The main component part of an F1 car is the chassis, or carbon fiber composite tub (sometimes referred to as a survival cell). Before being brought to the assembly area, a composite tub will have passed through the composite manufacturing department, where it was made, cured in an autoclave, trimmed, and cleaned. In addition, the various mounting holes will have been precision drilled and tapped.
In the assembly area the tub will be placed on an assembly jig. These jigs, or fixtures, will locate the tub precisely to facilitate accurate measurements during the assembly process.
Sub-Assemblies
At the same time as the tub was being manufactured, other departments will be completing sub-assemblies (sub-assemblies are collections of components that will be mated together to make a structure or system). For example, typical sub-assemblies include: drive shafts and bearings, wing assemblies, wiring harnesses, the gearbox assembly, suspension arms, the steering wheel, and even the engine.
Although a number of technicians will be working on the car at the same time, the first component to be fitted to (or inside) the tub is the fuel cell. However, with the cars now using KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), the lithium batteries and their containers will be fitted at the same time as they occupy the same general area.
Locating the Fuel Cell
The fuel cell is located in a large cavity within the main tub – behind the driver and separated by a carbon fiber bulkhead. The location of the cell is generally near to the center of gravity of the car so that as the fuel is used, the associated weight reduction has less effect on the overall balance of the car. The cell is fitted early in the assembly process because its location makes it very difficult to get to once other items have been fitted – the engine for instance.
As a number of electrical and hydraulic lines must pass through the tub, these will be fitted next. Special tunnels are manufactured into the carbon tub to accommodate these lines. Typically, brake lines, wiring harnesses, and fire retardation lines will pass through the tub. In addition, the fuel lines will be attached to special “quick disconnect” couplings at the rear bulkhead.
As some technicians work at the rear of the car (the engine and gearbox are located there), others will be assembling the cockpit area (where the driver sits), and yet more technicians will be working on assembling the front suspension and steering at the front.
Time to Fit the Engine
Fitting the engine is relatively straightforward on an F1 car. The engine unit will have been assembled in a separate department, or even another facility, and dynamometer tested before being sent to the assembly shop ready to run. The engine is placed on a special fixture which ensures correct alignment with its mounting studs before being slid forward into its location just behind the rear bulkhead.
With the engine in place, the gearbox and rear suspension (which attaches to the gearbox) can be assembled onto an adapter plate which sits between the engine and gearbox. On some cars, this adaptor plate carries the engine oil and catch tanks.
Driver Fitting
With the car taking shape, the driver will be asked to come to the factory to have a seat fitting. The seat on an F1 car is a molded construction made from mixing special resins with plastic beads. The driver will sit onto a plastic bag containing the beads and locate himself in his normal driving position. A technician will then draw air from the plastic bag which will then conform to the driver’s shape. Resins will then be poured into the bag and the driver will again resume his sitting position. When the resins harden, the seat will conform perfectly to the driver.
The remainder of the build process is confined to attaching the many hydraulic and electrical lines, and fitting the side pods and associated radiators. In addition, the side pods carry many of the computer control units (engine management, data logging etc.).
As the car nears completion, the final items to be fitted will include: the front and rear wings, the under tray, brakes, and bodywork. Often time’s teams will check the fit of spare parts that may be needed at the track, such as nose cones, wings and suspension components, before the car leaves the factory for its first test.
Fueling Time
With the car fully built, the fluids will be added to the various systems. These fluids include: brake fluid, coolant, hydraulic fluid (for gear change actuation) engine oil, and finally gasoline. All the systems will be checked for leaks and operation before the engine is started for the first time and brought up to operating temperature.
The systems used in the design and manufacture of an F1 car, ensure the cars are race or test ready from the factory. In the old days cars would be taken from the factory to a race track for a “shake down” test. The cars would be lapped for a number of laps before returning to the pits to have various nuts/bolts re-tightened (after they had shaken loose).
Track Test
Today the cars will be taken to a test track to simply check the operation of the various systems. These early tests are often called installation laps as the installed components are being checked over a set number of laps. Primarily, the engineers will be looking at the effectiveness of the cooling systems and electronics.
Although it is relatively straightforward to build/assemble an F1 car, the teams will employ some 500 personnel to accomplish the task of designing, building and racing a car in Formula One. Even the smaller team’s employ more than 200 highly specialized technicians. With attention to detail, and by following set procedures, teams can be sure that when the driver (or engineer) presses the start button the car will start and run perfectly.
John Glimmerveen - John Glimmerveen is a freelance writer and author specializing in automotive, motorcycle, and motorsports subjects. In addition, John is ...
