All images were designed with Canva
I want to tell this story by breaking down the parts of a Formula 1 car, talking about the parts, and talking about how much it costs. By understanding that, we span it across all the cars and the whole sport at large.
The average cost of a Formula 1 car can be different from one car to the other, especially on items like the team's budget, quality, and the team's performance goals which drive their innovation.
However, estimates suggest that the total cost of a Formula 1 car for a single season can range from $100 million to $500 million or more for top teams.
Let's use this opportunity to understand the world of supercars.
Chassis - $10 million to $20 million.
The chassis is the structural backbone of the car, providing rigidity and safety for the driver. F1 cars are known to be one the safest cars considering how extremely fast they are.
Engine - $10 million to $20 million.
All engines are the heart of each car and so it is in Formula 1, providing power and propulsion. Modern F1 engines are highly advanced turbocharged hybrid power units.
Transmission - $500,000 to $1 million.
The name is very straight, as the system that transfers power from the engine to the wheels, allows the driver to change gears and control acceleration.
Aerodynamics - $5 million to $10 million.
Aerodynamic components such as wings, diffusers, and bargeboards optimize airflow around the car to improve downforce and grip.
Suspension - $500,000 to $1 million.
Two words, control and steadiness. Although the tracks have no bumps whatsoever, the speed needs a lot of handling and that's where the suspension system performs at it's best.
Electronics - $5 million to $10 million.
If the engine is the heart, the electronic systems can be considered the nerves. Managing the engine parameters, collecting data, and controlling various onboard systems for amazing and synchronized performance.
Tires - $5 million to $10 million.
This to me is the most surprising part of it all, that tired cost this much on average. There are three types of tires in F1, soft, medium, and hard tires. They provide different traction and grip levels, transmitting power from the car to the track surface while enduring extreme forces and temperatures for the super speed.
Testing and Development - $10 million to $50 million
This is the point where they put everything together and make sure the machines work the way they intended. Testing and development activities include track testing, wind tunnel testing, and simulations to optimize car performance and reliability.
A season spans over 9 months. Thus, after going through that season the costs you read become the average sum of each part explained. Each team receives sponsorship to cover most, if not all of the expenses, hence the many logos all around the car and on the drivers.
