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Formula One Cars, An Overview

2008 has been the year that Formula One glory has come back to Great Britain, with Lewis Hamilton not only winning the Championship and becoming the youngest man ever to do so but also creating a new breed of F1 driver with the legions of young fans and a pop star girlfriend, all of which has raised the profile of F1 across the board. Even though the Championship is over for this year and there are big changes coming in next year which will result in changes to the standards applied to the cars that race, you`ll probably be interested in what goes in to the best Formula One cars and what makes them such a spectacle to watch and such a handle to drive. Here are a few facts and figures about F1 cars and the teams that build them.

The Engine
F1 is one of the most regulated motor sports in the world, and each team is required by F1 rules to construct the cars they race in house. Since 2006 the teams have been restricted to using 2.4 Litre V8 engines, and as of the 2007 season engines have been limited to 19000 rpm in an attempt to slash the costs and improve the reliability of F1 engines, which are extremely temperamental beasts. The modern engines develop between 700 and 780 horsepower and because they are located behind the driver and in front of the rear axel the form part of the structural frame of the car. In the 2008 season an engine was required to last two full weekend runs with a 10 grid places penalty in the event of replacement of an engine.

Transmission
F1 cars are all rear wheel drive and operate on a semi-automatic gear changing system. The actual clutch control and change is handled by an elctro-hydraulic system, but the drive can control the gear via paddles located behind the steering wheel, which means the man is ultimately in control of the gears at all time. Seamless shift transitions, which operate on a double-clutch mechanism and nearly eliminate the loss of power during a gear change are now in general use, and similar systems can be found in road going cars like the Audi TT. F1 gearboxes must be used for at least 4 consecutive events before they are changed, although gear ratios may be altered without conceding a position penalty.

Construction and Composition
F1 Cars are generally constructed from a carbon fibre and other extremely light weight and expensive materials, and the minimum weight of 605kg must be reached for a car to be legal, which includes driver and all on board fluids and cameras. Because most cars come in at way under this minimum the manufacturer is required to add ballast to reach the required weight, which can be advantageous as it allows for equal weight distribution around the F1 car.

Because of the wildly unpredictable nature of F1 racing and the extremely fragile nature of F1 cars betting on F1 can be one of the most exciting sports to put money on, and this past 2008 Championship has been no exception. Grand Prix Betting Odds are calculated based on car and driver performance, and bets can be placed on anything from podium placing to qualifying positions.