Formula 1 is the fastest, most extreme form of sanctioned, single-seat auto racing in
the world.
It's truly the sport of kings, where ultra-rich teams build expensive, low-flying death machines
posing as automobiles, race in extreme conditions, and receive huge payouts.
But the sport also has its share of secrets, from illegal craftsmanship to outright corruption.
Here's what you may not know about Formula One.
More plane than car
In modern F1, it's all about one thing: downforce.
Like an airplane, F1 cars use wings to create a difference in air pressure.
But while planes use this to create lift, F1 cars do the opposite…
"Sucking the car to the track, and thus allowing more grip and higher cornering speeds."
Before 1970, engineers experimented with unrestricted wings on Formula 1 cars, resulting in some
absolutely insane accidents.
Afterward, rules were put into place, but they didn't stop such cars as the monstrous,
fan-cooled BT46, which was banned after just one race.
Even more restrictions were put in place as a result, so today's car designers must work
within a set of very strict rules to prevent their cars from flying away from the competition.
Crazy cars
In the early days of F1, experimentation led to some crazy cars.
Take, for example, "The Thursday Car."
McLaren's otherwise beautiful cigar-shaped orange racer with two obnoxiously stupid wings
held way up in the air on struts.
The M7C's front wing, raised well above the driver's head, was quickly banned—going
down in the history books as "the guillotine," given the obviously dangerous possibility
that such a front wing could, if jarred loose, slice a racer's head clean off.
[Screaming]
"Ah, get it off me!"
And then there's the incredibly ugly Ligier JS5, not to mention the six-wheeled Tyrrell
P34 - for when four wheels just aren't enough.
Gone are the days of bizarre experimentation and absurd car designs.
In today's Formula 1, every car looks more or less the same, with racing technology simply
occupying an entirely different space than it did forty years ago.
Good for racing, bad for belly laughs.
Cars for cash
In 2016, Sauber and Force India put in a formal complaint with the European Union over how
Formula 1 doles out its $1 billion bucks worth of sponsorship cash.
For example, Ferrari earns $70 million dollars just for showing up.
That's only part of their annual Forumla One revenue, which totals almost $200 million
- way more than the bottom five teams' earnings combined.
As a result, top teams like Mercedes, Williams, Red Bull, and McLaren dominate every competition,
with the rest of the teams perpetually struggling just to fill out the field.
It's no surprise that teams with less money routinely finish last.
Then there's political corruption, with human rights activists decrying Formula 1's decision
to hold a race in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which is notorious for corruption and political
imprisonment.
According to the Panama Papers, Azerbaijan's government hopes to cover over their human
rights violations through the spectacle of sport - and F1 has been happy to assist, provided
they get a big enough paycheck.
When it comes down to it, Formula 1 simply races by their own rules.
And Rule #1: make that money.
Fit to drive
People tend to not think of drivers as the most fit of all athletes in the sports world,
but Formula 1 pilots maintain insane physical shape.
Formula 1 drivers tend to favor cardiovascular workouts over strength training, but they
do build up the most important muscles of all: the neck and chest.
Because the G-forces present when turning an F1 car can make the driver's helmet and
head weigh more than five times its actual weight, strong neck muscles are of vital importance.
Also crucial are a driver's arms and core, as steering one of those low-flying aircraft
over the course of a race is pretty intense.
Plus, F1 racers have to stay insanely hydrated, as they lose up to six pounds during the race
while sitting in cockpits that can reach 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
Luckily, they have a button activated injection system that squirts a nutrient laden isotonic
fluid right into their mouths.
But that's nothing compared to what comes out.
"Do Formula One drivers urinate inside the car?"
"I know a lot of them who do, yes."
"Even you do?"
"Not until now."
The most dangerous game
Formula 1 is currently a dangerous sport.
But it used to be an absolute deathtrap.
Author Robert Smith told the BBC,
"In the '50s, there wasn't a safety culture.
It was just after the Second World War—people were used to the idea that people could die,
and I think people found it almost acceptable."
Even seat belts, the most basic safety precaution, weren't required until 1972.
As a result, 29 Formula 1 drivers lost their lives during in the 1960s, while 18 perished
in the 1970s.
It wasn't until Ayrton Senna's fatal crash in 1994 that safety finally became Formula
1's priority.
Wacky races
Held in Britain in 1950, the first ever Formula 1 championship was a weird affair.
Not only did King George the 6th attend, but there was nobility on the track as well, with
a Thai prince and a Swiss baron driving cars.
And they weren't the only semi-pros in the field - a jazz musician named Johnny Claes
finished 11th.
Perhaps the oddest moment of the race, though, was when an unlucky rabbit hopped onto the
track and was pulverized by an Alfa Romeo.
All in all, the race was like some real-life version of Wacky Races—and we sometimes
long for the bizarreness that made early Formula 1 so spectacular.
Speaking of which...
Jaguar once lost a $300,000 diamond
At the 2004 Monaco grand prix, Christian Klein drove a special Jaguar fitted with a $300,000
diamond in its nose as a promotional stunt for the film Ocean's 12.
Unfortunately, he crashed during his first lap, and the gem popped out of its socket
and vanished forever.
The Austrian driver told the media,
"That will be the most expensive drive I'll ever take around Monte Carlo."
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