F1 Power Struggle. The legal take on Sports. Part I

As fantastic as F1 vehicles seem on the track, they are not legal on public roads. You can't drive one to work or take it on a walk around town. So, to answer the question, are F1 cars street legal, the answer is no.

There are two difficulties.

The initial disadvantage is that you won't be able to drive it, and the subsequent one is that you won't be allowed to. Driving one in normal traffic is both unlawful and almost physically impossible.

I'll explain why later!

Why Are F1 Cars Impossible to Drive on the Road?

I’ll make the case that a regular F1 car is impossible to drive on the open road. That’s because it needs a couple of things to drive optimally:

1. Enough speed

These cars are designed with speed in mind. Everything from their engine to the tyres and brakes need high speed to function properly.

Formula 1 tyres are specifically-designed to be used on slick, smooth race tracks at high speeds. They have no groves, which increases their grip surface area. But this only comes into effect at high speeds.

Without appropriate speed, the tyres will not be sufficiently heated. Because of the way they're made, if they're not hot enough, they'll lose their grip on the asphalt. It'll feel like you're slipping on ice.

High temperatures are also required for the brakes to function correctly. Without working temperatures, the brakes will be nearly useless.

2. Easy Road

F1 cars have extremely little ground clearance, which means that any bump, crack, or sudden elevation in the road will damage the vehicle. The tyres will also be damaged as a result of poor driving conditions.

Race tracks are carefully evened out, with no cracks or bumps and a consistent elevation throughout. Because F1 vehicles have minimal ground clearance, they keep it that way.

At those horrific speeds, the least bump or dirt on the track may spell disaster.

Because the tyres lack grooves, they will quickly be damaged on bumpy or poor driving conditions.

3. Adequate airflow

To keep the engine cool, an F1 car requires a lot of airflow (from high speeds). Without this airflow, the engine could overheat and blow up.

Because of the lack of proper airflow, the brakes may overheat, making your braking experience even more unpleasant.

4. Experience

To learn how to drive a Formula 1 car, F1 drivers must undergo hundreds of hours of hard training. A normal individual would have no chance of driving one.

The handling is a huge issue. Formula 1 cars are handled entirely differently from conventional road cars.

Acceleration is faster, top speed is higher, brakes are more finicky, and overtaking and curve-taking are more challenging. The steering wheel is likewise unusual in shape.

5. There is no traffic.

An F1 car cannot be driven optimally through typical traffic. The car is incredibly low in the air, making it difficult to view traffic in front from behind any car.

The second difficulty is that you are not permitted to drive them on public roads. On every roadway in the globe, they are virtually illegal. Continue reading to find out why!

Why Aren't F1 Cars Street Legal?

Where do I even begin? Driving on the road imposes numerous legal obligations. Furthermore, Formula 1 cars lack several of the parts that are legally required for an automobile. Why include them if they aren't required on the racetrack?

Other parts have been modified to improve track performance, putting them outside of street restrictions.

Here’s what I mean:

• No headlights

• No indicators

• No reflectors

• No tail lights

• No horn

• Ground clearance is too low

• No muffler

• Irregularly-shaped steering wheel

• Non-DOT (Department of Transport) sanctioned tyres

• Non-DOT sanctioned seat belt

Just one of these ten factors would render F1 cars illegal to drive on public roads.

These are not only optional aspects. It will be impossible to drive safely around other cars and in traffic if you do not have indicators, headlights, tail lights, or good tires.

Whether you want to or not, you will get into problems. That's because other drivers will either not notice you (at night) or will be unaware of what you're about to do.

The only exception to this rule is when a race is being held in a city. The officials will restrict the road to the public and reopen it after the race.

Is it Possible to Make an F1 Car Street Legal?

Technically, yes. But you'll have to make significant adjustments, and when you're finished, it won't look like a Formula One car.

In reality, this has happened previously. Lola, the world's worst F1 team of all time. To cut a long story short, Eric Broadley, a well-known racing chassis designer, founded Lola.

He was able to secure MasterCard as the team's sponsor and went on to compete in the Australian Grand Prix. However, the team's car, the Lola T97/30, did not even qualify for the race.

As a result, the team disintegrated after declaring bankruptcy and being purchased out.