Formula 1 Car Rules

Formula 1 motor racing is the pinnacle of world motor sport, with cars and drivers being pushed to the limits. Teams within Formula 1 constantly modify their racing cars to improve performance, and the competition to develop the best car during the 2010 season is as intense as ever. To make sure that all the teams are on a level playing field, each car must conform to rules laid down by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of Formula 1.

  1. Weight

    • Formula 1 cars must weigh a minimum of 620kg, including wheels and dry tires. Cars can have ballast added to reach this minimum weight, before the race weekend starts, but it must be securely fixed within the car. With the exception of compressed gasses, teams are not allowed to add anything to the car during the race except fuel. Often, after a race, cars are driven off the racing line in order to pick up debris on the tires in an attempt to ensure they reach the minimum weight; such is the fine margin that the cars are built to.

    Tires

    • Tires are crucial to success in Formula 1 and making the right tire choice can mean the difference between first place and failing to score points. Tires come in four types; prime slick, option slick, intermediate and full wet. Prime slick tires are made of a harder compound than option slicks and are designed to last longer. The soft slick offers more grip over a shorter distance, intermediates and full wets are used during rain affected races. Each car must use both the prime and option tire during a dry race. Each team is given eleven sets of tires for a race weekend, including practice sessions, and each car must start on the set of tires that produced the fastest lap in the third qualifying session.

    Appearance

    • Each of a team's two cars must be painted in the same colors for each race through the season. So that fans can distinguish between drivers, they must carry certain identifying features. The driver's number must be visible, the name or badge of the manufacturer must be visible on the nose of the car and be at least 25mm on its largest side. Each car is fitted with a video camera above the roll bar and its housing must be red on one car and yellow on the second. The driver's name also needs to be clearly visible on the bodywork.

    Engine

    • The different manufacturers of engines in Formula 1 have to manufacture them within strict limits. They must weigh at least 95kg and be 2.4 liters in capacity and normally aspirated with eight cylinders constructed in a 90 degree V-shape. Engine revolutions are limited to 18,000 rpm, and turbochargers, superchargers and fuel injection systems are not allowed. Each team is limited to using eight engines during the season and is subjected to demotion on the starting grid for each race they start with a new engine over the limit.

    Bodywork

    • The bodywork of a Formula 1 race car has to comply with strict regulations in dimension and safety. Perhaps the oddest thing about a Formula 1 car is that there is a wooden plank bolted to the underside in order to maintain a regulation ride height. The length, breadth and height of the car are all subject to regulation, as is the amount of overhang from the front and rear axles. Each car must pass impact tests, and roll bars must maintain a minimum height above the driver's helmet and steering wheel.