By: Chris Perkins, Senior Writer & Editor, GM News
By: Chris Perkins, Senior Writer & Editor, GM News
The seat is one of the most important parts in a Formula 1® car. It has to be custom built for each driver to hold them tight while they’re subjected to the massive G-forces they experience on track, while keeping them comfortable for the entire race distance. If the seat is too loose, they’ll move around too much, increasing fatigue; if it’s too tight, the race would be a painful experience.
For the latest episode of What Makes Fast, we get to see how a Cadillac Formula 1® Team seat comes to life. All coordinated from GM’s Charlotte Technical Center, the first step is making a mold around the driver’s body. The driver sits in the car’s chassis on top of a plastic bag, and a technician pours in a liquid mix, which hardens into a foam. The foam piece is then precisely measured to create a digital model of the seat.
Once the digital model is finalized, the team then builds the actual seat. In this case, this is completed at the U.K. base outside the Silverstone Circuit. Rather than using carbon fiber, the Cadillac Formula 1® Team makes the seat from a natural, flax-based fiber weave. It’s a more sustainable material, and one that does a better job of isolating the driver from the intense vibrations of the car.
Then, it’s time for the test fit. In this episode, Cadillac Formula 1® Team driver Valtteri Bottas sits in the new, bespoke seat in the garage at the British Grand Prix and tells the team what works and what doesn’t. The team then takes the seat back to the factory and makes adjustments, adding and subtracting material where needed.
After all that, Bottas has a new seat, which he puts to immediate use in Free Practice 1 of the race weekend. It’s a material that does a better job of isolating the driver from the intense vibrations of the car than carbon fiber.
The seat is one of the most important parts in a Formula 1® car. It has to be custom built for each driver to hold them tight while they’re subjected to the massive G-forces they experience on track, while keeping them comfortable for the entire race distance. If the seat is too loose, they’ll move around too much, increasing fatigue; if it’s too tight, the race would be a painful experience.
For the latest episode of What Makes Fast, we get to see how a Cadillac Formula 1® Team seat comes to life. All coordinated from GM’s Charlotte Technical Center, the first step is making a mold around the driver’s body. The driver sits in the car’s chassis on top of a plastic bag, and a technician pours in a liquid mix, which hardens into a foam. The foam piece is then precisely measured to create a digital model of the seat.
Once the digital model is finalized, the team then builds the actual seat. In this case, this is completed at the team's U.K. base outside the Silverstone Circuit. Rather than using carbon fiber, the Cadillac Formula 1® Team makes the seat from a natural, flax-based fiber weave. It’s a material that does a better job of isolating the driver from the intense vibrations of the car than carbon fiber.
Then, it’s time for the test fit. In this episode, Cadillac Formula 1® Team driver Valtteri Bottas sits in the new, bespoke seat in the garage at the British Grand Prix and tells the team what works and what doesn’t. The team then takes the seat back to the factory and makes adjustments, adding and subtracting material where needed.
After all that, Bottas has a new seat, which he puts to immediate use in Free Practice 1 of the race weekend. It’s a fascinating process to see in depth, so be sure to check out the latest episode of What Makes Fast below.