How does it like to take the wheel of a Formula 1 car? Today we put you behind the wheel of the Mercedes-powered VJM03 Force India F1 car!
The steering wheels are hand made and customised to perfectly fit the size of the hands of the drivers.
The buttons are coloured to reduce the risk of making a mistake when selecting a button when driving at 320 km/h.
The most important things the driver can control from the cockpit are the differential settings, the brake balance and the front wing angle. As the fuel load comes down and the tires lose performance, the driver can change all these parameters to improve the balance and handling of the car.
On average drivers will probably make tweaks to the differential every five laps or so, but there are some buttons that are used from corner to corner.
Some drivers will also modify the multi-map setting of the engine in specific corners to have more torque when exiting a corner, or to ensure optimum engine braking.
It has also become routine for drivers to adjust the brake balance from one corner to the next.
The wing button is also used regularly. It allows the driver to manually adjust the angle of the front wing flap by up to six degrees while the car is out on track.
Buttons controlling the revs, for example, can be used to conserve the engine and will lower the revs at which the engine changes gear. Similarly the ‘mix’ button adjusts the engine configuration if it’s necessary to save fuel.
The steering wheels are hand made and customised to perfectly fit the size of the hands of the drivers.
The buttons are coloured to reduce the risk of making a mistake when selecting a button when driving at 320 km/h.
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| Photo: WRI2 |
The most important things the driver can control from the cockpit are the differential settings, the brake balance and the front wing angle. As the fuel load comes down and the tires lose performance, the driver can change all these parameters to improve the balance and handling of the car.
On average drivers will probably make tweaks to the differential every five laps or so, but there are some buttons that are used from corner to corner.
Some drivers will also modify the multi-map setting of the engine in specific corners to have more torque when exiting a corner, or to ensure optimum engine braking.
It has also become routine for drivers to adjust the brake balance from one corner to the next.
The wing button is also used regularly. It allows the driver to manually adjust the angle of the front wing flap by up to six degrees while the car is out on track.
Buttons controlling the revs, for example, can be used to conserve the engine and will lower the revs at which the engine changes gear. Similarly the ‘mix’ button adjusts the engine configuration if it’s necessary to save fuel.