| |
F1 Glossary
F1 History - F1 Tips - F1 Glossary
F1 Glossary
Aerodynamics
The study of the air passing over the F1 car and its wings. Aerodynamicists study this and optimize the shape of the F1 car to improve grip, speed or cooling.
Apex
The part of the corner which the F1 car ‘clips’ and where it begins to accelerate again.
Appeal
All teams have the right to appeal to the FIA against any judgment they feel has been unfairly made.
Ballast
Lead weights in the floor of the F1 cars bring them up to the minimum weight and help improve the balance of the F1 car in corners depending on where they are placed.
Bargeboard
Sitting in front of the side pods, the bargeboards smooth the airflow from the front wing and tire as it approaches the body of the F1 car.
Blistering
When a tire gets too hot and too warn, the rubber begins to degrade and break away in large pieces, giving the look of blisters.
Boots
Racing speak for tires.
Bottoming
F1 cars run so low to the ground, their undersides can often touch the floor or ‘bottom out’
Brake Balance
Drivers can alter the percentage of brake force begin applied to the front and rear from inside the cockpit. Generally, more brake force is pushed to the front of the F1 car, although this has to be evened out in the wet.
Camber
Look closely at the wheels of a F1 car and you will see that they are not exactly vertical. The angle at which they sit is the ‘camber’ and can be adjusted to suit the weather, the circuit and the driver.
Chassis
The main part of a F1 car is the chassis. It is onto the chassis that the engine, suspension and wings are attached.
Clean air
This is still air that has not been disturbed by a recently passing car.
Cockpit
The part of the F1 car in which the driver sits.
Diffuser
This sits close to the floor below the rear wing. It funnels the air to slow it down, lowers the pressure and accelerates it out of the back of the F1 car.
Downforce
The vertical force exerted on the F1 car by the air passing over the car’s wings. The amount of downforce can be adjusted by altering the angles of the car’s wings.
Drag
All F1 cars experience drag. It is the resistance a car encounters from the air as it moves forward.
Drive-through penalty
Drivers can be made to pass through the pit lane at a strict speed limit rather than on the track as a penalty for an offence on track.
F.I.A.
Féderation Internationale De L’Automobile, F1’s governing body.
Flags
Flags are used to communicate the track status to the drivers. They can show danger, end of the session and no overtaking amongst other things.
Blue:
Held: Warning - competitor close behind
Waved: Warning – competitor trying to overtake
Yellow:
Held: Danger ahead, no overtaking
Waved: Danger directly ahead, no overtaking
Double Waved: Be prepared to stop, danger ahead, track may be blocked
Green Flag:
Track clear / open
Red and Yellow Striped Flag:
Slippery track ahead (this may be rain or oil on the track ahead)
Red Flag:
Race, qualifying or practice stopped immediately. Return to pits slowly
White Flag:
Slow moving vehicle ahead (this may be an F1 car returning to the pits or a safety car or ambulance)
Black and White Flag (divided diagonally - held up with competitors number):
Caution for unsportsmanlike behavior
Black Flag (held up with competitors number):
Disqualification of driver. Return immediately to the pits
Black Flag with Orange Spot (held up with competitors number):
Dangerous fault with your F1 car. Return immediately to the pits
Chequered Flag:
End of race, qualifying or practice
Flat spot
When a driver brakes hard and locks his wheels up, the tires are worn flat as the tire is locked. This makes the F1 car vibrate as the wheel turns.
Flier
A flier is racing-talk for a very quick lap, often in qualifying.
FOM
F1 Management – Bernie Ecclestone’s company that manages F1.
Formation lap
After forming the grid, the drivers complete one formation lap of the circuit to warm up their F1 cars before arriving on the grid for the start proper.
Free practice
Free practice is the first session of a Grand Prix weekend. The teams use the time to set up the F1 cars to suit the circuit.
G-force
This is most noticeable as a driver goes round a fast corner, his head can be seen tilting away from the direction of the corner. This is the centrifugal effect, G-force, pulling the drivers body away from the corner.
Gas Chromatography
The method used to analyse a fuel’s composition. It breaks down the fuel into its individual components - of which there are over 200 in a F1 fuel. The results are displayed on a graph known as a ‘fingerprint’ (owing to its individuality) which must be identical to the ‘fingerprint’ of the pre-approved fuel held by the FIA.
Gearbox
A F1 car now has a semi-automatic gearbox. This is not a gearbox as in a normal road car. There is no clutch pedal and gears are changed using paddles on the steering wheel.
Gravel trap
In the event of an F1 car leaving the track, a gravel trap slows the car down to limit the damage to both car and driver should the car strike a wall.
Intermediate tire
‘Inters’ as they are often known are more heavily grooved than the dry weather tires and are used in light rain or when the track is damp.
Jump start
Leaving the grid before the starting procedure has finished. Jumping the start is generally penalized with a 10 second stop and go penalty.
Left-foot braking
As F1 cars do not have clutch pedal, many drivers chose to brake with their left foot.
Lollipop
The sign held on the nose of the F1 car during a pit stop to remind the driver to brake. It is then lifted when the stop is finished and the pit lane is clear for the driver to leave.
Monocoque
A modern F1 chassis is known as a monocoque, this construction of carbon fibre composite means is a one-piece construction designed around the driver. In affect the driver sits in the car much like he does in a bath.
Oversteer
This is when the rear of the F1 car pushes wide, and the front stays ‘on-line’. Visually the F1 car will appear to travel sideways.
Paddock
The paddock is the area behind the pit lane, this is where you will find the teams motorhomes. It is also where the drivers will go to relax and talk to the media during the Grand Prix weekend.
Pit board
A driver communicates with the pits using a radio, however the team also keeps the driver informed of his competitors progress by holding a pit board with simple information over the pit wall on each lap.
Pit lane
This is where the teams operate the cars from during the race weekend, it is also where the pit stops take place. The pit lane generally has a speed limit of 60km/h and there is no ‘racing’ allowed in the pit lane.
Pit wall
The team have a much of their communication equipment on the pit wall so as the can talk to the driver and monitor his performance over the Grand Prix weekend.
Pit Garages
The team will work on the F1 car throughout the weekend from the pit garages, this is where the cars ‘disappear’ whenever mechanical, or set up changes are required.
Plank
F1 regulations state that all F1 cars must have a wooden plank under the car to prevent the ride height being set too low, this plank must be a specified depth at the end of the race.
Pole position
Drivers compete for grid position in qualifying, the fastest time in qualifying wins the driver pole position at the front of the grid. This is the most advantageous place from which to start the race.
Racing line
This is the optimum line around a race circuit, therefore in theory it is the fastest way around a circuit. For a lone corner this is usually a wide entrance, followed by a defined ‘apex’ which is near the middle of the corner on the inside, and a wide exit to allow all the power to be used. It is the straightest line through a corner.
Shakedown
Teams complete these ‘shakedown’ runs to make sure all the components on the car are ready and working to their full potential.
Sidepod
The sidepods on modern F1 car are very complex as they house the radiators and also play an integral part in the aerodynamics of the car. They are the large air scoops on the side of each car.
Spare car
Each team takes three F1 cars to every Grand Prix, the third car is known as the spare car or T-car (team car, test car or third car). If one of the drivers damages his car so heavily it cannot be repaired then he will use the spare car to complete the weekend.
Survival cell
Safety is paramount in F1, one feature of a modern F1 car is the survival cell. Every component attached to the cell is designed to break off an absorb some of the energy of the accident. However, the survival cell is designed to cocoon the driver and prevent serious injury by never breaking up.
Suspension
The purpose of suspension is to ride over imperfections on the race circuit to provide the best possible grip and traction to the driver, as well as cushioning him from the bumps which can become very pronounced at 300+ kph.
Steward
The stewards run the race weekend at a Grand Prix. They make all the decision with regard to rules, penalties and incidents that can happen over the weekend. Stewards are different to marshals in that they control the event from race control as opposed to trackside.
Stop and go penalty
During a race, if a driver breaks any rules he can be called in for a stop and go penalty. He must come in to the pit lane and stop for 10 seconds before rejoining the race. A penalty can be given for speeding in the pit lane, jumping the start amongst other reasons.
Telemetry
A F1 car is constantly sending information to the pit garage. From the hundreds of sensors on the car, the team has an excellent view as to the condition of the car and the driver’s movements. Telemtry data can give the team real-time information such as throttle position, speed, breaking forces, temperatures, pressures and steering. Drivers also use telemetry to study their lap times.
Traction control
With all the power a F1 engine produce the car can never generate enough traction (grip). To prevent wheel spin the teams use an electronic system called traction control to regulate the engines power whenever it detects the rear wheels spinning.
Turbulence
Turbulence is experienced in the area directly behind a car. This turbulence makes it very difficult to drive behind a F1 car, and in turn this is what makes slipstreaming so challenging and rewarding for a driver.
Turn in
The turn in point at a corner is the point at which the driver will begin to turn the steering wheel to drive round the curve.
Tire compound
Every circuit has a different characteristic, each track wearing tyres at a different rate. Tyres are available to the teams in a variety of compounds (from very soft to hard). Which compound a team uses is dependent on their strategy for the race, driver preference and how many pit stops they want to make.
Tire warmer
Tires operate best a certain temperature - in the case of F1 tires, it is around 90°C. Before the F1 car is sent out on the track the tires are heated up by specially shaped electric blankets known as tire warmers.
Understeer
This is when the front wheels ‘push’ wide during cornering, from the outside it looks like the car is traveling straight on and will not turn for the corner.
Undertray
A F1 car has an ‘undertray’ to smooth the flow of air under the car and make it more aerodynamic.
Wet weather tyres
A grooved tyre will not work effectively in heavy rain, neither will an intermediate tyre. When heavy rain is falling the teams will select a wet weather tyre, this looks much more like the tyre you will find on a road car.
Wing
The wings on a F1 car work in the opposite way to an aeroplane’s wing, they are designed to push the car on to the track and provide it with more grip. The faster a F1 car travels the more effect the wings will have on grip.
|
|
Sports Information:
|
