Why do F1 drivers zig-zag the car around the track?
ANYONE who watches Formula One regularly will be familiar with the sight of drivers wiggling their car from left to right and right to left around the track.
With F1 cars costing tens of millions, you would think that vehicles could drive in a straight line!
But don’t worry, there is a very good technical reason why drivers do this.
Why do drivers zig-zag from right to left?
Formula One drivers can be seen veering from left to right, then right to left – and quite often this is behind a safety car.
The reason they do this is to keep the car’s tyres at an optimum temperature.
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It is almost like massaging heat from friction into each of the tyres – which in itself makes them more grippy – and therefore faster.
The reason they do this when a safety car is out, or in the formation lap, is because the race is not in motion at that point.
The other part of this is that a hot tyre during the start of the race will lead to a faster start.
This is a simply crucial part of the race and can lead to huge gains in race placement from the off.
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What is the optimum temperature for an F1 car tyre?
Drivers are looking for a temperature of 100-110C for their perfect race tyre.
This also explains why F1 teams keep their rubber Pirellis wrapped in little jackets before the cars go out on the track.