How Extreme Speed Impacts An F1 Car

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The major talking point before Sunday’s Italian Grand Prixcentered around the future of Lewis Hamilton, with rumors circulating in the paddockthat he had already agreed to join Mercedes in 2013.But the talk did nothingto distract Hamilton from taking a dominant pole-to-flag victory and reignite his titlechallenge, cutting Fernando Alonso’s championship lead to 37 points.Aside from Hamilton’s assured drive to victory and the late retirement of teammateJensonButton, the other major talking point was the superb drive of Sergio Perez, whocharged from 12th on the grid to pass Alonso with seven laps to go. Alonso, who started10th on the grid, was himself involved in a moment of controversy with Sebastian Vettel,as the German was given a drive-through penalty for forcing the Spaniard off the track atthe 180 mph Curva Grande on lap 26 as Alonso tried to pass.The move damagedthe rear of Alonso’s Ferrari, but he still managed to pass Vettel en route to hispodium finish. With speeds topping 215 mph at the famous Monza circuit, the high speedCurva Grande, like Belgium’s Eau Rouge and Suzuka’s 180R, is one of theultimate tests of a Formula 1 car’s strength. When Alonso pulled upalongside Vettel on one of the fastest sections in Formula1, his Ferrari would have been in sixth gear and withstanding loads approaching 4g.Its 2.4 liter V8 engine would have been doing 17,000 rpm and burning around 3.5 liters offuel per minute, enough fuel for an everyday 1.6-liter car to do 50 miles. A high-speedcorner also puts a huge amount of stress on the car’s tires, with the rubber on thetread heated to around 120 degrees -- hot enough to fry an egg. The suspension on the caris also given a rigorous test and needs to withstand a cornering load of approximately twoand a half tons on the rear wishbones, around the weight of a Range Rover. It was hardlysurprising, therefore, that Alonso’s Ferrari suffered damage to the rear as ithopped over the grass and touched the gravel. It could easily have resulted in a massiveaccident."For sure the car is damaged because at 330 kilometers an hour youare jumping on the gravel, so I don't think the floor and everything will be fine afterthose jumps," he said afterward.What is surprising is how Alonso was able tonurse his car to the finish line and get himself onto the podium. But that’s why heis a two-time world champion and is closing in on world title No. 3. Continue Reading

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