Formula 1 (F1) is one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world. One of the reasons is the F1 car itself.
Besides being the most prestigious, F1 is also the most expensive. We have 10 reasons to back up that fact here: What is The World’s Most Expensive Sport? One of it is definitely the F1 car itself.
This sport is not just about the talented drivers. It is also about the technology and the efforts they put into building the most important thing of the race: the car.
Each of these cars was built for its own perfection. The whole components were assembled together into this masterpiece. After reading this article, you would understand the frustration when the car got wrecked from a crash during the race.
The average cost for one F1 car is around ten million dollar. However, this price may vary depending on the factory and accustomed settings. Let’s break down each part and find out the cost!
10. Steering Wheel (estimated cost: $53,000)
In regular cars, a steering wheel is nothing but a handle to control your car around. In F1 car, it is way more to it. An F1 steering wheel is extremely complex. It is the control panel of the highly sophisticated car.
The drivers get to control the whole car from this instrument. It does pretty much everything except for breaking and throttling.
Among many things on the panel are gear switch, neutral button, radio system’s push-to-talk button, pit lane speed limiter system engage, energy recovery systems (ERS), drag reduction system (DRS), and many more.
The display and settings of the steering wheel for each car and each driver may be different. With such complexity, it should come as no surprise that one single F1 steering wheel can cost around $53,000.
9. Rear Wing (estimated cost: $84,000)
What makes the F1 car fast is not just its roaring engine, but also the whole aerodynamic system throughout its bodywork. There are two main points of the F1 aerodynamic: down-force and drag.
The down-force is created to help push the car’s tires onto the track. The lower you get to the ground, the faster you can go and the less g-force you will suffer from.
One of the latest technologies improved in the F1 world is the Drag Reduction System (DRS). It is important to minimize the drag. Because it is a product of air resistance which acts to slow the car down.
The research doesn’t stop even though the car seems to be running on a satisfactory speed. This endless effort makes $84,000 price tag on each F1 car’s rear wing worth it.
8. Fuel Tank (estimated cost: $115,000)
Even though the F1 car uses similar petrol fuel to regular road cars, the fuel tank is not just a regular one. Its $115,000 cost speaks for its own sophistication.
The F1 fuel tank is strictly governed. It has to be manufactured from materials approved by the FIA at certain companies. And it must comprise a single rubber balder.
In the car, the fuel tank must be placed directly behind the driver, ahead of the engine. It is connected to several fuel lines which are self-sealing in the event of any accident to protect the driver.
Pace is not the only main goal in F1 research and technology. Safety is also crucial. Based on that, the fuel tank must be encased within the car’s safety cell. It is a must for this part of the car to withstand very high impact loads.
7. Front Wing (estimated cost: $168,000)
The front wing is attached to the car’s nose cone. This particular part of the car is the one that got wrecked most often during the race. In such speed, even the slightest contact with other car or the barrier will damage the front wing one way of another.
Just like the rear wing, this bodywork is a part of the F1 car’s aerodynamic system. But unlike the rear wing, it does not produce any down-force. That doesn’t make it less important though, since it is the aerodynamic device that precedes the entire car. Its $168,000 estimated cost is definitely the proof of its importance.
The front wing is responsible for directing airflow back towards the rest of the car. This is crucial to the overall down-force levels produced by the entire car.
This year, there have been many changes in this part of the car. Some of them are even controversial.
6. Hydraulic System (estimated cost: $170,000)
Many times, we have heard “gearbox hydraulic failure” as the reason why a car suddenly slowed down and failed to finish the race. So what is this hydraulic system? Why is it so crucial that its failure can cost weeks of practice and preparation?
Basically, hydraulic is used to ease the strain on the driver while driving. In F1 car, the hydraulic fluid connects two points like a cable would.
So why do they use fluid? Having a tube full of liquid gives you an instant response as the driver pushes a pedal or presses any button on the complex steering wheel. This particular system gives no time gap between input and output.
Thus, the whole control of the car becomes quicker and more consistent. That is why it holds a crucial role to an F1 car. And that is why it costs around $170,000 for one single car.
5. Cooling System (estimated cost: $172,000)
With such a complex electronic system within the F1 car, the heat can get very ugly without a proper cooling system. How ugly could it be? Just imagine pushing your car on its top speed for over two hours nonstop.
It is the function of the air-side capacity to cool the engine off. The cooling system flows mass of air through the radiator for a given area.
In the other hand, the more air flows through the radiator, the less efficient the aerodynamic works. That is why the cooling system is complicated. That is why it costs around $172,000.
FIA is very restrictive about this part as well. The whole cooling system, including the coolant lines, are not allowed to pass through the cockpit. This is to prevent any leaked fluid from jeopardizing the drivers’ safety.
4. Gear Box (estimated cost: $504,000)
Europeans call it gearbox. Americans call it transmission. The name may be different, but the price is one: $504,000. That is extraordinary for a car part.
Gearbox is one of the parts of F1 car which keeps developing the most. Ideas and inventions in the formula world have turned a simple longitudinal transmission clutch into a sophisticated hydraulic gearbox.
How crucial is a gearbox in F1 racing? The slightest error on this high speed gear changing system can block the rear wheels and cause the car to spin. The worst case happens when white smoke appears from the car’s rear.
A gearbox is a very secret high-tech product. All of its 400 individual parts, including the bearings and seals, are custom made for each car. The half billion cost should come as no surprise.
3. Carbon Fiber Monocoque (estimated cost: $682,000)
Tragic happened to many F1 legends on the race track, including Niki Lauda and the late Ayrton Senna. Surely, we don’t want that to happen ever again. So, even though the formula 1 research is aimed to produce the best fast car, the drivers’ safety has never been put aside.
“Monocoque” is the French word for “single shell”. Monocoque in F1 is a survival capsule surrounding the driver’s cockpit. It is made of sixty layers of carbon fiber. This strong material is surprisingly five times thinner than a human hair.
Monocoque protects F1 driver during a crash. In the recent years, you have seen many crashes. Yet, the drivers managed to walk away unharmed. For this crucial technology, a $682,000 estimated cost is generated for each car.
Monocoque has been proven effective in protecting a driver. In 2007, Robert Kubica was going on 28 times acceleration of gravity when he crashed. Yet, he walked out with a few bruises only.
2. Engine Unit (estimated cost: $8 million)
The F1 car produces a distinctive noise when the engine roars. It is nothing like any other. Next time you hear it, remember that it is the sound of the eight million dollar engine.
The engine of a formula car is extremely powerful. It is not just to reach the fastest speed, but also to push the car to accelerate from zero speed during the start of the race.
An interesting fact, this powerful engine is actually way smaller and way lighter than regular cars’ engine. The secrets are the ultra-light engine parts and the size optimization.
Besides those, there are three other main things which make it as powerful as it is: the high RPM, the stroke to bore ratio, and the high injection pressure.
1. Intangible Cost
The nine items previously mentioned are the tangible parts of a F1 car. But there is more beneath the eye. Building a formula car is way more complex than manufacturing a road car. It takes a lot of efforts on research. The team had gone through countless trial and error.
Besides those hundreds of components assembled into the car, there are other components which don’t even make it to the final car. For example, the front wing used during the race is not the first one manufactured. There was one, five, or even a dozen other front wings prior to the final one.
Not to mention that each driver and each race may require different component settings. That cost is way beyond our calculation.
Based on its tangible components, one F1 car costs around $10 million. However, we haven’t put in the infinitive intangible cost yet.
