From Renault F1 Team
Only one seat per driver is used during the season, the manufacturing process is then really important. Renault F1 summarizes the work that needs to be done.
Like most of the car, the driver’s seat is made from carbon fibre, a material that combines strength with lightness. The process begins by placing a large, generic bucket seat inside the cockpit. A large bag is then placed inside this bucket and filled with a special liquid, which expands to become foam when exposed to heat.
The next step is for the driver to hop in the car and sit on top of the bag. Then he simply lets his body heat do the rest as the foam expands and moulds around his body. Of course, it’s vital that he sits perfectly still during this time to ensure a snug fit. It usually takes a good 15 minutes for the foam to solidify.
The foam mould is then extracted from the bag and used as the basis for making a lightweight carbon fibre version. Once the driver is totally happy with the seat, a spare will also be made.
Like all of us, the drivers’ shape and weight can fluctuate during the course of a season, but the engineers can always add foam here and there to ensure the seat remains comfortable. All being well, only one seat will be needed during the year and will be used at every race.
The driver’s seat also has important safety functions. For example, should the need arise, it can be extracted from the cockpit with the driver still in place. That’s why we fit special straps so that the extraction teams at the track can clip on to them if necessary.
Only one seat per driver is used during the season, the manufacturing process is then really important. Renault F1 summarizes the work that needs to be done.
Like most of the car, the driver’s seat is made from carbon fibre, a material that combines strength with lightness. The process begins by placing a large, generic bucket seat inside the cockpit. A large bag is then placed inside this bucket and filled with a special liquid, which expands to become foam when exposed to heat.
The next step is for the driver to hop in the car and sit on top of the bag. Then he simply lets his body heat do the rest as the foam expands and moulds around his body. Of course, it’s vital that he sits perfectly still during this time to ensure a snug fit. It usually takes a good 15 minutes for the foam to solidify.
The foam mould is then extracted from the bag and used as the basis for making a lightweight carbon fibre version. Once the driver is totally happy with the seat, a spare will also be made.
Like all of us, the drivers’ shape and weight can fluctuate during the course of a season, but the engineers can always add foam here and there to ensure the seat remains comfortable. All being well, only one seat will be needed during the year and will be used at every race.
The driver’s seat also has important safety functions. For example, should the need arise, it can be extracted from the cockpit with the driver still in place. That’s why we fit special straps so that the extraction teams at the track can clip on to them if necessary.