Each Formula 1 single-seater is made up of some 14,500 individual components, and each of these elements is custom-made, with computer-aided design (CAD) developing the parts and computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM) or manual processing.
Unlike many other categories, each car in motorsport’s top flight is unique, unlike F2 which has a standard chassis.
From 2022, cars will be required to use certain ‘standard’ and other ‘prescribed’ parts that teams must build to an established design. There will also be ‘transfer parts’ such as gearboxes and clutches, which can be bought and sold between different teams.
The new technical regulation limits the designs of the teams. That includes setting specific dimensions for wings and bargeboards, as well as defining no-go areas and restricting certain high-cost alloys in engines.
When does the process of creating an F1 begin?
Designing a Formula 1 car takes much longer than you think. In fact, the best teams actually start work more than a season in advance.
The process begins with engine team leaders and chassis team leaders discussing an overall approach taking into account the ever-important feedback from each of their drivers on the current car.
As time progresses, the design becomes more complicated and detailed, and the team’s focus slowly moves away from developing the current car to work more in the future.
During the season, more and more design staff move to the new car, but only in winter do they all come together for the same goal, with elements already manufactured and designs that are turned into real parts.
Design and development of an F1 car
Development begins in the design office, where different teams of people sit behind CAD computers producing complex 3D drawings of new parts, which can number in the hundreds each day at peak performance.
Different subgroups deal with different areas or aspects of the car, such as the drivetrain, electronics, mechanical design and aerodynamics, as well as composite design, which involves planning the way parts are made.
Aerodynamics is one of the most important areas and the teams are usually divided into 3 or 4 groups, each focusing on a different area. They create designs to test in CFD (computational fluid dynamics) to decide which ones to actually test in the wind tunnel.
In the past, some teams actually put full-scale cars in wind tunnels, but now the maximum is set at 60% to reduce costs (since parts cost much more to build on full-scale than 60% ).
Most model parts are now made using rapid prototyping and 3D printing. In the tunnel, the car is bolted to a center column and a giant fan blows air over it at high speed.
The model is packed with sensors to record speed and pressure, while the spine is attached to a sensitive scale to measure downforce. The car dynamically moves to change height and lean just like it does on the track.
Teams are now limited in how long they can use the tunnel: in the past, Ferrari was known to run 24/7 at three different locations. Speed is also limited to a maximum of 180 km/h, which means they can’t fully test all aspects of performance.
There are also limits on the amount of time they can spend in CFD and in the wind tunnel which vary, depending on where the team finished in the previous season. Last ranked gets 25% more tunnel cast time than champions.
The making of a Formula 1
Around 80% of the car is made of composites and ‘pre-preg’ carbon fiber is the main material. This woven mat of tiny resin-coated carbon yarns is supplied in jumbo rolls and stored in freezers to keep it fresh.
Carbon fiber parts start their life with a pattern, usually made from epoxy using five-axis milling machines that use CAD data to cut to an accuracy of 0.05mm. The patterns are then used to make a carbon fiber female mold, which is then used to make the final part.
The compound manufacturing areas of an F1 factory are clinical environments, with air pressure, humidity and temperature strictly controlled and workers wearing clean protective coveralls and shoe covers at all times. This is because any impurities that get into the part could cause catastrophic failure.
As an example, McLaren has 130 people working on parts at any one time, in the clean room, fit and assembly, pattern shop and machine shops. Smaller teams outsource this manufacturing process.
The carbon fiber fabric is precisely cut into specific shapes, defined by the composite design department, and these are placed very precisely, as the different directions of the yarns give different directions and strength properties.
Part placement is still done by hand, assisted by a computer-guided laser placement system. More layers are used in the parts that will take more stress, and some parts, like the chassis, have different thicknesses in different areas based on stiffness requirements.
In fact, the complex nature of carbon fiber manufacturing has allowed teams to literally break the rules by creating wings that are weaker in certain areas and can flex under low load.
Once the carbon is deposited in the mold, it is placed in a vacuum bag, put into an autoclave (a very large oven) and put under pressure. It is then cured at a controlled temperature and pressure for hours.
The high temperatures in the autoclave melt the resin between the carbon strands so that it spreads and then sets, creating a solid part. The number of vacuum treatments and the number of thermal curing processes can also affect the final part.
Along with the carbon fiber process, there is also a great deal of metal fabrication, much of it using “exotic” metals. Alpine, for example, uses 16 machines to process all of these parts and replaces them every three years.
Time to test the pieces
Remember those 14,500 pieces mentioned at the beginning? Well, they all have to be inspected and approved before they get to the car, and there’s never just one piece of each.
A lot of testing is done before the car hits the tarmac for the first time, to make sure there is as much certainty of reliability as possible.
The materials are put under the microscope (literally) and each part of the car will be subjected to non-destructive tests (NDT) with X-ray or ultrasound techniques to evaluate the union of the joints and the state of the laminate, firmness checks, visual checks and a thorough cleaning.
Computer-based coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), along with handheld laser devices, are also used to verify dimensions, measuring to micron accuracy to ensure a perfect fit as well as legality under regulations.
Then all sub-assemblies and assemblies are run on dynamic test rigs that put the parts through their paces, matching the temperatures and motion cycles you would expect to see in action on the track.
Each part is assigned a “service life” based on time or mileage, after which it must be removed and replaced with a new one, and some of the components, particularly the most safety-critical ones, are often tested to three or four times.
Teams must also include an increasing number of crash structures around the car and must pass FIA crash tests before the car is finally homologated. These include extremely destructive rollover and impact tests.
The first ignition of an F1 car
This is when it all becomes real. At the factory, the power unit, fuel system, hydraulic system, transmission and cooling system are attached to the chassis and connected for testing for the first time.
At that point, the design process is halfway through, so there is still a long way to go. The car does not yet have all of its bodywork installed, so visually it is always described as a ‘Robocop when the skin is removed’.
Once all the parts are fabricated and ready to be assembled, the first actual build of the car takes about a week. The chassis monocoque is the center section, and all sub-assemblies are bolted to it.
The first tests of a Formula 1 on the track
This is when the car leaves the garage for the first time. The teams must put the car through a ‘ shakedown ‘ simply to make sure that everything has been bolted down correctly and that it can be driven, at speed, without any problems.
Crews often run this during a so-called “shoot day”, limited to less than 100 km. This allows them to ensure that it works before the pre-season tests.
How much does it cost to build a Formula 1 car?
Spending is capped at around €125m for the 2022 season, falling to €120m from 2023. This cap covers all performance costs of the car and excludes marketing, driver salaries and the three highest earning members of the team.
The cost of the actual car itself is debatable, as it is difficult to determine what should be included in the calculation and what should not. However, it is estimated that it is around 7 million euros.
Engines are the most expensive part of an F1 car, costing around €14 million per year. It is estimated that building a single complete power unit is around 4 million euros.
The chassis reportedly costs just under €1m, with the gearbox costing around €900,000 and the front wing (nearly €200,000 each). The steering wheel, due to its complex electronics, has an estimated price of €60,000.
The tires are a bargain when compared to all of the above, costing around €1,800 per game, although considering that each team has 20 different games during the same weekend (13 dry tyres, 4 intermediate and 3 of extreme rain), suddenly the sum is equal to €36,000 per car in each Formula 1 grand prix.
