Is F1 Difficult to Drive?

[OAlice]

F1 is indeed difficult to drive, and the specific reasons are as follows: High difficulty in starting techniques: A good start helps achieve a good result in the race, but starting an F1 car requires considerable skill. The engine speed of an F1 car during startup is around 10,000 RPM or even higher. If there is insufficient power, the clutch may be automatically disengaged, leading to a failed start. Even if the car is successfully started, it is necessary to ensure that the tires do not spin excessively. No driving assistance systems: F1 cars do not have any driving assistance systems. As everyone knows, family cars are equipped with various stability control systems, anti-lock braking, anti-skid systems, etc., but none of these are present in F1 cars. Therefore, turning in an F1 car is a significant test of the driver's skills, especially in rainy conditions, where the difficulty of driving can be imagined.

[OElle]

My friend used to think karting was quite easy, but after trying an F1 simulator last time, he was completely humbled. The steering wheel of an F1 car is incredibly heavy—it's almost impossible to turn in corners. I heard that in real races, drivers have arm strength capable of lifting 100kg barbells. Ordinary people can't even lift their heads during high-speed turns due to the 4-5G centrifugal force, which is like having four large water buckets stacked on your head. The car doesn’t have power steering or ABS, and braking requires over 100kg of force—equivalent to an adult’s full body weight pressing down. Forget racing; just keeping the car from hitting the wall would take years of practice.

[Charles]

To be honest, F1 is something that ordinary people simply can't handle. The cockpit temperature stays above 50°C all year round, and drivers lose 4-5 pounds of body weight from dehydration during a single race—the numbers on the scale drop like it's nothing after the race. The steering wheel is packed with over 20 buttons, and adjusting parameters while cornering is more complicated than playing the piano. The aerodynamic kit keeps the car glued to the ground at 300 km/h through corners, but the slightest encounter with another car's turbulent airflow sends it into a drift. Last year, I test-drove a Renault sports car for civilians and found it aggressive—I can't even imagine sitting behind the wheel of a 1,000-horsepower hybrid beast.

[OWilliam]

Just learned from a documentary last week that F1 drivers endure G-forces equivalent to fighter pilots during races. In high-speed corners, their necks withstand 4 times their body weight – enough to break an average person's cervical spine. Braking points must be precise to within meters; while regular cars need 15 meters to stop from 60 km/h, F1 cars decelerate from 200 km/h to cornering speed in just over 30 meters – requiring reactions faster than a blink. Without power steering, drivers wrestle the wheel with their entire body through hairpin turns, leaving them feeling like they've moved bricks all day after a single circuit. No wonder junior drivers start grinding in karting from childhood.