F1 drivers cannot move their legs to get to pedals and steering wheel, if they are to turn and steer their car, therefore the need for ergonomic seats that reduce pressure on the body is also high.
Engineers perform human ergonomic simulation to customize each driver’s cockpit based on their physical characteristics and driving style for maximum comfort, safety and efficiency.
Seating Position
F1 circuits are speed demons and bloody twitchy, but you wouldn’t believe the physical toll they take on drivers. Speed-accelerations and decelerations wreak G-forces, causing muscle cramps and weakness, but to absorb those forces the driver’s seat has been ergonomically optimised for comfort and safety.
Specifically, the driver’s feet are high down in the cockpit to mitigate air resistance (“drag”) and accelerate the car’s top speed. And even their seat is back angled to give them spine alignment and enable them to grab pedals and steering wheel without bending.
The drivers also have the option of modifying their seats by changing the cushion and seat pan for lumbar support and relocating the mirrors so that they see everything. And they may even buy their own pillows to provide extra support when it comes to aching lower back.
Pedal Positioning
Because F1 racing can sometimes be milliseconds apart, ergonomics is so essential for F1 drivers. Seat, steering wheel and pedals all need to be at hand of the driver as little movement is required for them to reach them, so they’re always on the throttle to react quickly and accurately if any situation should occur during racing.
Also the pedal position can be individually adjusted for each driver’s body type and driving technique (how far apart, how high, what angle and spacing each pedal should be in order to make them as comfortable and controlled as possible while driving for long distances).
Untidy driving habits will make you tired, which reduces performance and leads to accident. Ergonomic simulations also help designers try out different positions and pedal designs before putting them in vehicles – so that drivers stay on the road and keep driving.
Steering Wheel Positioning
The racing of F1 needs everything perfect down to where drivers put their steering wheels. It can have the greatest influence in driving comfort and safety as to how far from their chest it is positioned from view.
Seating arrangements and policies have evolved over the years to solve for driver comfort, productivity and safety. Drivers sat with arms bent at the wheel at first. But as F1 cars grew lighter and more aerodynamic, the position morphed to one with more reclining alignment to lighten their weight and improve car performance.
Later teams began to design specially constructed seats for each driver, so that their bodies did not become overloaded during up to two-hour competitions, and they could remain at maximum concentration and focus. Safety was only even more important in the 2000s when they pushed drivers to sit kneeling-kneeling to give them as little frontal space and crash protection as possible. The sport now makes this the default for all F1 teams, and drivers sit with knees up because this gives them the least frontal coverage possible and is most impact-protective when driving up to a 2 hour race.
Cockpit Layout
With F1 races lasting more than two hours and the stakes at the end can be so thin that a split-second decision can make the difference between success and defeat, the driver of F1 needs to be comfortable behind the wheel. Each driver gets a specially designed bucket seat based on their body type so that they can be comfortable and safe while driving. They are also safely buckled into their cars via 6-point harness in case of accident/collision which drastically reduces risks.
Each car is conceived with the most comfortable ergonomics and control interface possible for the driver. The pedals, for example, should be located so they don’t have to work so hard and have to keep moving around – so they can stay on task on race day!
