•A Formula 1 car can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in a mere 2 seconds. Another 1½ seconds is all it takes to reach 118 mph (180 kmph). In less than 8.6 seconds, the car clocks in at 186 mph. This rate of acceleration creates force on the driver equal to 1.4 G's.
• The high rev rate puts a force on the pistons equal to 9,000 times that of gravity.
• An F1 car's engine is made up of 80,000 components.
• The aerodynamics of an F1 car create so much downforce that, at 100 mph, the car could drive upside down on the ceiling of a tunnel. This is thanks to the front and rear wings plus the under body design.
• An F1 car's engine consumes 20 gallons (75 liters) of fuel every 60 miles, making its fuel efficiency a measly 3.1 miles per miles per gallon.
• The downforce created by an F1 car generates suction that is strong enough to pick up manhole covers. In a street race like Monaco, all manhole covers must be welded down prior to the start of the race.
• The rate of deceleration in a Formula 1 car is so great that when a driver brakes fully, it feels like a regular car driving through a brick wall at 186 mph.
• Because of the extreme stress put on it, an F1 engine only lasts for about 2 hours of racing.
• An F1 car weighs approximately 620 kilos (1141 lbs), roughly half the weight of a new, well-equipped Mini Cooper.
• At top speed, the tires of an F1 car rotate about 50 times per second.
• The engine of an Formula 1 car revs up to 18,000 rpm, compared to the Bugatti Veyron at 6400 rpm.
• When a driver hits the brakes at race speed, it uses 180 feet and 1.9 seconds to come to a complete stop.
• Monza is the fastest Formula 1 circuit, with a high speed of 233 mph (375 kmph).
• Drivers are given numbers each season. The season-winning driver receives number 1 and his teammate gets the number 2.
• The other teams receive numbers corresponding to their end-of-season standings the previous year. The number 13 is not given at all.
• The car is designed with such a tight cockpit that the steering wheel must be removed for the driver to get in or out.
• An F1 car has no gearstick or clutch. Instead, they are paddles located on the steering wheel.
• F1 tires' peak performance temperature is between 1650° and 2000°F (900°-1200°C). Water's boiling temperature is 210°F (100°C).
• Race tires in Formula 1 have nitrogen in them instead of compressed air. Nitrogen maintains a more consistent pressure than air, which contains water vapor. That vapor causes fluctuations in pressure.