FORMULA 1 (Valencia)
August 2009
For example, the appeal of Valencia has grown significantly this year
for sports-loving tourists, with the hosting of the Americas Cup
by the city being the catalyst for the building of a major new arena,
along with other waterfront developments. In addition to this, the city
has been awarded the European Formula One grand prix from 2009
to 2014,
with a Monaco-style street circuit. Valencia could thus become Spain's
answer to Monte Carlo.
A modern Formula
One car has almost as much in common with a jet fighter as it does with
an ordinary road car. Aerodynamics have become key to success in the
sport and teams spend tens of millions of dollars on research and
development in the field each year.
with Villas Valencia
When it comes to
the business of slowing down, Formula One cars are surprisingly closely
related to their road-going cousins. Indeed as ABS anti-skid systems
have been banned from Formula One racing, most modern road cars can lay
claim to having considerably cleverer retardation.
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At the heart of
the modern Formula One car lies the immensely strong 'monocoque'
structure, often referred to as the 'tub'. This incorporates the cockpit
and the driver's 'survival cell', but also forms the principal component
of the car's chassis, with the engine and front suspension mounted
directly to it. Both roles - as structural component and safety device -
require it to be as strong as posible
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Formula One
drivers are some of the most highly conditioned athletes on earth, their
bodies specifically adapted to the very exacting requirements of
top-flight single-seater motor racing.
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The engine and
transmission of a modern Formula One car are some of the most highly
stressed pieces of machinery on the planet, and the competition to have
the most power on the grid is still intense.
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Marshals at
various points around the circuit are issued with a number of standard
flags, all used to communicate vital messages to the drivers as they
race around the track. A special display in each driver’s cockpit -
known as a GPS marshalling system - also lights up with the relevant
flag colour, as the driver passes the affected section of track.
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Surprising but
true, despite the vast amounts of technical effort spent developing a
Formula One car, the fuel it runs on is surprisingly close to the
composition of ordinary, commercially available petrol.
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HANS stands for
the Head and Neck Support system, an innovative safety device that has
been seen in other codes of motorsport for years, but which became
mandatory in Formula One for the first time in 2003. Its purpose is
simple: to massively reduce the loadings caused to a driver's head and
neck during the rapid deceleration caused by an accident.
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As only one
driver can ever sit on pole position for a race, and the entire grid
wants to finish on the top step of the podium, overtaking is of vital
importance to the business of racing. Simplified to its most basic form
overtaking is nothing more than gaining track position to get past an
opponent.
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Formula One
drivers have no spare concentration for operating fiddly controls, or
trying to look at small, hidden gauges. Hence the controls and
instrumentation for modern Formula One cars have almost entirely
migrated to the steering wheel itself - the critical interface between
the driver and the car.
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The suspension of
a modern Formula One car forms the critical interface between the
different elements that work together to produce its performance.
Suspension is what harnesses the power of the engine, the downforce
created by the wings and aerodynamic pack and the grip of the tyres, and
allows them all to be combined effectively and translated into a fast
on-track package.
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A modern Formula
One car is a technical masterpiece. But considering the development
effort invested in aerodynamics, composite construction and engines it
is easy to forget that tyres are still a race car’s biggest single
performance variable.
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The start of a
Grand Prix is among the most exciting of all sporting moments. A
desperate struggle for immediate advantage as a grid full of vastly
powerful cars, and vastly skilled drivers, all try to arrive first at
the first corner.
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