Drive, transmission and gear

The F1 drive is at the rear, this means that the engine power is transmitted to the back tires. The engine is in the central back part of the car, almost over the wheels, the transmission in these cars I very short. The use of front drive is allowed but not of the total drive, this system is used in the McLaren M9A.

Also the F1 gearbox is located in the back part and has as principal characteristic the sequential semiautomatic gear change, so the car doesn’t need a clutch pedal. The pilot only has to trigger paddles underneath the wheel to raise or lower gear. Know all the F1 cars has 7 gears. Renault which had chosen to have just 6, since 2008 has also 7. From 2008 if a gearbox is changed they must go 5 positions back in the start line.

Since 2008 the drive can’t be regulated through an drive control electronic system which would prevent the wheels to spin uncontrolled. Neither is allowed any device or system that tells the pilot wheels gliding condition.

The steering wheel

Due to the limited space of the cockpit of a Formula 1 car and the degree of concentration and attention that is required to drive a F1 car, the wheel of one of these cars not only control the steering of the vehicle, but is also a complex interface with multiple devices, it gives the pilot information through displays, and also controls the vehicle by buttons.

The introduction of the semi-automatic gearbox control in the rear of the steering wheel marked the beginning of the transition to focus controls as near of the pilot’s fingers as possible

The first buttons to appear in the steering wheel the death point and the radio buttons to communicate with technicians of the boxes team. Except for the gas pedals and brakes, few F1 cars have controls in different places at the wheel. It is common to use buttons for on/off as the one for the habilitation to limit the speed in the boxes road, and the turning controls are used to select functions with multiple options, as the autoblock different action, braking distribution, or the electric engine management.

It also has one or more LCD screens for a better view of the electronic giving orders as well as other facts like the speed al time per lap.

The technical racing regulations demanded that the pilot must be able to go out from the cabin in five seconds, so the steering wheel should be easily removable.

An F1 steering wheel is expensive because it is not done massively; it is handmade one by one using just carbon fiber with some more than two kilograms.

Tires

The tires for F1 are designed to withstand strengths over the normal tires will. Its fabrication is based in the use of nylon, polyester fiber and soft rubber. Once in race the tire could handle with more than tone coming from the aerodynamic charge, 4g lateral forces and 5g length forces.

The number of tires per car is 4, and doesn’t exist the possibility of three or 2. In 1970’s the Tyrrell P34 had front tires with an extraordinary diameter of 10 inches.

Part of the rubber that the tires have, are left, usually in the entrances and endings of the curves in the track, leaving dark spots.

The tire works better in a rank of determinate temperatures, for example: wet common tires are thought to work in its best between the 90 and 110°C. Just between this rank the tires gets to it maximum adherence coefficient. Each manufacturer gives recommendable temperatures for each kind of tire.

The pressure of a tire must be keep as stable as possible to have an optimum pressure distribution in the track contact area.

To avoid the temperature changes produced by the gases pressure that the tire has, instead of using air, other gases are used, especially nitrogen. The atmospheric air contains oxygen and water steam that, oxidize the inner rubber coating that ensures the tightness of the tire.

The gas leaking will cause the tire pressure diminution, damaging the pressure distribution in the track contact area, also facilitate the tire to warm faster due to increased friction. The use of nitrogen extends the life of the tire, besides not being flammable.

The competition tire development got it better in the 1960’s with the use of flat tires. But in 1998 the new FIA rules forced the teams to use back tires with a minimum of 2 drawing channels, and front tires with 3 with also other specifications. These changes created new challenges for the manufacturers that know have to work with fewer adherences.

Since 2001 Michelin returned to the F1 to compete with Bridgestone. Goodyear and Dunlop had also participated in this competition. With the FIA decision to impose a single tire manufacturer since 2008, Michelin announced they retirement from the F1 after the 2006 championship. So Bridgestone is the only tire provider since 2007 till now.

Braking system

To reduce the cars’ speed, the braking system transforms the kinetic energy into thermal energy through friction. The F1 cars, as most of streets cars, has disc brakes in which one disc rotates with the tire pressing the braking pills through the hydraulic clamps

The friction of this pills with the disc made the tires stop transforming the kinetic energy into thermal energy, generating great quantities of heat that must go out to the environment.

The difference with the street cars, which brakes are steel brakes, is that in the F1 this discs are built with ceramics materials that don’t get completely melted but get even incandescent throwing out yellow, orange or red lights.

The braking discs’ central part is made of carbon fiber. To reduce the risks of brakes glassing for overheating they used ventilated discs that have inner channels.

In an excessive breaking moment the tire and the track will overcome the adherence limit, blocking the tire turning. The F1 used to allow the use of Anti Blocking System (ABS) that by a microcontroller, reduce the brakes pressure before the tires slide. But, this braking system was prohibited in the 90’s so the pilots must learn to control the brake pedal to prevent wheels blocking.

The breaking system is also divided in two circuits with an hydraulic bomb for the front wheels and other for the back wheels. This assures that in case of a failure of one circuit the other can works. If there were just one circuit and this fail it would be very hard, almost impossible, to stop an f1.

The relation between the pressure that the hydraulic pliers applies over the ahead and forward brakes can be regulated every moment from the pilot’s seat.

In this way, in race, pilots can adjust the braking depending on the circumstances. For example, when de adherence factor has reduced because of the rain or anything, the braking transference of length charge (from the back to the front) would be reduced in consequence of the less deceleration.

In these cases the relation of the braking line for the front wheels is changed so they could brake proportionally less than in conditions of higher adherence.

With the adjustment of the braking distribution the overheating of the front brakes could be avoided by using the front and back wheels and vice versa. It is normal that the strength of breaking is on the front wheels, but depending on the circuit or the pilot’s preference the breaking distribution could change.

The efficiency of the F1’s breaking system, with the quality of the tires the used, allow to reduce the speed in distances and times reduced. The braking system I so important that in the last races, the FIA an engineers, has proposed the extension of this time and braking spaces, making this brakes less prefect and having as result more entertainment and passing over in curves. If this happens the rules must change to avoid the use of some designs and materials.

The ceramic brakes used in this cars were invented in the development of the Concord, a supersonic jet, and actually are being used en the most expensive cars. Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are pioneers in the fabrications of street serried cars with this brakes.

Audiovisual transmition rights

The F1 has audiovisual rights that are acquired by medias of different countries to transmit the races of the World Championships.

According to the hearings, Formula 1 has clearly become an alternative about sports, it is only behind soccer and the Olympics.

The F1 began to be popular in Spain since Telecinco acquired the rights of retransmission, a strong marketing was made to become F1 what it is today, and it is also linked to the success of the Spanish pilot Fernando Alonso that has become one of the most rated events for medias and the Spanish audience.

The audience record of a Grand Prix in Spain has the Brazilian GP of 2006, with approximately 8.62 million viewers, and the start of a championship Grand Prix most watched was Bahrain GP of 2010, with 6.797 million viewers.

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher was borned un Hürth-Hermülheim in January 3th 1969, he is a germany racing pilot and the most awarded of history. He has 7 world championships 2 with Benetton Formula Team and 5 with Ferrari. After his retirement of F1 in 2006, he came back in 2010 under Ross Brawn orders in Mercedes GP scuderia.

Seven times F1 Wold Champion

He drove a kart for first time at the age of 4. His father, Rolf, mechanic of the Kerpen Karts track, made for him a single cylinder kart. Didn’t matter that he took a streetlight ahead. He improved in karting, where he became junior world’s sub champion at the age of 16.

He went through the promotion formulas, between them the Germany F3 where he became Heinz-Harald Frentzen friend, this relationship became enmity when he engaged his girlfriend Corinna whom he married with, having his children Gina Maria and Mick. Then he met Willi Weber, a F3000 driver, that became Schumacher manager. Webber contacted him with Eddie Jordan who made him debut in the F1 in 1991 in Belgium Grand Prix under the orders of Jordan-Ford in Jordan’s team, substituting the Belgium pilot Bertrand Gachot that was in prison.

After making a great qualifying, a clutch problem he had to quit in the first lap. But he impressed Flavio Briatore, the big boss of Benetton Scuderia and was hired. In 1992, Schumacher won his first GP in Belgium in the same circuit he started the year before. In a Season in which Williams F1 demolished, Schumacher finished third con eight podiums. In 1993 he won all the races he ended, 9 with a victory in Portugal. In 1994 he won eight races even he had a worse car than his opponents –the Williams- he won the title in a crash with the English pilot Damon Hill in Adelaida.

The Benetton’s engine change in 1995 (from ford to Renault) made Schumacher won the title easily, getting 9 victories with the team formed by Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne and Flavio Briatore.

In 1996 he went to Ferrari Scuderia, taking with him all the team rebuilding the Italian scuderia. Just married with his wife Corinna, Schumacher changed his residence to a Swiss mansion in Vufflens-le-Château. In the sports part he won three races and finished third behind the Williams of Damon Hill. In 1997 he won five races, but in the last race in Jerez, he tried to send out of the track to Jackes Villeneuve, and it almost meant the retirement of his pilot super license and the exclusion of the World Championship of that season.

In 1998, Michael Schumacher almost got the world title. He won six races, but in Suzuka he blew up a tire leaving the title to Mika Häkkinen. In 1999, a hard accident in the UK GP, in the Silverstone circuit took him away from the F1 for a half of the season, but with his teammate Eddie Irvine they got the Constructors Championship for Ferrari. After so many deceptions, Schumacher won’t give a chance to his opponents in the five next years.

In 200 he won 9 races an bécame the Wold Champion with 19 more points than the last champion.

In 2001 he won another 9 races and the title in Hungary, havin four races left. He doubled in points to his mate Rubens Barichello and almost did it with David Coulthard from McLaren.

En 2002 demolished with eleven victories and equals the championships record of Juan Manuel Fangio, that will overcome in 2003 winnig just for two more points than Kimi Räikkönen, the new banner of McLaren with six victories. In 2004 he shows invincible again wining thirteen races and widely the title. During 1999 and 2004 Ferrari also won all the constructors title. A change in the tires rules damages its 2005 season where they just won the USA GP. “Schumi” enjoyed a good car again in 2006, the year of his retirement, where he won six GPs finishing second behind Fernando Alonso.

According to Forbes magazine's publication of June 2006, Schumacher was the second highest-earning sportsman in the world with 48.2 million euros a year, only surpassed by Tiger Woods, of which some money is dedicated to humanitarian labours.

On September 10, 2006 after winning Italian GP he announced his retirement from the F1 at the end of the season with 37 years, more than 25 dedicated to racing and 16 seasons in the F1 in which he had been the most awarded pilot in history.

Despite announcing his retirement, he renewed with two sponsors and got a new one that will provide approximately 15 million euros a year. In addition, he has been assigned the post of "superhelper" in Ferrari to advise on certain issues as choosing drivers.

On september 5, 2007 he was given the “Principe de Asturias de los Deportes” award, for his sports career.

After the accident suffered by the Ferrari driver Felipe Massa during qualifying Grand Prix of Hungary in 2009 and his hospitalization, Schumacher was chosen as his substitute.

On July 29, 2009 was confirmed by the Italian team and Massa, that Schumacher would replace him in the European GP in Valencia. However, on August 11, Schumacher ruled out his participation for not overcoming an injury in his neck.

In December 2009 he confirmed his return for 2010 season, this time with the new scuderia Mercedes GP.

THE FIA

The International Automobile Federation (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in French), usually named as FIA, is the organization that regulates the most important automobile competitions.

It has its principal headquarters in Paris, France. It is formed by 157 national organization members in 118 countries all over the world. Its president of the lasts years had been Max Mosley, but he was substituted by the ex Ferrari’s team boss Jean Todt in October 2009.

The FIA was founded in Paris on June 20^th 1904. In 1922, FIA lead the organization of automobile races to the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI), an autonomic committee that later became the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA).

In 1950 they organized the first Automobile World Championship actually known as Formula 1.

In 1973, the FIA also include in its jurisdiction rally races; the Monte Carlo rally was the first race of this kind organized by the FIA.

A restructuration was made in the organization in 1993 this eliminated the FISA, giving the administration of all the automobile races under the direct management of the FIA.