Why are modern F1 cars so long?

How big is the F1 car in 2023

F1 cars in 2023 are currently are a maximum 5.63m in length, 2m wide, 95cm tall.

What is the height of the F1 car

95 cm tall

An F1 car can be no more than 200 cm wide and 95 cm tall. Though there is no maximum length, other rules set indirect limits on these dimensions, and nearly every aspect of the car carries size regulations; consequently the various cars tend to be very close to the same size.

What are the specs of a Formula 1 car

Modern-day Formula One cars are constructed from composites of carbon fibre and similar ultra-lightweight materials. The minimum weight permissible is 740 kg (1,631 lb) including the driver but not fuel. Cars are weighed with dry-weather tyres fitted.

Will 2026 F1 cars be smaller

“One of the things we want to do is make the cars a little smaller because they've grown massively over the last few years. “We'd like the weight to come down but we're way away from [achieving] that yet. “However, we absolutely must make sure it doesn't grow.”

Why are F1 cars getting so big

The aerodynamic changes in 2017 created another step change in the swelling sizes of F1 cars, where the cars' widths were expanded to two metres after nearly two decades of running at a 1.8m track width. This was to increase the speeds of the cars, but at the cost of their ability to race closely on track.

Are F1 cars big

How big is an F1 car F1 cars are currently are a maximum 5.63m in length, 2m wide, 95cm tall and weigh 800kg without the driver. Compare this to the one of ultimate machines of modern F1 design – the Ferrari 640, which raced in 1989 and set up car design for most of the '90s, and the differences are stark.

Is height a disadvantage in F1

Teams spend millions shaving grams of weight from their cars, so an F1 driver has a strong incentive to get their weight as low as possible while still being strong enough to drive the car. But becoming shorter isn't a realistic option, so taller drivers are inevitably at a disadvantage.

Are F1 cars 1.6 litre

The engine is a four-stroke 1.6-litre turbo V6. It is designed to a strict set of dimensions and material limitations, with the cylinders arranged in a 90-degree 'V' configuration and two inlet and exhaust valves per cylinder.

Why did F1 stop using V10

The 3.0L V10s' capacity was decreased to 2.4 V8s since it was decided they were too powerful and wasteful. Kimi Raikkonen's qualifying run at Monza, which recorded a timing only 0.5 seconds slower than the lap from the previous year, demonstrated that the 2.4 V8s were a strong match for F1.

Will F1 ever go back to V10

Returning to the ways of old simply cannot happen, the world has moved on. But a place in this new order exists for the combustion engine in F1, providing it is a cost-effective and sustainable solution. Vettel proved a V10 engine can be run without damaging the environment.

Is F1 becoming less popular

As Formula 1 continues to grow in popularity, so do the numbers, with the 2022 Miami Grand Prix being the most-watched F1 race ever in the US, drawing in an average of 2.583 million viewers. And it isn't just the TV numbers that are growing either!

Will F1 cars ever get smaller

Things could change in the not too distant future though. F1's chief technical officer Symonds emphasised the direction F1 was hoping to go size-wise, starting potentially in 2026. “One of the things we want to do is make the cars a little smaller because they've grown massively over the last few years,” he said.

Will F1 cars get smaller

Things could change in the not too distant future though. F1's chief technical officer Symonds emphasised the direction F1 was hoping to go size-wise, starting potentially in 2026. “One of the things we want to do is make the cars a little smaller because they've grown massively over the last few years,” he said.

Why did F1 stop using v10

The 3.0L V10s' capacity was decreased to 2.4 V8s since it was decided they were too powerful and wasteful. Kimi Raikkonen's qualifying run at Monza, which recorded a timing only 0.5 seconds slower than the lap from the previous year, demonstrated that the 2.4 V8s were a strong match for F1.

Do smaller F1 drivers have an advantage

Teams spend millions shaving grams of weight from their cars, so an F1 driver has a strong incentive to get their weight as low as possible while still being strong enough to drive the car. But becoming shorter isn't a realistic option, so taller drivers are inevitably at a disadvantage.

Has F1 become slower

Mercedes has issued a track map with corner-speed data that gives some indication of where the cars are slower (2021 top vs 2022 below). It highlighted the Turn 4 third-gear right-hander, which is taken at a minimum speed of approximately 115km/h (72mph) in 2022 compared to 135km/h (84mph) in 2021.

When did F1 stop using V8

2013

V8 cars last raced in 2013, after which they were replaced by new 1.6-litre turbocharged units with hybrid assistance. The move was championed, particularly by Renault, as hybrid technology became more common in road cars.

Why did F1 stop using V8

The issue with the naturally aspirated V8s was that it was an outdated technology. Ecosystems and automotive manufacturers all across the globe had already started moving towards electric energy. Consequently, this engine formula seemed outdated at best and needed to be upgraded.

Are V12 banned in F1

In 1996, Ferrari joined the crowd in moving to a V10, but the V12 itself wasn't actually banned until 2000, when the FIA mandated that all cars must have V10 engines. Funnily enough, Toyota had been planning to enter F1 with a V12 engine, only to have their entry delayed thanks to the ban.

Why was V12 banned in F1

Why did F1 go from V12 to V10 They chose a V10 engine configuration, because it offered the best compromise between power and fuel efficiency; the V12 was powerful but thirsty, and vice versa for a V8.

Is V10 banned in F1

The last time the championship used V10 engines was in 2006, before they were banned by the FIA. Teams then used V8's between 2007 and 2013, before the current 1.6 litre V6 hybrid engines were introduced in 2014.

Why is Lamborghini not in F1

Lamborghini doesn't have a racing history like Ferrari, so it would be too expensive. Also, Lamborghini's Urus SUV is smashing sales records, so why mess with success If anything, since Lamborghini is owned by the Volkswagen group, there's a better chance that Porsche or Audi gets involved in Formula 1.

Why is F1 getting longer

Packaging and aerodynamics are the main culprits in explaining why F1 cars have become so engorged over the years. Aerodynamicists began to identify that running with a longer floor offered more downforce, and thus wheelbases became longer and longer through the years.

Is F1 losing popularity

Since a takeover by Liberty Media in 2018, Formula 1 viewership has been growing rapidly in the United States — between 2018 and 2022 average viewership grew from just over 500 thousand to around 1.4 million.

Will 2026 F1 cars be slower

With a new set of regulations set to come into force for 2026, Adrian Newey says the current F1 cars might be the fastest for some time. Red Bull Chief Technology Officer Adrian Newey says the new set of technical regulations for 2026 appear likely to make F1 cars a lot slower than they currently are.