CHASSIS / SAFETY CELL
The car is designed entirely around the survival cell – also known as a monocoque or tub – which at around 35kg is extremely light but extremely strong .
The driver sits in the centre and , as the name suggests , it ’ s designed to keep them safe in a crash while the rest of the car absorbs the force of the impact .
The cell is formed in a mould using up to 60 layers of soft , pliable carbon fibre ‘ cloth ’ ( criss-cross strands of carbon embedded in resin ) laid up around an aluminium honeycomb core then hardened in a giant autoclave oven . The sides of the structure are protected by 6mm of carbon and Zylon – the material used in bulletproof vests – and impactabsorbing deformable structures are fixed all around , with a roll hoop behind the driver ’ s crash helmet .
To further protect the driver , a deformable structure sits around the cockpit sides and a titanium ‘ halo ’ structure , which can withstand the weight of a London bus , rises from the front of the cockpit and around its sides .
The chassis and other key elements are subject to strict safety regulations , and they have to undergo crash tests at the start of each season .
THE COCKPIT
At the heart of the survival cell is the driver ’ s ‘ office ’, which contains the seat , pedals and steering wheel . It ’ s just 52cm wide at the shoulders narrowing to 35cm at the feet and , to achieve the best aerodynamics and weight distribution , the driver sits almost horizontal , with their feet sitting higher than their hips . Seats are moulded around the body shape of each driver .
THE STEERING WHEEL
The steering wheel is custom built for each driver , with an LED screen at the centre , handgrips on each side and buttons and readouts covering most of its surface . Functions include changing brake and power settings , controlling the differential , changing the on-screen data , talking on the radio and operating the drinks bottle supply . Behind the wheel there are levers for the driver to shift the gears up and down and a pair of clutch paddles that are used to control the car off the start line .
“ The car is designed entirely around the survival cell – also known as a monocoque or tub ”
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