Monday, October 3, 2011

The Haynes workshop manual for an F1 car

My wife recently bought me a very thoughtful anniversary gift - the Haynes workshop manual for the Red Bull Racing RB6 Formula 1 car. Okay so it's not a proper Haynes manual in the way that any home mechanic would know but it does cover every aspect of a Formula 1 car in so much detail it's mind-bending. If you're a true Formula 1 fan, you really need to try to get hold of this book; it's fascinating. I know they tell you on TV that aerodynamics is everything on an F1 car, but you have no appreciation for how true that is until you read a book like this (don't worry - it has plenty of pictures). For example did you know that the original position of the wing mirrors on the RB6 was dictated not by being able to look behind, but simply because there was already turbulent air above the barge boards from the front wheels? There wasn't much they could do with that particular area so rather than putting the mirrors somewhere where they'd induce drag, they just stuffed them in the already-turbulent air. The book covers everything from carbon fibre construction, to engine and gearbox, suspension, brakes, aerodynamics, even how much the paint weighs! It's a must for car nuts. Haynes Red Bull F1 workshop manual. ISBN: 9780857330994