| Formula One Racing features the most expensive
racing cars. Each Formula One car is designed and manufactured indivisually.
The cars are built according to a Formula (set of specifications) drawn
up by the FIA. The formula limits the engine size and determines overall
body design. Formula One cars are also called gran prix cars. The French
term Gran Prix means large prize and is the name of the series of races
in which the cars compete. Formula One cars are designed on some of the
same principles as airplanes. Like fuselage(body) of an airplane, a Formula
One car has a monocoque construction. In this type of construction, the
car's central structure is a tube-shaped shell made of alluminium, carbon
Fibre, or other durable, lightweight material.This structure sometimes
called the tub, provides the connecting point for the engine suspension
system and other parts of the car and bears the mechanical stresses.A Formula
One car has front and rear wings. The flow of air over and under the wings
produces a downward force that presses the car to the ground. This downforce
holds the car to the road, and enables it to go faster on turns. Formula
One cars have only one seat, an open cockpit, and open wheels- that is
no fenders. The engine of a Formula One car is in the rear.All Formula
One cars have a turbocharged engine. Turbocharging increases the power
of a small engine by using the energy of the engine's exhaust gases to
spin a windmill-like pump. The pump forces a large volume of a fuel and
air mixture into the engine's combustion chamber, where the mixture is
burned. The greater the volume of the fuel-air mixture in the combustion
chamber, the more power is released and the more energy is converted into
the cars speed. |
