Ever wondered how different the engine of a Formula One car is from an ordinary car? On which fuel F1 cars run? How long the tyre of an F1 car can last?
As the country is all set to make its grand entry into the high profile and glamorous world of Formula One, here is a guide to some interesting facts -- a combination of information and rules -- about the sport.
Revving to a limited 18,000 RPM (Rotation per minute), a modern F1 engine consumes about 450 litres of air every second with race fuel consumption around 75 litre per 100 km.
Such massive speed means that accelerative force on the pistons is more than 8,000 times of gravity.
As per rules, each car can use eight engines per season. And if the rule is broken, the driver gets a 10-place grid penalty. As far as gearboxes are concerned, each car can use one gearbox to a maximum of four races.
The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) has also imposed a freeze on engine development, which means that teams are unable to alter the fundamentals of their engines' design.
Talking about the fuel, its composition is actually quite close to the composition of ordinary, commercially available petrol.
In old times, though, the cars ran on a mixture of powerful chemicals and additives, that contained large quantities of benzene, alcohol and aviation fuel. Some early fuels were so potent that the car's engine had to be disassembled and washed in ordinary petrol at the end of the race to prevent the mixture from corroding it.
The modern fuel is only allowed tiny quantities of 'non hydrocarbon' compounds, effectively banning the most volatile power-boosting additives.
The fuel -- available in 50 different blends -- could be different for different races as per the nature and demands of a track and weather conditions.