Called the pinnacle of motorsport formula 1There are many reasons why ‘ is called this way, but many important details are skipped when viewed from a distance. There’s also the fact that these cars, which take serious work even to understand the steering wheel, have to be built. Details we normally wouldn’t think of. It requires long hours of work by spending a lot of money on it.

Formula 1 more than anything of the holes is a sport. Before the race, while the vehicles are in the garage, warm air is supplied through the air ducts by machines that look like giant hair dryers to allow the engine to warm up. Because the engine in the vehicle is too tight to move, and when the engine is heated, the pistons have room to move. In all such compact vehicles not have the same driver’s seat normal.

They ride almost lying on the ground.

As we often see in Formula 1 races pilots when placed in the vehicle, their heads do not even reach the waist of a person outside the vehicle. Not counting Yuki Tsunoda, none of these pilots come up short. Average height of pilots 1.77 meters. We can see from here how close they are to the ground.

Race length of the pilots to the G-force extreme It is very important that they are not thrown left and right in the vehicle due to exposure to: In addition, aerodynamic balances are very important for teams. With custom-made seats, pilots can therefore enter the vehicle in a special position.

Based on these studies, Formula 1 vehicles downward pressure also air friction also lies to avoid. As the downward pressure on the vehicle increases, the car’s handling improves, but lap times slow down and tire wear increases. As wind resistance increases at high speeds, problems such as warming and loss of speed arise.

These chairs are not ordinary.

The pilots, who start the season fit every year, try to maintain the same weight and physique throughout the season. Although it seems very simple on paper, In an average race, pilots lose 3-4 pounds of their weight.. If it had not rained during the last Singapore GP, the pilots would have lost an average of 5 kilograms.

So why are the pilots trying to protect their structure and the seats in the vehicles? weekly not made suitable for pilots? In fact it is brought, but not as much as one might think. For example, at the beginning of this year, the seats were renewed for the pilots who developed their neck and shoulder muscles due to the vehicles pitching too much, but this change was achieved with the adjustments to the main mould. It is not always possible to buy a mold from scratch, producing from scratch requires a process. After all, we are talking about Formula 1 cars here, Not from Fiat Egea.

So how is the master mold produced?

At the beginning of the year the pilots are molds made with polymersThen they are finished with 3D design programs and sent to production. made of carbon fiber The produced pilot seats are placed in the empty chassis. Then electronic junk, cables, etc. are laid. So basically in the car There’s no place to step. If you inflate too much you won’t be able to fit in the saddle, if you don’t inflate enough you’ll be knocked out of the seat at every turn for the entire race. In addition, when you change the seat, you may need to make some changes, even to the chassis, depending on the location. In the video below in 2021 The process of making Bottas’ chair We are guests.

The seats are actually It is not attached to the car. The reason for this is to ensure that the pilot can be removed from the vehicle in the event of an accident by holding onto the seat belt buckles. This greatly reduces the risk of possible spinal damage or internal bleeding. The seats can be attached and detached from the vehicle by means of a four-point system.

In any case, the drivers are at ease. Doesn’t it do that?

In the part where the drivers are, safety is more important than comfort. In addition, since aerodynamics occupies an important place in vehicle design, it is “being in a slightly uncomfortable position” That’s not a big deal for teams.

Here’s how useful security decisions are. The crash of Romain Grosjean we can see. If you hit the crash barriers at high speed with your fuel tank behind you and your car turned into a fireball and split in two, you normally couldn’t get out of that car with just a little bit of burns on your hands. Or when the Max Verstappen 51G quickly hits the barriers in the 2021 season if the seat and vehicle do not absorb the impact, today, as in previous years, there was a Verstappen corner named after the pilot who died in the accident. Safety is important, Formula 1 is no joke.

In this driving position, the pilots also have their knees it’s curling. The reason for this is that vehicles require a significant amount of power, especially to use the brake pedals. This power difference is not small, someone who is not used to a Formula 1 car cannot accelerate and when he accelerates, he cannot slow down. Having the knees in the bent position allows the pilots to apply more force. use more muscles makes it possible to drive the vehicle.

Another effect of sitting posture: pilots only look straight ahead.

From time to time during race broadcasts of built-in cameras We see the runways. The images from these cameras give us the feeling that the vehicles have a wide field of view, but the reality is not like that. Let’s illustrate this with two videos.

This is the angle you saw. From the on-board camera of Leclerc’s Ferrari in Abu Dhabi in 2022:

If you can’t watch the video, click this link.

Here are the images reflected on Charles Leclerc’s helmet camera on the same track:

Field of view differences seek attention.

The position of the seats is also important.

your vehicle the deterioration of the aerodynamic structure Besides, another reason pilots go so close to the ground is to get the center of gravity as close to the ground as possible. The vehicle thus aims to be more stable when accelerating, decelerating or cornering. The closer the center of gravity is between the supports and the closer to the ground, the greater the balance.

So in Formula 1 cars each pilot seat is unique to him as produced. Thanks to the special seating position and shape, the seats make the vehicle more balanced and aerodynamically advanced.