F1 Racing free essay sample

Formula racing  is a term that refers to various forms of  open wheeled  single seater  motorsport. Its origin lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by theFIA  for all of its post-World War II  single seater regulations, or  formulae. The best known of these formul? are  Formula One,  Formula Two, and  Formula Three. Common usage of formula racing encompasses other single seater series, including the  GP2 Series, which replaced  Formula 3000  (which had itself been the effective replacement for Formula Two). Categories such as Formula Three and GP2 are described as  feeder formul? which refers to their position below Formula One on the  career ladder  of single seater motor racing. There are two primary forms of racing formula: the open formula that allows a choice of chassis and/or engines; and the control or spec formula that relies on a single supplier for chassis and engines. Formula Three  is an example of an open formula, while  Formula B MW  is a control formula. There are also some exceptions on these two forms like  Formula Fordwhere there is an open chassis formula but a restricted single brand engine formula. Formula One Main article:  History of Formula One In the process of reviving  Grand Prix racing  after the end of World War II, the  Federation Internationale de lAutomobiles Commission Sportive Internationale was responsible for defining the standardised regulations of  Formula One  in 1946. The first race to be run to the early Formula One regulations was a non-championship Grand prix at  Turin  in September 1946. The first officially recognised  Drivers World Championshipwas held in 1947 and the  Formula One World Championship  was inaugurated in 1950. This was the first example of formula racing. A typical F3 chassis from the late 1960s [edit]Formula Two The  Formula Two  regulations were first defined in 1947 as a form of B-class below Formula One. [1]It was not unusual for some Formula One events to include a number of F2 entries in the same field and the entries in the World Championship seasons of 1952–53 comprised exclusively F2 cars for reasons of cost. F2 had a patchy history until the inauguration of the European Formula Two Championship in 1967. F2 was an open formula that allowed the use of any  chassis  that met the prescribed regulations; it was well supported during the 1970s, with chassis from  Tecno,March Engineering,  Toleman,  Ralt,  Matra  and others. The European championship ran continually until the creation of its successor,  Formula 3000, in 1985. [2]  In 2008 it was announced by the FIA that Formula Two would return in 2009 in the form of the  FIA Formula Two Championship. [edit]Formula Three Formula Three  has a longer history, with at least ten active championships around the world. It was created by the FIA in 1950 as the low cost entry point to single seater formula racing. In 1959, it was replaced by a technically similar formula called  Formula Junior, before Formula Three was reintroduced in 1964. [3]  Like the other FIA-derived formul? F3 is an open class that permits a choice of chassis and engines. Notable championships include the  Formula Three Euroseries, the  British Formula Three Championship, and the  Formel 3 Cup. [edit]Formula Four Lastly,  Formula Four  is a championship held in Great Britain; this championship is not very useful for gaining experience and success in the competition i s not helpful for drivers wishing to enter more prestigious Formula racing competitions. Formula Four cars are considerably less powerful than their Formula One counterparts. - Racing and strategy Main articles:  Formula One racing,  Racing flags, and  Formula One regulations Nick Heidfeld  and  Nico Rosberg  on the street circuit of  Albert Park  in the  2008 Australian Grand Prix. A Formula One Grand Prix event spans a weekend. It begins with two free practice sessions on Friday (except in Monaco, where Friday practices are moved to Thursday), and one free practice on Saturday. Additional drivers (commonly known as  third drivers) are allowed to run on Fridays, but only two cars may be used per team, requiring a race driver to give up his seat. A Qualifying session is held after the last free practice session. This session determines the starting order for the race. [43][44] [edit]Qualifying A typical pitwall control centre, from which the team managers and strategists communicate with their drivers and engineers over the course of a testing session or a race weekend. For much of the sports history, qualifying sessions differed little from practice sessions; drivers would have one or more entire sessions in which to attempt to set their fastest time, sometimes within a limited number of attempts, with the grid order determined by each drivers best single lap, fastest (on  pole position) to slowest. Grids were limited to the fastest 26 cars and drivers had to lap within 107% of the pole sitters time to qualify for the race; the 107% rule (as it is commonly known) was re-introduced for 2011. Other formats have included Friday pre-qualifying, and sessions in which each driver was allowed only one qualifying lap, run separately in a predetermined order. The current qualifying system was adopted for the 2006 season. Known as knock-out qualifying, it is split into three periods (or rounds). In each period, drivers run qualifying laps to attempt to advance to the next period, running as many laps as they wish, with the slowest drivers being knocked out at the end of the period and their grid positions set, based on their best lap times. Cars are eliminated in this manner until 10 cars remain eligible to attempt to qualify for pole position in the third and final period. For each period, all previous times are reset, and only a drivers fastest lap in that period (barring infractions) counts. For all periods, any timed lap started before the chequered flag falls signalling the end of that period may be completed, and will count toward that drivers placement, even if they cross the finish line after the period has ended. [43][45]  In the first two periods, cars may run any tyre compound they wish, and drivers eliminated in these periods are allowed to change their choice of tyres prior to the race. Cars taking part in the final period, however, must start the race with the tyres used during their fastest lap (exactly the same tyres, not just the same compound), barring changes in weather that require usage of wet-weather tyres. With refuelling not allowed during races from 2010, the final session is run with low-fuel configuration and the cars are refuelled after qualifying. For example, for a 20-car grid, all 20 cars are permitted to take part in the first period. At the end of the period, the slowest five cars are eliminated and take up the last five grid positions (16 to 20). In the second period, the remaining fifteen cars take part, with five more cars eliminated at the end, taking the next five lowest grid positions (11 to 15). In the third and final period, the remaining 10 cars compete for pole position, and fill grid positions 1 through 10. The knock-out format has received minor updates since its inception, such as adjustments to the number of drivers eliminated in each period as the total number of cars entered has changed (from 20 drivers in 2009 to 24 in 2010). [46] [edit]The race The race begins with a warm-up lap, after which the cars assemble on the starting grid in the order they qualified. This lap is often referred to as the formation lap, as the cars lap in formation with no overtaking (although a driver who makes a mistake may regain lost ground provided he has not fallen to the back of the field). The warm-up lap allows drivers to check the condition of the track and their car, gives the tyres a chance to get some heat in them to get some much-needed traction, and gives the pit crews time to clear themselves and their equipment from the grid. Once all the cars have formed on the grid, a light system above the track indicates the start of the race: five red lights are illuminated at intervals of one second; they are all then extinguished simultaneously after an unspecified time (typically less than 3 seconds) to signal the start of the race. The start procedure may be abandoned if a driver stalls on the grid, signalled by raising his arm. If this happens the procedure restarts: a new formation lap begins with the offending car removed from the grid. The race may also be restarted in the event of a serious accident or dangerous conditions, with the original start voided. The race may be started from behind the Safety Car if officials feel a racing start would be excessively dangerous, such as extremely heavy rainfall. There is no formation lap when races start behind the Safety Car. [47] Under normal circumstances the winner of the race is the first driver to cross the finish line having completed a set number of laps, which added together should give a distance of approximately 305  km (190  mi) (260  km (160  mi) for  Monaco). Race officials may end the race early (putting out a red flag) due to unsafe conditions such as extreme rainfall, and it must finish within two hours, although races are only likely to last this long in the case of extreme weather. Drivers may overtake one another for position over the course of the race and are Classified in the order they finished the race. If a leader comes across a back marker (slower car) who has completed fewer laps, the back marker is shown a blue flag[48]  telling him he is obliged to allow the leader to overtake him. The slower car is said to be lapped and, once the leader finishes the race, is classified as finishing the race one lap down. A driver can be lapped numerous times, by any car in front of him. A driver who fails to finish a race, through mechanical problems, accident, or any other reason is said to have retired from the race and is Not Classified in the results. However, if driver has completed more than 90% of the race distance, he will be classified. When required, the  safety car  (above, driven by  Bernd Maylander) will lead the field around the circuit at reduced speed, until race officials deem the race safe to continue. Throughout the race drivers may make  pit stops  to change tyres and repair damage (until the 2010 season they could also refuel). Different teams and drivers employ different pit stop strategies in order to maximise their cars potential. Two tyre compounds, with different durability and adhesion characteristics, are available to drivers. Over the course of a race, drivers must use both. One compound will have a performance advantage over the other, and choosing when to use which compound is a key tactical decision to make. The softer of the available tyres are marked with a green stripe on the sidewall to help spectators to understand the strategies. Under wet conditions drivers may switch to one of two specialised wet weather tyres with additional grooves (one intermediate, for mild wet conditions, such as after recent rain, one full wet, for racing in or immediately after rain). If rain tyres are used, drivers are no longer obliged to use both types of dry tyres. A driver must make at least one stop to use both tyre compounds; up to three stops are typically made, although further stops may be necessary to fix damage or if weather conditions change. Race director As of 2011 the race director in Formula One is  Charlie Whiting. This role involves him generally managing the logistics of each F1 Grand Prix, inspecting cars in  Parc ferme  before a race, enforcing FIA rules and controlling the lights which start each race. As the head of the race officials he also plays a large role in sorting disputes amongst teams and drivers. Penalties, such as drive-through penalties (and stop-and-go penalties), demotions on a pre-race start grid, race disqualifications, and fines can all be handed out should parties break regulations. Safety car In the event of an incident that risks the safety of competitors or trackside  race marshals, race officials may choose to deploy the  safety car. This in effect suspends the race, with drivers following the safety car around the track at its speed in race order, with overtaking not permitted. The safety car circulates until the danger is cleared; after it comes in the race restarts with a rolling start. Pit stops are permitted under the safety car. Mercedes-Benzsupplies  Mercedes-AMG  models to Formula One to use as the safety cars. Since 2000,[49]  the main safety car driver has been German ex-racing driver  Bernd Maylander. On the lap in which the safety car returns back into the pits the leading car takes over the role of the safety car until the first safety car line, which is usually a white line after the pit lane entrance. After crossing this line drivers are allowed to start racing for track position once more. Red flag In the event of a major incident or unsafe weather conditions, the race may be red-flagged. Then: * If under 3 laps have been completed when the red flag is displayed, the race is restarted from original grid positions. All drivers may restart, provided their car is in a fit state to do so. If between 3 laps and 75% of the race distance have been completed, the race may be restarted once it is safe to do so, maintaining the race order at the time of the red flag. The two-hour time limit still applies and the clock does not stop. * If more than 75% of the race distance has been completed then the race is terminated and the race result counted back to the second last completed lap be fore the red flag. The format of the race has changed little through Formula Ones history. The main changes have revolved around what is allowed at pit stops. In the early days of Grand Prix racing, a driver would be allowed to continue a race in his teammates car should his develop a problem; cars are now so carefully fitted to drivers this is now impossible. In recent years, the focus has been on changing refuelling and tyre change regulations. From the 2010 season, refuelling—which was reintroduced in 1994—is not allowed, to encourage less tactical racing following safety concerns. The rule requiring both compounds of tyre to be used during the race was introduced in 2007, again to encourage racing on the track. The safety car is another relatively recent innovation that reduced the need to deploy the red flag, allowing races to be completed on time for a growing international live television audience. - Circuits See also:  List of Formula One circuits Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace  in  Sao Paulo  hosts the  Brazilian Grand Prix The  Autodromo Nazionale Monza, home to the  Italian Grand Prix, is one of the oldest circuits still in use in Formula One A typical circuit usually features a stretch of straight road on which the starting grid is situated. The  pit lane, where the drivers stop for fuel, tyres, or minor repairs (such as changing the cars nose due to front wing damage) during the race, and where the teams work on the cars before the race, is normally located next to the starting grid. The layout of the rest of the circuit varies widely, although in most cases the circuit runs in a clockwise direction. Those few circuits that run anticlockwise (and therefore have predominantly left-handed corners) can cause drivers neck problems due to the enormous lateral forces generated by F1 cars pulling their heads in the opposite direction to normal. Most of the circuits currently in use are specially constructed for competition. The current street circuits are  Monaco,  Melbourne,  Valencia, and  Singapore, although races in other urban locations come and go (Las Vegas  and  Detroit, for example) and proposals for such races are often discussed–most recently London and Paris. Several other circuits are also completely or partially laid out on public roads, such as  Spa-Francorchamps. The glamour and history of the Monaco race are the primary reasons why the circuit is still in use, since it is thought not to meet the strict safety requirements imposed on other tracks. Three-time World champion  Nelson Piquet  famously described racing in Monaco as like riding a bicycle around your living room[citation needed]. Circuit design to protect the safety of drivers is becoming increasingly sophisticated, as exemplified by the new  Bahrain International Circuit, added in  2004  and designed—like most of F1s new circuits—by  Hermann Tilke. Several of the new circuits in F1, especially those designed by Tilke, have been criticised as lacking the flow of such classics as Spa-Francorchamps and Imola. His redesign of the Hockenheim circuit in Germany for example, while providing more capacity for grandstands and eliminating extremely long and dangerous straights, has been frowned upon by many who argue that part of the character of the Hockenheim circuits was the long and blinding straights into dark forest sections. These newer circuits, however, are generally agreed to meet the safety standards of modern Formula One better than the older ones. The most recent additions to the F1 calendar are  Valencia,[58]  Singapore[63],  Abu Dhabi[64]  and Korea. A Formula One Grand Prix will be held in India for the first time in  2011. [65]  Tilke is designing the India circuit while Design Cell, a reputed landscape architectural firm based in India and US are designing the landscape for all the areas. A single race requires hotel rooms to accommodate at least 5000 visitors. [66] - Cars and technology Main articles:  Formula One car,  Formula One engines, and  Formula One tyres A topdown view of the rear of a  2006McLaren MP4-21 Modern Formula One cars are  mid-engined  open cockpit,  open wheel  single-seaters. The  chassisis made largely of  carbon-fibre composites, rendering it light but extremely stiff and strong. The whole car, including engine, fluids and driver, weighs only 640  kg (1411  lbs)—the minimum weight set by the regulations. The construction of the cars is typically lighter than the minimum and so they are ballasted up to the minimum weight. The race teams take advantage of this by placing this ballast at the extreme bottom of the chassis, thereby locating the centre of gravity as low as possible in order to improve handling and weight transfer. 67] The cornering speed of Formula One cars is largely determined by the aerodynamic  downforcethat they generate, which pushes the car down onto the track. This is provided by wings mounted at the front and rear of the vehicle, and by  ground effect  created by low pressure air under the flat bottom of the car. The aerodynamic design of the cars is very heavily constrained to limit performance and the current g eneration of cars sport a large number of small winglets, barge boards and turning vanes designed to closely control the flow of the air over, under and around the car. The other major factor controlling the cornering speed of the cars is the design of the  tyres. From1998  to  2008, the tyres in Formula One were not slicks (tyres with no tread pattern) as in most other circuit racing series. Instead, each tyre had four large circumferential grooves on its surface designed to limit the cornering speed of the cars. [68]  Slick tyres returned to Formula One in the2009  season. Suspension is  double wishbone  or  multilink  all round with pushrod operated springs and  dampers  on the chassis. The only exception being on that of the 2009 specification Red Bull Racing car (RB5) which uses pullrod suspension at the rear, the first car in over 20 years to do so. [69] Carbon-Carbon  disc brakes  are used for reduced weight and increased frictional performance. These provide a very high level of braking performance and are usually the element which provokes the greatest reaction from drivers new to the formula. A  BMW Sauber  P86 V8 engine, which powered their  2006  F1. 06. Engines must be 2.   litre naturally aspirated  V8s, with many other constraints on their design and the materials that may be used. Engines run on unleaded fuel closely resembling publicly available petrol. [70]  The oil which lubricates and protects the engine from overheating is very similar in viscosity to water. The 2006 generation of engines spun up to 20,000  RPM  and produced up to 780  bhp (580  kW). [71]  For  2007  engines were restricted to 19,000  rpm with limi ted development areas allowed, following the engine specification freeze from the end of  2006. 72]  For the 2009 Formula One season the engines have been further restricted to 18,000  rpm. [73] A wide variety of technologies—including active suspension, ground effect, and turbochargers—are banned under the current regulations. Despite this the current generation of cars can reach speeds up to 350  km/h (220  mph) at some circuits. [74]  The highest straight line speed recorded during a Grand Prix was 356. 5  km/h (221. 5  mph), set by  David Coulthard  during the  1998 German Grand Prix. 75]  A Honda Formula One car, running with minimum downforce on a runway in the  Mojave desert  achieved a top speed of 415  km/h (258  mph) in 2006. According to Honda, the car fully met the FIA Formula One regulations. [76]  Even with the limitations on aerodynamics, at 160  km/h (99  mph) aerodynamically generated downforce is equal to the weig ht of the car, and the oft-repeated claim that Formula One cars create enough downforce to drive on the ceiling, while possible in principle, has never been put to the test. Downforce of 2. times the cars weight can be achieved at full speed. The downforce means that the cars can achieve a lateral force with a magnitude of up to 3. 5 times that of the force of gravity (3. 5g) in cornering. [77]  Consequently, the drivers head is pulled sideways with a force equivalent to the weight of 20  kg in corners. Such high lateral forces are enough to make breathing difficult and the drivers need supreme concentration and fitness to maintain their focus for the one to two hours that it takes to complete the race. A high-performance road car like the  Ferrari Enzo  only achieves around 1g. [78] As of 2010 each team may have no more than two cars available for use at any time. Each driver can use no more than eight engines during a season; if more are used, he drops ten places on the starting grid of the event at which an additional engine is used. Each driver may use no more than one gearbox for four consecutive events; every unscheduled gearbox change requires the driver to drop five places on the grid unless he failed to finish the previous race due to reasons beyond the teams control. [79]