head, the other at the front of the cockpit, immediately ahead of the steering wheel.
The car and its survival cell must pass several strict impact, roll and static load tests before it is allowed to take to the track. The tests must be carried out under FIA guidelines and in the presence of an FIA technical delegate.
Front, side and rear impact tests focus on the car's survival cell, which must be left undamaged by the impacts. All structural damage must be limited to the car's impact absorbing structures, for example, the sidepods, the nose etc.
Electrical systems
All components of the power unit, gearbox, clutch and differential, in addition to all associated actuators, must be controlled by the standard ECU (Electronic Control Unit).
The standard ECU, which is manufactured by an FIA designated supplier to a specification determined by the FIA, may only be used with approved software and must be connected to the control system wiring loom, sensors and actuators in a specified manner.
The electrical and software systems of all cars are inspected by the FIA at the start of the season and the teams must notify them in advance of any subsequent changes.
All software must be registered with the FIA, who check all the programmable systems on the cars prior to each event to ensure that the correct software versions are being used.
Electronic systems which can automatically detect the race start signal are forbidden.
Pit to car telemetry is prohibited.
All pit to car radio transmissions must be open and accessible to both the FIA and broadcasters.
Fuel, fuel usage and refuelling
Cars may use no more than 105kg of fuel in each race (with the power unit regulations stipulating that fuel flow must not exceed 100kg/hour). Drivers exceeding the fuel limit during a race will be immediately excluded from the race results.
Teams are not permitted to add or remove fuel from a car during a race. In other occasions during the weekend they may refuel cars but only in their respective garages, and only at a rate of 0.8 litres per second.
Formula One cars run on petrol, the specification of which is not significantly removed from that used in regular road cars.
All fuels must comply with strict requirements, and prior to each event the teams must submit two separate five-litre samples to the FIA for analysis and approval. Fuel samples will also be taken during an event to ensure the fuel being used is legal.
Fuel tanks are also strictly governed - they must comprise a single rubber balder, which must be made of materials approved by the FIA and must be manufactured by certain approved companies.
The tank must be situated directly behind the driver and directly ahead of the engine. All fuel lines must be self-sealing in the event of an accident and no lines must pass through the cockpit.
The fuel tank must be encased within a crushable structure that forms part of the car's safety cell. This structure must be able to withstand very high impact loads as specified in the regulations.
Power Unit and ERS
The internal combustion engine of a Formula One car must 1.6-litres in capacity and rev-limited to 15,000rpm.
The engine must also have six cylinders arranged in a 90-degree formation, with two inlet and two exhaust valves per cylinder and a single turbocharger.
Engines exhaust systems must have a single tailpipe for the turbine and either one or two tailpipes for the wastegate.
Fuel flow to the engine is limited to 100 kilograms/hour.
The use of any device, other than the engine and one MGU-K, to propel the car, is not permitted.
The overall weight of the power unit must be a minimum of 145kg. The Energy Store must be installed wholly within the survival cell and must weigh between 20kg and 25kg.
The crankcase and cylinder block of the engine must be made of cast or wrought aluminium alloys - the use of composite materials is not allowed. The crankshaft and camshafts must be made from an iron-based alloy, pistons from an aluminium alloy and valves from alloys based on iron, nickel, cobalt or titanium.
The MGU-H must be solely mechanically linked to the exhaust turbine of the pressure charging system. The MGU-K must be solely and permanently mechanically linked to the powertrain before the main clutch.
A maximum of 4MJ per lap can be transferred from the ES to the MGU-K (and then in turn to the drivetrain).
A maximum of 2MJ per lap can be transferred from the MGU-K to the ES.
An unlimited amount of energy can be transferred between the MGU-H and the ES and/or MGU-K.
With the exception of cars starting a race from the pit lane, the MGU-K may only be used during a race start once the car has reached 100km/h.
Safety equipment
All cars must be fitted with a fire extinguishing system that will discharge into the cockpit and engine compartment in the event of a fire. It must be operable by the driver when he is seated normally with his seat belts on and must function even if the car's main electrical circuit fails or if the car is inverted.
There must also be a switch to trigger the fire extinguishing system from outside the cockpit. Its location on the bodywork is indicated by a red letter "E" inside a white circle.
There must be a circuit breaker switch in the cockpit that the driver can use to cut all the car's main electrical circuits. This is marked on the dashboard by a red spark in a white-edged blue triangle. There must be an additional switch that marshals can operate from a distance with the use of a special hook. This switch is located at the base of the car's main roll-over structure.
All cars must have two rear-view mirrors, whose size and location must comply with strict requirements. Drivers must demonstrate to the FIA the effectiveness of the mirrors by identifying special letter and number boards placed at various distances behind and to the sides of the car whilst seated in the cockpit.
Seatbelts are compulsory in Formula One racing. Drivers must wear two shoulder straps, one abdominal strap and two straps between the legs. These must comply with strictly specified FIA standards.
All cars must have a red light on the rear of the car in a specific location defined by the FIA regulations. The driver must be able to switch this light on at any time. This is usually done in poor weather conditions in order to make the car more visible to following drivers.
The cockpit of the car must be equipped with three areas of special padding to protect the driver's head in the event of an impact. These are situated immediately behind and to the sides of his head.
In order to minimise the risk of leg injury during an accident, additional areas of padding must be fitted each side of, and above, the driver's legs within the cockpit.
All cars must be fitted with wheel retention devices to prevent a wheel coming off the car in the event of the fastener either being left loose or becoming loose.
TV cameras and timing transponders
Throughout a Grand Prix weekend all cars must be fitted with at least four on-board cameras or on-board camera housings.
The four carefully defined camera/camera housing locations are: the wing mirrors, the sides of the nose, the sides of engine cover and the top of the air box.
A camera must always be mounted on top of the air box above the driver's head. A camera or camera housing must be fitted at the other three locations, depending on broadcast decisions.
In addition to cameras, all cars must also be fitted with two timing transponders supplied by the officially appointed timekeepers. These transponders, which are fitted beside the cockpit and in the front of the chassis, allow the timekeepers to record every lap time of every car throughout the weekend.
It is the responsibility of the teams to ensure that the transponders are in working order at all times.
Scrutineering and weighing
Cars must weigh at least 722kg (including the driver and all his safety equipment but not fuel) at all times during an event.
Cars are always weighed with dry-weather tyres fitted.
The weight applied on the front and rear wheels must not be less than 328kg and 387kg respectively during qualifying.
Teams may use ballast to bring cars up to weight but it must be firmly secured to the cars. Ballast may not be removed or added during a race.
With the exception of compressed gases, no substance may be added to the car during the race. If it becomes necessary to replace any part of the car during the race, the new part must not weigh any more than the original part.
Tyres and wheels
Formula One cars must have four uncovered wheels, all made of the same metallic material, which must be one of two magnesium alloys specified by the FIA.
Front wheels must be between 370 and 385mm wide, the rears between 455 and 470mm.
With tyres fitted the wheels must be no more than 670mm in diameter (680mm with wet-weather tyres). Measurements are taken with tyres inflated to 1.4 bar.
Tyres may only be inflated with air or nitrogen.
Teams are not allowed to modify the tyres in any way, nor are they allowed to treat them with solvents or softeners.
Tyre blankets are permitted, but they may only act upon the outer tyre surface.
Wheels must be attached to the car with a single fastener.
The tyre guns used in pit stops to remove tyres may only be powered by compressed air or nitrogen.
Any sensor systems may only act passively.
[c] Copyright 2011 www.tradearabia.com
Copyright 2017 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).
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| Publication: | Gulf Weekly |
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| Date: | Apr 12, 2017 |
| Words: | 2368 |
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