Anyone who has ever driven in the UAE will be able to testify that a lot of drivers seem to think that the road network in the Gulf state is a endless Formula One track.Â
Luckily for the rest of us, the roads should be a little safer this weekend as many of those budding Lewis Hamiltons will be watching the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, being held for the first time at the Yas Island circuit.
So in a rather shameless tie up to this weekend’s exciting event, here are a few facts about the fuel that speeds Jensen Button et al around the track.
1. The fuel used is actually very similar to regular gasoline. The only difference is that different blends are used to give the car maximum performance depending on the weather conditions or circuit.
2. The FIA requires the fuel suppliers – Elf, Shell and Mobil are the three main suppliers to F1 – to submit fuel samples prior to racing to ensure that no team violates the fuel regulations.
3. Race fuel consumption comes in at about 75 litres for every 100km travelled – or between three and four miles per gallon. This may sound a lot but F1 cars are 20% more efficient at converting fuel into power than most normal commuter cars.
4. During a typical season a Formula One team will use over 200,000 litres of fuel for testing and racing.
5. Pit-stop fuel rigs are designed to operate as quickly and safely as possible. The rigs pass fuel at the rate of about 12 litres a second.
6. Early Grand Prix cars ran on a mixture of chemicals and additives, often featuring large quantities of benzene, alcohol and aviation fuel. Some early fuels were so potent that the car’s engine had to be disassembled and washed in ordinary petrol at the end of the race to prevent the mixture from corroding it.
Source: www.formula1.com
