The F1 car explained; for the girlies - chassis, engine & tyres

In the high-octane world of Formula One racing, every component of a car plays a crucial role in determining success on the track. A Formula One car is essentially made up of 3 things; the chassis, the power unit, and the wheels. These are often discussed within the sport and as a fan, this can be confusing! Without context, technical terms and mechanical concepts just go in one ear and out the other. Formula One can be intimidating due to its complexity, so rest assured that this guide will break down the key components of the Formula One car in an easy-to-understand way!

Tyres

Tyres are often the subject of discussion during an F1 weekend, as they play a crucial role in the performance of the car. There are 3 different tyre compounds available to each driver each weekend, labelled as soft (marked red), medium (marked yellow), and hard (marked white). The hard tyres are generally the slowest tyres to run on, but last the longest, while soft tyres are generally the quickest to run on but last fewer laps. Each driver must use at least 2 different tyre compounds in the race, meaning every weekend they must come up with a tyre strategy of which compounds to use and in which order. Each weekend’s strategy differs due to tyre degradation (AKA ‘deg’), which refers to the deterioration of the tyre rubber as the drivers wear them down. The temperature of the track affects tyre deg the most as warmer temperatures will melt the rubber quicker, therefore each weekend they must determine which combination of tyres used will be the most effective for the specific track.

Outside of these three tyre compounds, occasionally you will see two others. These are our Wet tyres. Dry compound tyres do not have enough grip on a wet track, and often you will see drivers sliding around when it begins to rain. When rain starts to fall, drivers will pit to put on one of two tyre compounds: Intermediate tyres (marked green), or Wet tyres (marked blue). Intermediate tyres (or ‘Inters’) are made with light grooves for light rain, while Wets have deep grooves for heavy rain.

In Formula One, tyre selection is a critical aspect of race strategy. Teams must carefully assess track conditions, weather forecasts, and their car's performance characteristics to determine the most suitable tyre compounds for each race or qualifying session. Additionally, tyre management during a race—such as knowing when to pit for fresh tyres or how to extend the life of a set—can significantly impact a team's success.

Chassis

The chassis (or the body) of the F1 car holds significance in the performance of the car due to aerodynamics. Majority of the significance centres on drag and downforce, with drag needing to be limited as much as possible and downforce needing to be generated as much as possible for the car to be competitive.

Drag is resistance from the air that pulls in the opposite direction than the car is going. If you've ever stuck your hand out of the window of a car while its driving, you’ll be able to feel that resistance dragging your hand backwards. Drag represents the energy the car loses as it pushes through the air. To reduce drag, the F1 cars are designed to be as sleek and streamlined as possible to allow the air to pass by with minimal resistance.

Downforce is the aerodynamic force that pushes the car towards the ground as it gains speed. By pushing the car towards the ground, the tire grip and traction increases and allows the car to hold onto the road when driving around a corner at high speeds. Elements of the car such as the front wing and the rear wing, are designed to generate downforce by manipulating airflow. This is crucial for the competitiveness of the car as it allows the driver to maintain a higher speed throughout the corners of the track and gain overall lap-time.

Generally there is a tradeoff between drag and downforce, as downforce is required for fast cornering, while drag slows down the straight-line speed. Engineers must find the perfect balance in the middle to maximise as much as possible for both forces. The teams will also change the aerodynamic setup of the car each weekend to best suit the track at hand as it can differ between circuits, when there are more corners and less straights, or vice versa.

There is also a system you’ve probably heard of named DRS, or Drag Reduction System. DRS can be used in certain zones of the track if the driver is less than one second behind the driver in front. It allows the driver to open the rear wing flap to reduce drag of the car (hence the name). The wing can open up to 85 millimetres (3.3 inches for the Americans) which lessens the downforce and can add about 15km/h (9.3mph) of speed whilst in the DRS zone. DRS allows for a temporary tradeoff between downforce and drag, generally used for overtaking on straights.

Aerodynamics play a largely important role in performance of the F1 car. This is a hot topic at the moment in the media with top designer Adrian Newey leaving Redbull Racing, as people believe his contribution to the aerodynamic design of the Redbull cars is responsible for their current dominance.

Engine

Lastly, at the heart of the F1 car, is the Power Unit. This is responsible for making the car go! It can be broken down to 4 main components; the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), the Turbocharger, the Energy Recovery System (ERS) and the Energy Store (battery).

The ICE is similar to the engine of a regular car, however it’s optimised for maximum performance. It burns fuel to generate power, driving the car forward.

When the driver brakes, the ERS recovers lost kinetic energy and turns it to electrical energy. The ERS can also recover and convert lost heat energy from the car back to electrical energy. Similarly, the Turbocharger converts lost heat energy coming from the ICE back to useable energy. All of this converted power is then stored into the Energy Store, in which drivers can then access for short bursts of power known as a ‘hybrid boost’.

There are currently four power unit suppliers on the grid, with Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Ferrari and Renault. Mercedes-Benz supplies units to Mercedes, Williams, McLaren and Aston Martin, Honda supplies units to Redbull and VCARB, Ferrari supplies units to Ferrari, Haas and Stake, and Renault supplies solely for Alpine.

Understanding the key components of the Formula One car can make following the sport much more interesting. Generally educational articles like this are difficult to follow, so I hope this made it that bit easier! As Formula One continues to evolve, so too will the technologies and strategies behind these essential components, shaping the future of the sport. Whether you're a seasoned fan or a newcomer to Formula One, understanding these fundamental elements will deepen your appreciation for the engineering marvels that grace the race track.

F1 car explained