How much of F1 car is replaced between races?

[poppopbangbang]

Z3MCJez said:

For a GBP1m budget, I'm guessing that you're looking at GBP150k / weekend in running costs. I can see why drivers don't last long!

Jez

I think this was a reference to the current F1 season! We have very low driver turn over!

[poppopbangbang]

Crafty_ said:

Rob, given the restrictions on engines / gearboxes when a component is "spent" will any of it get re-used - castings likes heads / gearbox case etc ? or does it all get binned with some kept for posterity ?

Generally large castings are run until they fail inspection. It's 150K and four months for a gearbox casing so you generally work to get all the life you can from them!

[poppopbangbang]

williamp said:

are those checks for safety or to be competitive??

Neither, they're for reliability which both those things come from. You can't run one of these cars without going through this process or the best case scenario is it stops on circuit.

[RogerExplosion]

Great thread and thanks for the responses. Would be interesting to see what the big boys and smaller teams in current F1 do as routine. I recall in a Red Bull video CH talking to the team about which number engine and chassis they were using for an upcoming race so was interesting to know they don't have a set chassis per driver throughout the season until something gets bent.

[ralphrj]

HustleRussell said:

Occasionally you hear of a driver getting a replacement chassis / tub if it's been in a major accident or hasn't been performing as expected- but I'd guess barring these, it'll do a whole season?

I think that chassis replacements will vary by team. The big teams might make as many as 8 so the chassis used in the first couple of races will probably be replaced before midway through the season irrespective of accident damage. The smaller teams will probably build the minimum number they can get away with (3, 2 race cars and a spare) to avoid the additional expense.

Brawn GP only made 3 chassis for the Brawn BGP 001. Button used chassis 02 for the entire season, Barrichello used chassis 01 until he damaged it in Singapore qualifying then switched to chassis 03.

[Ahonen]

poppopbangbang said:

We work with less than a million quid a year in budget for our race program.

This is how far we take the bearings down every 200KM


And the rack every 200KM


And the calipers every 200KM

Critical looms are generally lifed at 1000KM but will have four inspections in that time before being scrapped.



If this is what privateers with decade old kit are doing just imagine how far the teams are going! There will be an inspection procedure for everything, absolutely everything. They certainly aren't going to give it a wipe over and stick the other motor in for next weekend

Do you really need to strip the uprights and rack down that far after 200km beneath a gentleman driver who won't be really wringing its neck in quite the same way it was in period? The cars ran 300km races in period (as they still do), plus FP3 and Qualifying, which would push them up to over 500km between strip downs even if they replaced the rack after FP2.

The modern stuff is all on rotation, so you'll have practice session components. This is similar to sportscars, where you have practice/test components that are closer to the end of their life than the race parts. It remains astonishing just how quickly a modern car can be reduced to a bare tub though - if you pop into a garage about half an hour after FP2 it's like a plague of locusts has passed through.

[anonymous-user]

I wish the cars I work on were that easy to strip. The difference just between a mid 70's to early 80's car is massive in how much easier they are to work on.

Back in the day of Qualy spec cars they used to run lighter less durable components than race spec, they would even take out the wheel bearing dirt seals to reduce friction for qualy.

[Ahonen]

jsf said:

I wish the cars I work on were that easy to strip. The difference just between a mid 70's to early 80's car is massive in how much easier they are to work on.

Yeah, I think there's also something to be said for the specialist bolties, too. There are plenty of them and they work very well together.

[anonymous-user]

Ahonen said:

Yeah, I think there's also something to be said for the specialist bolties, too. There are plenty of them and they work very well together.

I am the specialist boltie I do everything on the cars apart from build the engine. At the race meetings I do everything that is required to run the car. It's bloody hard work but very enjoyable. I just wish I had the energy of my youth to combine with the knowledge of my middle age.