That a technical terminology full of Anglicisms does not prevent us from following a sporting event. Formula 1, which has been taking root in concepts throughout its 74-year history, patents new concepts at the speed that its cars evolve. These are some of the basic terms to follow F1 without getting lost.
“Aerodynamics is for failures, who don’t know how to make engines…”, said a man named Enzo Ferrari. But in modern F1, the interaction between air and solid bodies is the philosopher’s stone of the discipline, defining a car’s behaviour, its grip, speed and balance.
Thus, the evoked aerodynamic load is a force in the downward vertical direction (the downforce) that is achieved with the spoilers and wings to maintain the car’s adherence against the asphalt. The more downforce in the setup (depending on how you tilt the wings), the more grip (ideal for corners) but less speed (damaging on straights). The aerodynamics of a racing car is designed in a simulator called a wind tunnel in which the scale model of the car is subjected to air flows.
Phenomenon in which, due to the accumulation of water on the track, the tire loses grip and traction, and the vehicle does not respond to the steering wheel, so that it tends to slide.
The operators at the foot of the track (track marshals) who wave colored flags do not do so to encourage, but to warn of incidents.
The yellow flag warns the driver to take precaution for a hazard on the track and prohibits him from overtaking (until a green flag appears); if the pilot sees a blue flag, he must facilitate being overtaken by a rival who arrives faster; the red flag indicates temporary cancellation of the race due to a serious accident or meteorological cause; the black flag communicates disqualification for a serious infraction to a specific pilot; and the checkered flag (black and white), the completion of the test.
Formation of blisters (blister) on the surface of the tire due to overheating.
The passenger compartment of the car where the pilot is located. It is a kind of sarcophagus or survival cell made of carbon fiber. The pilot must be able to get out of it in less than 5 seconds. Inside is the seat and belts with six anchor points, headrests, padding to protect the legs and fire extinguishers.
Sharp corners (usually added to the original layout) to reduce speed on a long straight or corner.
Mobile device introduced in 2011 to facilitate overtaking. It consists of opening a sheet of the rear wing to let air through and reduce air resistance (drag). It is activated only when a car is less than 1 second from the preceding car, in permitted zones (DRS zone), normally straight lines.
Penalty consisting of passing without stopping through the pit-lane (the garage street), at the limited speed (80 km/h; in Monaco, 60 km/h).
A very popular term referring to the loss of grip of the tire as it heats up or wears from use.
Manager and main referee of a race, designated by the FIA ??(the International Federation), and who decides the security measures, changes or sanctions to apply.
The aerodynamic phenomenon that supports the grip of the cars to the asphalt through the bottom of the car: the air is sent under the car creating a vacuum and a suction effect against the asphalt. This grip causes less dirty air (turbulence) than aerodynamics, so cars can get closer and overtake more.
Extension of the track to facilitate the incorporation of a car that has gone off (asphalt loophole) or to stop an uncontrolled car (gravel loophole).
It is the measure of the acceleration produced by the earth’s gravity on an object. In F-1, it expresses the centrifugal force suffered by the driver when drawing a curve, in an impact or sudden braking. One g (lowercase) equals 9.8 m/s2; Suffering a brake of 10 g is equivalent to supporting one’s own weight 10 times.
Temporary tire wear (corrected) due to the appearance of small rubber strips (grains) that detach from the tread and reduce grip (English grip).
Security system consisting of a titanium bar that protects the cockpit from blows from blunt objects (wheels, parts) or from being crushed by another vehicle (supports loads of up to 12 tons). It was introduced in 2018.
Acronym for Head And Neck Support, it is a security system similar to a collar that is placed on the shoulders to prevent cervical injuries. It was introduced in 2003.
Anglo-Saxon term that serves to refer to the curbs or the pianos that delimit the asphalt track. The curbs (usually painted in two colors) are cement plates, in steps, which serve to slow down the car, in order to prevent the pilot from drawing beyond the limits of the asphalt.
The sausage type kerbs are authentic cast iron retaining walls, 5 cm high and 40 cm wide, so that the cars do not go over a chicane.
It is the fastest lap given in the race (fastest lap); whoever achieves it wins an extra point. In Bahrain it was Guanyu Zhou with the Alfa Romeo.
F1 cars are hybrids, they mount power units with various thermal and electrical parts: the combustion engine (gasoline), the two electric motors, the MGU-H (H for heat) that uses the engine gases to generate electrical energy, and the MGU-K (K for Kinetic, kinetic) recovers energy from braking, powers the engine or stores energy in the batteries; a turbocharger and an ECU (electronic control unit).
Supplied by Pirelli, there are six types of dry compounds (smooth or slick -without tread pattern-) depending on their hardness, ranging from very hard and hard (C0 and C1, white), to medium (C2 and C3 , yellow) and soft (C4) and supersoft (C5, red). The more hardness, the more resistance, but less grip; the softer, the more grip and more speed, but less hold. The rain (striped) tires can be intermediate (green) or full wet (blue).
To make a plane (flat) is to spoil the tire by braking, causing a part of the circumference to deform and lose grip.
Pit stop (at the garage door, not inside) to change tires or replace any parts. Gasoline is no longer refuelled.
It is the rebound effect that a car suffers due to a sudden loss of aerodynamic load on straight lines at high speed.
The three sleeves of the qualifying session, with the progressive elimination of the 20 cars: in Q1 the slowest 5 fall; in Q2 five more are eliminated; and in Q3 the first 10 positions on the starting grid of the race are stipulated.
Wake or flow of air with less force that a car gives off and that the one that follows it takes advantage of to overtake as it has less air resistance.
Short races on Saturdays (one third of the usual duration and length) whose classification determines the starting grid positions on Sunday. It is only celebrated in six grand prix.
Safety car that appears to neutralize the race while there is an incident on the track or bad conditions due to rain. The Virtual Safety-Car (VSC) –since 2015– is activated by a minor incident on the track (without the safety car coming out) and also involves speed and overtaking restrictions.
Penalty consisting of going through the pit lane and stopping in front of the box for 5 or 10 seconds without the mechanics being able to touch the vehicle with any adjustment.
Advance the pit-stop to try to gain the position from the previous rival. By putting on new tires, you can ride faster, and gain the position of the persecuted when you stop to change the tires.
The contrary strategy consisting of entering the pits later than normal to overtake the rival is called overcut. To do this, the car that stays the longest on the track must make the most of the laps to ride faster than its rival and join the front.
