As the pinnacle of world motorsport, Formula 1 lives and breathes high technology. It also has its own language of technical terms, which can be unclear to a casual observer.
Here, team Panasonic Toyota Racing gets behind the jargon and explains what the common technical terms mean.
Aerodynamic set-ups – Wing settings, ride height
Apex – When the racing line reaches its innermost point of a corner.
Aquaplaning – When there is so much water on the track that the tyres cannot grip at all, causing the car to slide momentarily, with the driver having no control.
Ballast – For optimum weight distribution, F1 cars are designed to be as light as possible, even though there is a minimum weight of 605kg. The remainder of the weight is made up with tungsten plates, which are fixed on the front half of the monocoque.
Bite – The feeling of good grip in a corner, allowing a sharp direction change and stable cornering.
Bottoming – When the floor of the car strikes the track.
Brake balance – The distribution of braking power between front and rear wheels, which can be manually changed by the driver in the cockpit. Moving the brake balance changes the balance of the car under braking, potentially eliminating/causing locked brakes.
Brake locking – When the brakes ‘lock’ to the wheel under heavy braking, preventing the wheel from turning. This significantly reduces braking performance.
Camber - The angle of the wheel and tyre to the track.
Clear air – When a driver has an empty track in front of him.
Differential – A device connected to the rear wheels which allows each wheel to rotate at different speeds during cornering to ensure balanced handling.
Diffuser – An aerodynamic device, which guides air through the rear of the car’s floor to achieve downforce.
Dirty air – The disturbed air behind a car, which negatively affects the aerodynamics of a following car.
Downforce scan – A series of tests with differing levels of downforce and no other set-up changes, to determine the optimum level of downforce.
Drag – The effect of a car’s aerodynamics at high speed. The more drag generated by a car, the more air resistance it encounters, limiting top speed.
ECU – Electronic Control Unit, which acts as the electronic brain of the engine, controlling all its functions.
Here, team Panasonic Toyota Racing gets behind the jargon and explains what the common technical terms mean.
Aerodynamic set-ups – Wing settings, ride height
Apex – When the racing line reaches its innermost point of a corner.
Aquaplaning – When there is so much water on the track that the tyres cannot grip at all, causing the car to slide momentarily, with the driver having no control.
Ballast – For optimum weight distribution, F1 cars are designed to be as light as possible, even though there is a minimum weight of 605kg. The remainder of the weight is made up with tungsten plates, which are fixed on the front half of the monocoque.
Bite – The feeling of good grip in a corner, allowing a sharp direction change and stable cornering.
Bottoming – When the floor of the car strikes the track.
Brake balance – The distribution of braking power between front and rear wheels, which can be manually changed by the driver in the cockpit. Moving the brake balance changes the balance of the car under braking, potentially eliminating/causing locked brakes.
Brake locking – When the brakes ‘lock’ to the wheel under heavy braking, preventing the wheel from turning. This significantly reduces braking performance.
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Camber - The angle of the wheel and tyre to the track.
Clear air – When a driver has an empty track in front of him.
Differential – A device connected to the rear wheels which allows each wheel to rotate at different speeds during cornering to ensure balanced handling.
Diffuser – An aerodynamic device, which guides air through the rear of the car’s floor to achieve downforce.
Dirty air – The disturbed air behind a car, which negatively affects the aerodynamics of a following car.
Downforce scan – A series of tests with differing levels of downforce and no other set-up changes, to determine the optimum level of downforce.
Drag – The effect of a car’s aerodynamics at high speed. The more drag generated by a car, the more air resistance it encounters, limiting top speed.
ECU – Electronic Control Unit, which acts as the electronic brain of the engine, controlling all its functions.