Latest Formula 1 Grand Prix for the first time in history took place in Saudi Arabia. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) won the race in Jeddah. Well done, Lewis! Today we’ve decided to share 11 facts about Formula 1 that you didn’t know about.
1) The first F-1 race took place in Monaco in 1929 (not long left before the celebration of the centenary!)
2) The word “formula” in the title is not accidental, because all participating cars must comply with strict regulations of the race.
3) The average weight of the car is about 700 kg.
4) And here’s the average cost… about €13 million. And this is just a finished car, without all the investment in research, engineering and design.
5) Riders experience 5G during the race, 5 times exceeding their own weight. That’s even higher than overload of astronauts during rocket launch (3-4G).
6) The temperature in the cockpit during the race reaches 50˚.
7) On average, a pilot loses about 3-4 kg during the race.
8) Pilot crews manage to refuel the car and change tires in a record time of 3 seconds. Tslk about the speed of light!
9) Same equipment as for refueling helicopters is used – 12 liters of fuel per second.
10) Downforce keeps a racing car on the road, otherwise it would just…take off into the air. A few numbers just to prove the point – world record for vertical pressure on the car was a set on 3,000 kg at a speed of 276 km/h (Mercedes W11 record at Silverstone 2020).
11) Before the race takes place, all hatches are welded to the ground in Monaco, so they don’t fly into the air due to aerodynamic forces.
Photo: Getty Images