| Modern Formula One cars are mid-engined
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| | and are usually the element which
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| open cockpit, open wheel single-seaters.
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| | provokes the greatest reaction from
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| The chassis is made largely of carbon
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| | drivers new to the formula.
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| fibre composites, rendering it light but
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| | Engines are mandated as 2.4 litre
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| extremely stiff and strong. The whole
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| | normally aspirated V8s, with many other
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| car, including engine, fluids and driver
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| | constraints on their design and the
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| weighs only 605 kg. In fact this is the
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| | materials that may be used. The 2006
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| minimum weight set by the regulations
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| | generation of engines rev close to 20,000
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| the cars are so light that they often
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| | rpm and produce up to 740 bhp (552
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| have to be ballasted up to this minimum
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| | kW).[10] The previous generation of
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| weight.
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| | 3-litre V10 engines are also allowed,
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| The cornering speed of Formula One cars
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| | albeit with their revs limited and with
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| is largely determined by the aerodynamic
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| | an air restrictor to limit performance.
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| downforce that they generate, which
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| | Engines run on unleaded fuel closely
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| pushes the car down onto the track. This
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| | resembling publicly available petrol. The
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| is provided by 'wings' mounted at the
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| | oil which lubricates and protects the
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| front and rear of the vehicle, and by
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| | engine from overheating is very similar
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| ground effect created by the movement of
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| | in viscosity to water. For 2007 the V8
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| air under the flat bottom of the car.
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| | engines will be restricted to 19,000 rpm
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| A significant difference in the design of
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| | with limited development areas allowed,
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| the latest breeds of F1 cars is that they
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| | following the engine specification freeze
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| make far greater use of vortex "lift," or
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| | from the end of 2006. As outright speed
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| in this case, downforce. Since a vortex
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| | and power are effectively being capped it
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| is a rotating fluid that creates a low
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| | is widely believed that teams will work
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| pressure zone at its center, creating
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| | on improving reliability, and the torque
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| vortices lowers the overall local
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| | range of the engine to improve
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| pressure of the air.
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| | driveability.
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| Since low pressure is what is desired
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| | A wide variety of technologies including
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| under the car, allowing normal
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| | active suspension, ground effect
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| atmospheric pressure to press the car
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| | aerodynamics and turbochargers are
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| down from the top, by creating vortices,
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| | banned under the current regulations.
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| downforce can be augmented while still
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| | Despite this the 2006 generation of cars
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| staying within the rules.
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| | can reach speeds of up to 350 km/h
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| The aerodynamic design of the cars is
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| | (around 220 mph) at some circuits
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| very heavily constrained to limit
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| | (Monza).A Honda Formula One car, running
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| performance and the current generation of
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| | with minimum downforce on a runway in the
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| cars sport a large number of small
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| | Mojave desert achieved a top speed of 415
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| winglets, "barge boards" and turning
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| | km/h (258 mph) in 2006. According to
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| vanes designed to closely control the
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| | Honda, the car fully met the FIA Formula
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| flow of the air over, under and around
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| | One regulations.
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| the car. The "barge boards" in particular
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| | Even with the limitations on
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| are designed, shaped, configured,
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| | aerodynamics, at 160 km/h,
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| adjusted and positioned not to create
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| | aerodynamically generated downforce is
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| downforce directly, as with a
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| | equal to the weight of the car and the
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| conventional wing or underbody venturi.
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| | often repeated claim that Formula One
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| They are designed so that air spillage
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| | cars are capable of 'driving on the
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| from their edges will create these
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| | ceiling' remains true in principle,
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| vortices.
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| | although it has never been put to the
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| The other major factor controlling the
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| | test. At full speed downforce of 2.5
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| cornering speed of the cars is the design
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| | times the car's weight can be achieved.
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| of the tyres. Tyres in Formula One are
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| | The downforce means that the cars can
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| not 'slicks' (tyres with no tread
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| | achieve a lateral force of around four
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| pattern) as in most other circuit racing
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| | and a half times the force of gravity
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| series. Each tyre has four large
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| | (4.5 g) in cornering - a high-performance
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| circumferential grooves on its surface
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| | road car might achieve around 1 g.
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| designed to further limit the cornering
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| | Consequently in corners the driver's head
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| speed of the cars. Suspension is double
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| | is pulled sideways with a force
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| wishbone or multilink all round with
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| | equivalent to 25 kilograms. Such high
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| pushrod operated springs and dampers on
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| | lateral forces are enough to make
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| the chassis. Carbon-Carbon disc brakes
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| | breathing difficult and the drivers need
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| are used for reduced weight and increased
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| | supreme concentration to maintain their
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| frictional performance. These provide a
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| | focus for the 1 to 2 hours that it takes
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| very high level of braking performance
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| | to cover 305 kilometres.
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