The pinnacle of motorsport formula 1With the start of the season in , the vehicles restarted their engines. The power that can be produced by engines that are much smaller and take up much less space than those used in the past is enormous: It can reach 1000 horsepower. How can such power be extracted from such a small engine? There are several methods used by teams to achieve this.

To understand this high power of Formula 1 vehicles, power source We need to understand our engine better, but a good engine alone is not enough. Many factors contribute to the conversion of exhaust gases and heat from fuel systems into energy, increasing our engine power in this sport, where any difference in horsepower is very crucial.

The first place we look at is of course the power source.

The engine, or rather the set of engines, in Formula 1 vehicles is called the power source. This power source a 90 degree motor and the volume is 1.6 liters. The first point that draws attention to power units is the dimensions of the cylinders. These cylinders are half the size of the cylinders in a standard production car. The limits allow these cylinders to reach 15,000 revolutions per minute, but in realistic use they do not achieve that.

There are also two different electric motors on the power source. of this MGU-K The engine, called , is connected directly to the vehicle’s crankshaft. MGUH is directly connected to the turbocharger. Technically, when gas comes out of the exhaust, the turbine spins in the exhaust and the engine is strengthened, and as the engine gets stronger it produces more energy.

To ensure that this energy does not overheat the engine, destroy it or blow up the vehicle, but is also not wasted, the energy must first be saved. MGU-H and then for immediate speed increases when needed MGU-K It is used via.

This is why most pilots try to gain speed first and then overtake, and there are usually at least two laps between attacks. the need to harvest energy. Without this extra power, the engine’s power remains at 800 hp.

The power source must be properly supplied and this requires a fuel system.

These vehicles, you guessed it, drink gasoline. Even though there is a limit to the instantaneous fuel consumption of vehicles, no vehicle exceeds these limits. For fuel tanks It has a large volume and vehicles cannot be refueled during the race. On the other hand, we cannot produce energy without fuel. So we have to find a balance here.

Formula 1 cars per hour more than 100 kilograms They are not allowed to use fuel, the regulations do not allow that. In this case we need to understand how much energy the gasoline consumed by the engines provides.

The interesting thing is that the composition of this fuel is 99% the same as the gasoline purchased at the gas station. 100 kilograms of gasoline, 1240 kWh power produces. Of course, it is not possible to use all the energy to propel the vehicle; some of it is heat etc. This energy is lost in the form of Energy saving percentage of power units just over 50%. In other words: the energy we get from fuel is approximately 620 kWh.

Everything is focused on that: efficiency.

In terms of thermal efficiency, engines Reaching the 50% point This may seem low to many people, but today this percentage is around 35% even for the most efficient standard internal combustion engines. To guarantee this efficiency formula 1 Certain methods are used in their vehicles.

The first is the difference in the way gasolines are ignited. The cars we see on the roads rely on engines to reach high speeds. More than you can burn They inject gasoline. Formula 1 vehicles have a two-stage ignition system and part of the gasoline is burned while passing through the first ignition ring.

In addition, these motors are very thin and precision mechanics has been used. Under no circumstances should there be unnecessary space in the engine. That is why Formula 1 cars are heated to a certain temperature before starting. Because vehicles are produced with such millimeter calculations, there is no room for the pistons to work without expansion due to heating.

It is not without reason that Formula 1 is called the pinnacle of motorsport, those engines really are At the height of the technical challenge It’s laying down.

You might also like this content about Formula 1: