f1facts

Monaco is the only race in the world which can be finished without pitting.It is also the only race which has free pracice on wednesday or thursday instead of conventially Friday.

Mayaysia sepang circuit has the longest pitlane in the world.

The 1st formula1 race was the british grand prix whic took place on the 18th of may in 1950

Mclaren got its name from Bruce Mclaren a new zealand formula1 driver,who is the youngest driver to win a F1 race at 17 !

GIUSEPPE FARINA was the first formula1 champion in 1950

Juan Miguel Fangio has Won the world championships 5 times including a HAT-TRICK in51,54,55,56,57

When Fangio won the world championships he became the oldest world champion at the age of 46, I figure nobody will ever break that record.

The Monaco gp has always been one of the toughest races, the only race which is driven on the street,making it very difficult, in 1966 it had the lowest no of finishers when only 4 drivers finished the race.

Aryton Senna defined himself as a future Formula 1 racing driver, in a school essay.He also started driving at the age of four ! and went in pole position in the 1st private race of his life by picking out lots. Thus Aryton holding the no. of pole positions in Formula 1 would not seem very much amazing!

Did you know that Heinz Harold Frentzen former girlfriend is now Micheal Schumacher's wife.

Did you know that The tyres of a F1 car have to be filled with air with 0% moisture or the moisture will have an impact on the expanded volume at operating temperature.The optimum tyre temperature of an F1 car is about 90`C

Radio communication between the team mechanics and the driver is one way only, the driver cannot communicate back.

The formula1 car must not exceed 3000cc and 12 cyl. and wt of the car should not be less than 600 kg along with the wt. of the driver.The car cannot be 4 wheel drive and must have a reverse gear.

BRAKES
Did you know that brake operating temperatures range between 700 °C and 1000 °C ! Braking balance adjustment is also very important, from the front to the rear. The rear brakes should be adjusted so tightly that the rear wheels almost lock.

When a Formula 1 driver lifts his foot off the foot pedal at 300kph (185mph), his racecar will slow at over 1G just due to the aerodynamic drag - a rate equivalent to the maximum braking of a typical road car. By the time he has put his foot on the brake pedal, and the brakes have heated up to their working temperature, the car will have slowed by 200kph and the brakes will add around 4G to the effort to slow the car, instantaneously absorbing over 2500hp.Just over 2 seconds later, he will be travelling at 100kph (60mph), and ready to ease off the brake pedal as he approaches the apex to the second gear corner ahead.

The instantaneous 650KW put into one front disc rotor causes a temperature rise of around 800degC/sec, bringing the disc up to its optimum working temperature of around 600degC very quickly.

SAFETY MEASURES

The driver must be able to cut off all the electrical circuits to the ignition, all fuel pumps and rear light by means of a spark-proof circuit breaker switch - which must be located and specifically marked on the dashboard.

FAN CAR
In 1978 Nikki Lauda drove the infamous FAN CAR by Lotus. In an exercise in loophole exploitation that probably made Colin Chapman green with envy, Brabham repositioned the radiators at the rear of the car and cooled them with a big fan instead of with rammed air as was normal with side-mounted radiators. Of course, they contrived to see to it that the fan just happened to also suck air out from under the car increasing its downforce. Lauda and John Watson employed all of the sandbagging skills they could muster in an effort to hide the fact that the car was unbeatable. It won once, in 1978 at Anderstorp with Lauda at the wheel. It never won again because it never competed again, having been promptly banned as being contrary to some rule or other.

The 1st ever drivers championship took place in 1884,There was only 1 race, on the Paris-Rouen Trail, All the competitors were french and The winner was Count Jules de Dion. The following year there were 3 races and a American Oscar Mueller won the championship.The official drivers championship was held in 1950.

A good luck note faxed to David at Silverstone in 1994 while he prepared for a Formula 3000 race shortly after being named as test driver for Williams. Signed by the entire Williams team, including Ayrton Senna, it was sent from Imola and timed at 10.43am, a mere three hours before the accident that killed the Brazilian ace and which, in circumstances very different from those he would have liked, thrust David into the F1 limelight as his successor.

So it was at Spa-Francorchamps 30 years ago that the McLaren team won its first ever World Championship Grand Prix. And, in those pre-intercom days, the driver of the car didn't even know he had done it.

CRASH TESTING OF THE CAR

Crash testing of cars is a prerequisite of every team. High speed cameras are used to record the actual impact event. Three purpose-built cameras operate at an incredible 2,000 frames/sec, are usually used. One on side, one overhead and one percentage view, together with a real-time video system allowing instant play back of the test."

A Hybrid III dummy, specially-adapted to fit a Formula One driver's position is used for crash testing. Otherwise known as an anthropomorphic test device (ATD), it is a mechanical surrogate of the human body designed to mimic human physical characteristics in simulated accident conditions. The ATD that McLaren use for the frontal impact test also has accelerometers fitted in the head, chest and crash helmet. Additionally, loads are measured in the ATD's neck and femurs

SIX WHEELERS
Tyrrell P34 is the only six-wheeler ever to compete in F1 although Williams and March had one ready to come out but did not. P34 was designed around four tiny front wheels and two conventionally-sized rears. Designer Derek Gardner's philosophy was: to minimise front-end lift by using smaller tyres; additional benefits in front-end braking were also achieved due to use of four smaller discs which meant faster cooling, better airflow to discs, large gain in brake pad size. Of course, brake balance was initially a problem; if one pair of front wheels lock, the effective wheelbase of the car changes!

The March 2-4-0 was not a car as such, but a four-wheel rear end grafted onto a number of 761 and 771 chassis. All six wheels were standard front-wheel size. It was never actually raced.Had it succeeded, it might have kept March competitive in F1, However, the car was apparently very impressive in the wet when tested with all four rears driven, but the money to develop it into a serious racer never appeared and this tantalising prospect faded, as did March as a serious F1 contender for many years

In 1981 the Williams FW07 was arguably the class of the F1 field. Patrick Head's next idea was to build a car with the biggest possible ground-effect tunnels; he was convinced that the best aerodynamic way to do this was to build a car with conventional front wheels and four small rears, with an ultra-short tub and massive sidepods. Prototypes were built and were very quick, putting in extremely competitive times which were not equalled for some years by conventional cars. However, in the turmoil surrounding F1 in the early 80s, FISA banned six-wheelers (ostensibly to keep F1 closer to 'conventional' road cars) along with ground-effects, and the Williams six-wheeler remained a fascinating white elephant. It is still in existence and appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The short, stubby monocoque of the six-wheeler was later used on the conventional FW08.

WHERE DID ARROWS GET ITS NAME ARROWS
Arrows was founded in 1977 and raced in Formula One from 1978.The founder members of the team included four former employees from the Shadow team.The name Arrows was actually derived from the team bosses - AR from the man with the money, Franco Ambrosio - R from team manager Alan Rees - O from managing director Jackie Oliver - W from engineer Dave Wass - S from designer Tony Southgate.

Super Licence
In order to be able to take part in a Grand Prix, a driver must hold a "Super Licence", which is awarded on the basis of his past record in junior formulae and of his having a valid contract with a Formula One team which has entered the World Championship.

PEDRO DINIZ
Pedro has been described by some as the 'most important driver currently in Formula One'. This is not, unfortunately for him, necessarily because of his driving skills but more because of the millions of pounds of sponsorship money he brings with him to a team.

ENGINES
WHO IS THE LEADER IN WINS BY AN ENGINE(renault,mercedes,honda,ferrari)?
the undisputed champ is FORD-COSWORTH with 175 wins under its belt.A distant second is ferrari with 124 wins.
RESTRICTIONS ON ENGINES

There are thus restrictions on cylinder capacity, fuel, engines which are not reciprocating or 4-stroke are prohibited, and the engines are restricted to a maximum of twelve cylinders which cannot have an oval section.Also turbocarging of the engine has not allowed since 1988.

WHEN DID SINGLE SEATER CARS COME OUT AND WHY?
It was only in the 1920's when single seater cars came out,till then two seater's were used. Single seaters came out beacuse of the development of (would you believe it) rear view mirrors, Since the primary use of the second seat mechanic was to warn when another driver was going to overtake!!

WHEN WAS THE FIA BORN
The FIA came into existance in the year 1904, to organise races with a certain set of regulations

HOW DID THE NAME FORMULA 1 COME INTO BEING

Immediately after its creation in 1904, the FIA, which is the international sporting authority, became obliged to formulate restrictions to ensure the safety of the drivers and spectators, and to guide motor sport in a direction which would benefit the development of road cars,The minimum weight, maximum weight, consumption and bore were each restricted in their turn, but the formula most frequently used, even after 1939, was to limit the cylinder capacity of the engines. This restriction was first introduced in 1914. Following the introduction of the first "formula" defined by the FIA which restricted maximum weight in 1904, categories were created for the smaller cars,The FIA Formula One World Championship was created in 1950, and the first Formula One race counting for the FIA Formula One World Championship was the British Grand Prix, which took place in Silverstone the 13^th May 1950.

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE TERM GRAND PRIX RACING IS USED ONLY IN FORMULA1?
The FIA decided to restrict usage of the then popular word for a race which was called GRAND PRIX(or grand prize). The 1st race however to be called a grand prix was in 1906 It was the Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France held at Le Mans.

DRIVERS FACTS

Each team with two cars may change the driver of its first car once in the season. For the second car, a maximum of three drivers may take turns, without restriction, during any one season.

WHY IS IT CALLED FREE PRACTISE
On free practise the cars can run freely for as many laps as they want like warm up which takes place 1/2 an hour before a race usually, unlike the qualifing session where each driver is limited to 12 laps of the circuit.
Any driver exceeding 12 laps for qualifing will have to start at the back of the grid even if he has set the best time!

WHO IS A CONSTRUCTOR IS HE THE CHASSIS OR ENGINE MANUFACTURER?

A constructor who wishes to become involved in Formula One must submit his entry to the FIA, to which he must provide evidence that he is both the designer and constructor of the 'CHASSIS' of his car, and that he also has sufficient technical and financial resources to take part in the whole of the Championship. In most cases, this is not the same as the engine manufacturer, and the name of the chassis manufacturer is always given before that of the engine manufacturer. In the event of winning the Constructors' World Championship, the title is awarded to the chassis manufacturer. Any constructor who fails to turn up at an event may be fined several hundred thousand dollars per event and per car, except in the case of exceptional circumstances. A constructor may not join the championship during the season.

DRIVERS

Did you know that Starting No's for the cars are given to the constructor and not to the car driver, except for the current world champion, whichever team he joins will get no 1 no for the car and his teammate will get the No. 2 number.

CAN A DRIVER CHANGE HIS CAR DURING A RACE?

No change of car is authorised following the green light signalling the start of the formation lap. Nevertheless, if the race is interrupted before two laps have been completed, the starting procedure is repeated and starts again from the T-15 point. Car changes are authorised once again until the green light indicating the start of the formation lap is shown.

STARTING GRID
The starting grid consists of two cars per row in staggered formation, with an interval of eight metres between each row and the next.

WHAT DECIDES THE DISTANCE OF A GRAND PRIX(HOW MANY LAPS)?
The distance of a Grand Prix is the least number of laps which exceeds 305 km, So in the 51st lap if the total distance exceeds 305 km, then the race is of 50 laps.The only exception is the monaco Gp which takes place within a town itself is a very slow circuit and the total race distance is about 265 km. Any race which exceeds over two hours is likely to be stopped at the end of 2 hours and the leader who finishes his lap at the end of 2 hours wins.

HOW POWERFUL IS A FORMULA 1 ENGINE
In 1999 the 3.o litre engine produces roughly about 800 HP!!!

how many G's or G forces does a F1 driver reach?
A current Formula One car is capable of a transverse acceleration of up to 4G, whereas a road car does not exceed 1G.

DO F1 DRIVERS HAVE AUTOMATIC GEARSHIFTS?
Automatic is prohibited in the technical regulations,and most of the drivers use semi-automatic. He simply presses a button on the side of his steering wheel. There is a button on each side: one for changing up, the other for changing down. He therefore no longer has to take his hand off the steering wheel, and this hydraulic device, which is electronically activated, allows the driver to change gear in one or two hundredths of a second!

STEWARDS,WHO ARE THEY?

The three Stewards are the judges, or the referees, of an Event. They examine the reports submitted by the various officials and, once they have heard the explanations and defence of all the parties concerned, decide on any sanctions. In order to ensure sporting equity, the Stewards vary from one event to another; two of them are nominated by the FIA from amongst holders of the Stewards' super licence. The third Steward is designated by the National Sporting Authority of the country in which the event is taking place. The Stewards appointed by the FIA are of a different nationality from that of the country in which the event is taking place. They may, at any time, impose the sanctions set out in the International Sporting Code and, if they judge the behaviour of a competitor or a driver to be reprehensible, they may request that he be summoned before the World Motor Sport Council. TIME PENALTY?
Did you know that if the time penalty is imposed during the last five laps of a race, 25 seconds will be added to the race time of the driver concerned, instead of a stop-go.Since that is the time roughly taken for the driver to enter and exit the pits at reduced speed,and thus will effectively ruin his race position during the race.

ADRIAN NEWEY
Adrian Newey, the world's most sought out aerodynamic engineer was a high school drop out at the age of 16, and still does his designs on a drawing board, working to half-scale.

Did you know that Bruce McLaren the driver,engineer and designer had Perthes Disease, and had to be strapped to a metal frame .

WHO WAVES THE CHEQUERED FLAG AT THE END OF A RACE?
It is the 'clerk of the course' who waves the chequered flag at the end of a race.The Clerk of the Course, who is nominated by the National Sporting Authority from among holders of a FIA Super Licence, is responsible for the co-ordination of all the officials and track marshals at the Grand Prix. Nevertheless, the Clerk of the Course must work closely with, and under the authority of, the Race Director, who is nominated by the FIA.

DID YOU KNOW that fifteen minutes before the start, the pit lane exit is closed and any driver who is not yet on the track has to start from the pit lane exit, after all the other competitors have gone past.Five minutes before the start, access to the grid is closed and any driver who is delayed on the circuit has to start from the pit lane exit. His vacant position is not filled on the grid.

DID YOU KNOW the start of a race is the extinction of all the red lights at once. This occurs between 0.2 and 3 seconds after the last red light has been lit. This lapse of time is pre-programmed by the starter at each race, but kept secret.

STALLING ON THE GRID,WHAT HAPPENS?

BEFORE FORMATION LAP
If a driver stalls whilst the green light is on i.e.start of the formation lap, his mechanics are allowed to push the car to get it to start, once all the competitors have left the grid. Since overtaking is not permitted during the formation lap, he must start from the back of the grid. However, a driver who has had difficulty starting the car but who manages to leave before the last car has crossed the Start/Finish line is allowed to overtake during the formation lap and take up his original position on the grid.

AFTER FORMATION LAP,BUT BEFORE START
If a driver stalls on the grid after the formation lap, but before the start, he must raise his arm to notify the starter, who turns on the flashing yellow lights. The start is aborted and the procedure begins again from the "5-minute" board. In order to compensate for the additional formation lap, the race is reduced by one lap. The driver responsible for the false start must start from the back of the grid.

DURING THE START

If a driver stalls during the start when all the lights are extinguished, and therefore too late for the starting procedure to be interrupted and aborted, the marshals will push his car to the pit lane once all the competitors have left the grid. If the driver is then able to start his engine, he may rejoin the race. Otherwise, he is pushed back to his pit where his mechanics will take over.

DIFFERENT STARTING PROCEDURES?

If the rain is such that, in the opinion of the Race Director, it would be dangerous to start the race with the normal procedure, it is possible to start behind the Safety Car. In this case, the revolving yellow lights on the Safety Car, which is positioned at the front of the starting grid, are switched on no later than the one-minute signal. This indicates to the drivers that the race will be started behind the Safety Car. When the green light is switched on, the Safety Car leaves the grid followed by all the other cars. The race starts immediately, and there is no formation lap. Overtaking is permitted only after the Safety Car has returned into the pit lane. Overtaking is only permitted in order to pass a car which remains on the grid, or in order to retain a grid position provided the car overtaking left the grid before the last car crossed the line.

PITSTOP DURING SAFETY CAR OUT?
The driver can have a pitstop while the safety car is out, but it may only rejoin the track when the green light is on in the pit lane. It will be on at all times except when the Safety Car and the line of cars following it are about to pass or are passing the pit exit.

JIM CLARKE SLOW STARTER!
Jim Clark's first real race was in a German-built DKW 3-6 at Crimond Airfield, near Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1956. He didn't win. He didn't even come close. In fact he came in LAST PLACE!

NIKKI LAUDA WON 3RD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BECAUSE HE WAS BROKE!
Nikki Lauda had retired in 1979 without a word, but had to return in 82 because his Airlines wasnt doing well.And the great driver signed with Mclaren and it was in 84 that he won his 3rd and last world championship by just '1/2' a point.

ITS NOT ONLY DRIVING SKILL!
From a normal seating position, with all seat belts fastened, and whilst wearing his usual driving equipment, a 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 total of 10 seconds.

JACQUES VILLENEUVE
BAR driver Jacques Villeneuve is the youngest ever winner of the PPG IndyCar World Championship.

FERRARI DREAM MACHINE
Once Giles Villeneuve remarked that"If someone said to me that you can have three wishes, my first would have been to get into racing, my second to be in Formula 1, my third to drive for Ferrari..."And fittingly his 1st win was in a ferrari and in his country Canada.

GILES VILLENEUVE THE LEGEND

At the 1979 French Grand Prix at Dijon, Renault and Jean-Pierre Jabouille posted the first win for a modern turbo car. Rene Arnoux, running well, looked to make it a Renault one-two. Villeneuve, however, asserted a definite au contraire in a sliding, wheel-banging, tire-boiling duel with Arnoux that no witness to it is likely to forget. Villeneuve's insane insistence that his slower Ferrari could beat Arnoux's faster Renault was rewarded, and he finished just ahead of the Frenchman. It is probably safe to say that this was the most exciting race for second place in the history of motor racing.
Villeneuve died tragically in 1982 at the Imola GP when he crashedIf his death was not greeted with great shock and surprise, that was more than offset by the profound sadness it produced. Even Arnoux, his adversary in the Dijon epic, confessed that he cried the day Gilles died and the day after.

NIGEL MANSELL
Nigel Mansell is the only driver to have 14 pole positions in one season.