Why Are Formula 1 Drivers Recumbent in Their Vehicles?

The so-called top of motorsport Formula 1 There are many reasons why ‘ is named in this form, but many valuable details are missed when viewed from afar. There is also the fact that these cars, which only require important work to understand the steering wheel, are built. Details we wouldn’t normally think of.It requires spending long hours by spending valuable money on it.

Formula 1 more than anything of the gaps is a sport. Before the race, while the vehicles are standing in the garage, hot air is supplied through the air ducts by machines that look like giant blow dryers so that the engine can warm up. Because inside the vehicle, the engine is too cramped to move, and when the engine is heated, the pistons have room to move. In all such compact vehicles not having the same driver’s seatusual.

They drive almost lying on the ground.

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

Race length of the pilots to the G forceextreme   It is of great value that they are not tossed around inside the vehicle due to their exposure. In addition, aerodynamic stability is very valuable for the cadres. Therefore, specially produced seats allow pilots to enter the vehicle in a special situation.

On the basis of these studies, Formula 1 vehicles downforcealso air friction also lies to prevent. As the downforce on the vehicle increases, the handling of the car increases, but the timings slow down and tire wear increases. As the wind resistance increases at high speeds, problems such as heating and speed loss arise.

These seats are not that ordinary either.

The pilots, who start the season in a fit form every year, try to defend their weight and body structure exactly throughout the season. Although this seems easy on paper, In an average race, pilots lose 3-4 kilos from their load. . If it hadn’t rained at the last Singapore GP, it was estimated that the pilots would have lost an average of 5 kilograms.

So why are the pilots trying to preserve their structure and the seats in the vehicles? every week 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 fact that the vehicles experienced too much pitching, but this change was achieved with the modifications on the main mold. It is not always possible to buy a mold from scratch, producing from scratch requires a process. After all, we’re 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 molds taken with polymers Afterwards, they are finalized with 3D design programs and sent to production. Pilot seats made of carbon fiber are placed in the empty chassis. Afterwards, electronic junk, cables, etc. being laid. So actually inside the car There is no place to step . If you inflate too much, you won’t fit in the seat, if you don’t inflate properly, you’ll be beaten from the seat at every bend the entire race length. Moreover, when you change the seat, you may need to make some changes even in the chassis, depending on the place. In the image below, in 2021 The process of making Bottas’ chairWe are guests.

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

At least the drivers are comfortable. It does, doesn’t it?

In the driver’s section, safety is valued rather than comfort. In addition, since aerodynamics occupy a valuable place in the design of the vehicle, it “A bit of a bother”It’s not a big deal for groups.

Here’s how useful security decisions are. The crash of Romain Grosjean we can see. When you hit the barriers at high speed with your fuel tank behind you and your car turned into a fireball and split in two, you couldn’t normally get out of that car with only a little burn on your hands. Or when the Max Verstappen 51G hits the barriers fast in 2021 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 valuable, Formula 1 is no joke.

In this driving situation, the pilots’ knees are also it’s curling . The reason for this is that vehicles require significant power, especially in order to use the brake pedals. This power difference is not small, someone who is not accustomed to a Formula 1 car cannot accelerate, and if he accelerates, he cannot slow down. Having the knees bent allows the pilots to apply more force. to use more musclesenabling the control of the vehicle.

Another effect of the seating situation: The pilots only see in front of them.

From time to time during race broadcasts from on-board cameras We see the runways. The images from these cameras make us feel as if the vehicles have a wide field of view, but the reality is not so much. Let’s quickly illustrate this with two images.

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

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

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

Field of view differencesdraws attention.

The condition of the seats is also valuable.

your vehicle the deterioration of the aerodynamic structure Apart from that, another reason why pilots go so close to the ground in form is to bring the center of weight as close to the ground as possible. In this way, it is aimed that the vehicle will be more stable when accelerating, decelerating or cornering. The more the center of the scale is in the middle of the fulcrum points and the closer it is to the ground, the greater the stability.

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