Facts about Formula One ~

- A driver sheds an average of two kilos in weight per Grand Prix.

- The average cockpit temperature is 50 degrees Celsius.

- A modern Formula One helmet is made of carbon and must not exceed 1,800 grams in weight, as stipulated in the regulations.

- Following the abolition of traction control, the F1.08 accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.75 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in 5.05 seconds. It took 0.75 seconds - equivalent to 50 metres - to brake from 300 to 200 km/h, which equates to 4.5g.

- In extreme braking manoeuvres, drivers are briefly subjected to 5g.

- Carbon brake discs and pads need a minimum operating temperature of 500–650 degrees Celsius. During braking they hit temperatures of over 1,000 degrees Celsius.

- Some parts of the protective monocoque consist of up to 60 layers of carbon fibre. A single carbon fibre is around six micrometres thick.

- Formula One tyres may heat up to 130 degrees Celsius. Beyond this level, there is an increased risk of blistering.

- After a race, it takes the team at least eight working hours to dismantle the car, test and replace individual components, and reassemble the car.

- It takes some 120 working hours to assemble the BMW engine, which consists of approximately 1,100 different parts and around 5,000 parts in total.

- Maximum piston acceleration is 10,000 times the speed of the earth’s rotation. Peak piston speed is 40 metres a second - or from zero to 100 km/h in 0.3 milliseconds. A force of almost three tonnes is exerted on the conrod. The average piston speed is around 25 metres per second.

- The exhaust reaches temperatures of up to 950 degrees Celsius.

- Over an average race distance of 300 kilometres, the BMW V8 engine undergoes around 6.5 million ignitions per Grand Prix.

- When the car comes into the pits during practice or qualifying, oil samples are taken for immediate spectrometer analysis. Traces of metal in the oil provide important indications as to the state of the engine.

- It takes around 40 working hours to assemble a new BMW gearbox.

- The G1.09 gearbox and associated hydraulics comprise around 1,500 parts in total, of which 480 are different components.

- About 20 gearboxes are built for test rig trials and for use in testing and races. They are overhauled several times.

- In a gearshift process, the existing gear is released and the new one already engaged in a matter of 0.004 seconds. It takes 50 times as long to bat an eyelid.

- High-precision bearings with ceramic rolling elements allow the shafts in the gearbox to operate with a minimum of oil.

- The oil temperature inside the gearbox can rise to 150 degrees Celsius.

- The car’s engineer can choose from more than 50 different gear ratios when adjusting the individual gears to a particular track.

- Each race weekend involves a team of around 80. Apart from the team management and the three drivers, this includes 18 engineers, more than 30 mechanics, one or two logistics staff, hosts for sponsors and the Paddock Club, the press department and the catering staff.

- For flyaway Grands Prix, the team dispatches some 32 tonnes of air freight. That includes three chassis (two cars plus a spare chassis), six to eight engines, three to five sets of spare parts, 160 wheel rims, 100 radio sets, headphones, tools, computers and the pit garage equipment

- The hospitality unit, which takes twelve men 36 hours to erect, has 37 plasma screens running. 40 kilometres of cables are laid for the power and network supply.

- The kitchen is kept busy feeding and watering team members and guests: in 2008 average consumption per Grand Prix weekend amounted to 140 kilograms of meat, 100 kg of fish, 100 kg of fruit, 90 kg of vegetables, 40 kg of cheese, 1,000 eggs, 1,800 bread rolls plus 2,500 litres of water and soft drinks.

(http://www.formula1.com)