Formula One news

Monaco engine preview

Superficially, Monaco may seem the least demanding engine circuit of the year, with just 46.6% of the lap spent at full throttle. Appearances, though, do not reflect reality. The bumpy surface means the engine can easily over-rev if the wheels leave contact with the ground - and special attention will be paid to tuning the control systems to stay within the 19,000 rpm limit. A driveable engine and good torque from very low revs are extremely important.

Closely-spaced gear ratios are used at this circuit in order to optimise acceleration, and get the most from the engine at slow speeds. The gearbox will have to cope with 53 gearchanges per lap - a total of nearly 4150 per race distance.

With the engine running at full throttle for so little of the time, you might think cooling is not a problem - but you'd be wrong. The engine is only cooled by the car's movement through the air, and the absence of long straights coupled with the slow average lap speed makes cooling tricky. This is exacerbated by the fact that the short gear ratios mean the engine is often running at high revs. Bodywork is therefore sometimes opened up to ensure the engine stays within its operating temperature limits.

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