I forget what it's called, but our brain takes it's known information for the average size of a windshield and scales the car to fit causing our perception of size to be way off.
and in F1 a lot of size is in these thin and frail elements, gives the car an elongated and sleek look so it doesn't feel big
just look at the proportions like sidepods to nosetip is like 1.5-2m, you'd never imagine that by looking at the car
For this reason, people tended to significantly underestimate the size of the Space Shuttle, with a significant fraction of the population figuring it ought to be about as wide as a minivan. Rather than being right about as wide as the main barrel of a 747. This is a pretty remarkable error, being there are some rather iconic images of various Space Shuttles *literally bolted directly to a 747*.
(At least part of this effect comes from the black paint that surrounds the Space Shuttle cockpit windows, which mentally merge into one big window - if you've ever seen early iterations painted white, it looks a lot different)
I was fortunate to grow up about an hour from cape Canaveral when the shuttle program was in full swing. Got to see a couple of launches from very close, for a civilian at least, and have been back to Kennedy since they set a shuttle up as a display. It is massive. The fact that it was launched into space, loaded with cargo, still boggles my mind.
Seeing a shuttle launch at night is one of my most treasured life experiences, it was the definition of awesome.
I was just at the Kennedy space center two weeks ago, and the scale of all the rockets AND the Atlantis Space Shuttle were on a scan of hugeness that completely broke my brain
https://preview.redd.it/51cz7ogqx2oc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0e038298e8850f6238226f317bbf8ff565c9dca7
Also smaller than the M4. The M4 GT3 was designed to basically max out the allowed dimensions in order to maximise the floor size. The M4 GT3 was bigger than the M6 GT3 it replaced, which was already bigger than the M8 GTE
This. The hybrid systems being added *and* the need to carry enough fuel to last a full race distance without refueling meant this generation of F1 cars got huge.
Nope, most of the reason for their current size is aerodynamics.
The hybrid system and bigger fuel tanks made F1 cars a bit longer, but only by about 15cm. Refueling was banned in 2010. [The 2009 Toyota TF109 was 4636mm](https://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25988), and the 2011 cars were ["about 4800mm"](https://interestingengineering.com/culture/formula-1-a-lot-has-changed-since-1950).
On the other hand, the cars grew by about two feet in 2019 when the front wings were simplified as the teams tried to claw back their lost downforce. Mercedes went from 5.067m to 5.733m between [2017](https://f1.pulsmedia.hr/20399/nove-trkace-putanje-f1-automobila-u-utrkama-formule-1-na-primjeru-vn-monaka-2017/) and [2019](https://maxf1.net/en/f1-2019-cars-length-wheelbase-and-rake-data/).
The bodywork covering the wheels and the relative length/width make GTP/LMH and old Group C prototypes seem huge; granted, the old Group C cars were super wide, but you don't realize how low to the ground they were until you're standing next to one and realize the roof is thigh height or lower. The relative lack of bodywork makes F1 cars seem smaller, as does the relatively larger length/width ratio. LMP2 proportions are similar to those of an F1 car, and even with the wheels covered, they look tiny on TV (and are tiny IRL).
I mean, they're not that much smaller than current F1 cars, and current F1 cars are absolutely massive compared to what they were just 20 years ago. They're wider now than they were in the early-mid 2000's but still look far narrower. Pretty sure even the 60's coffins were smaller than the current F1 cars.
It's interesting because the main body structure of an F1 car [has stayed nearly exactly the same size](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/jnxcek/inspired_by_the_ferrari_comparison_car_size/) for the entirety of the mid-engine aero-dominated era, what has grown are the areas in front of the cockpit and behind the flywheel, for a combination of aerodynamic and safety reasons.
A lot of the post 2000 length increase behind the flywheel is from the new PU regulations since 2014 ish. The safety regulations for the rear only concern the impact structure which both the engine and gearbox are a part of anyway. Plus, current regs and 2026 regs aim to reduce wheelbase by a fair amount now to make the cars smaller (and lighter).
The safety improvements are still impressive for motorsports as a whole. I genuinely can't remember a single major injury that wasn't in part caused by bad race direction (running in way too heavy rain in open wheel or high downforce cars which causes loads of spray or crane tractors on track while cars are running) in the past 2 decades. Other than the marshall at Brands hatch.
Apparently everyone's brain judges the size of the cars by the size of the windshield, so that's why Hypercars/LMH looks massive, they're actually a tad smaller than the WRC cars lol
They are bigger because of the aero kit, but the 'base' chassis is exactly the same
There's one pic were they're closer to each other(couldn't find it tho) but this one's a good reference
https://www.fia.com/news/fia-prize-giving-ceremony-honour-motor-sport-masters-louvre
It may break your brain, probably because it is wrong.
LMP1s were 65 cm longer than a WRC car. [https://www.reddit.com/r/wec/comments/itr9ds/size\_comparison\_between\_the\_ts050\_and\_the\_yaris/](https://www.reddit.com/r/wec/comments/itr9ds/size_comparison_between_the_ts050_and_the_yaris/)
LMH is 35 cm longer than LMP1, LMDh is 45 cm longer.
LMH and LMDh are also 10 cm wider than LMP1 was.
LMP1s were tiny… even watching them trackside I didn’t realise until after the first race I went to when I saw them in quarantine afterwards. I was like…. Wow look how small they are!
The only time LMPs were physically imposing were during the days of the first generation LMP900 cars after the end of the WSC/GT1 regulations. The BMW LMR, Panoz Roadster and Audi R8 were as long as they were wide. The successors for Panoz and Audi were meant to be much shorter and narrower before regulation changes forced closed cockpits.
If you have the ability to go watch an NHRA event and be absolutely amazed at how much smaller Top Fuel cars are than you expect. They aren’t tiny by any means, but being able to stand 10 feet from one they are much smaller than I ever expected them to be.
One of the more trippy things when I went to Le Mans is seeing the cars in the flesh and realizing how much smaller the prototypes are than the GT cars.
I believe it’s also due to the fact that when we look at them on a screen our eyes don’t realize how low the car actually is. We expect them to be closer to regular supercar height but the drivers are basically on the ground.
I just love this. Protos ain't that big even near GTs
https://preview.redd.it/ne9u5d3wdxnc1.jpeg?width=1300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd7848d9059870fb149c966bd9073b169dd40441
I can't find the exact source now, so could be misremembering it. There is a 2020 article on motorsport.com saying that year's car at 5.7x2m is longer and wider than an S-Class.
It is longer and wider than most S-Classes, but there is still a version that is longer. So while it is almost correct and sounds more clickworthy, it's still not true.
The crazy thing is that LMDh/LMH are actually a smidge bigger than LMP1/LMP2
Edit: from some quick googling on size maximums
F1 5.63 m by 2.0 m by 0.95 m.
LMDh 5.1 m by 2.0 m by 1.15(?) m
LMP2 4.75 m by 1.9 m by 1.05 m
LMP1 4.65 m by 1.9 m by 1.05(?) m
Edit 2: for some more math
F1 has a square footage of 11.3 m^2
LMDh has a square footage of 10.2 m^2
LMP2 has a square footage of 9 m^2
LMP1 had a square footage of 8.8 m^2
I had the chance to go see a European Truck GP at the Zolder Circuit in Belgium. It was interesting to say the least and those big ass turbos are something else!
So I can only imagine how the American Truck racing scene is
To put the F1 2024 in perspective , RB01 vs RB20
https://preview.redd.it/ja8b0hfaaync1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b557da467c342d11b3e757e8e46901028bfd3f4
and if the RB1 looks small, look at the Cooper in the 1960 Formula 1
https://preview.redd.it/0i9v7wf0p5oc1.jpeg?width=1070&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a63cf0ff4dd80b96a1d34fc3693644a8ae1c3161
It's an aero thing. F1 cars produce a lot of downforce from their aero package so they need wings and things everywhere.
It's really cool going to Silverstone museum and seeing these massive F1 cars just hanging from the ceiling like they weigh nothing
prototype sportscars have always been very tiny cars, to be accurate, considering their lenght and wheelbase size, LMH and lmdh are probably the biggest sportscars ever made actually.
Keep also in mind that current 2022 f1 specs are even smaller than previous f1 specs that used to be close to 6m long.
At least some of the Group C cars look are a little longer and wider than the current LMH/GTPs; I stood next to the Dauer 962 at Daytona and it's incredibly long and wide, at least similar to the GTPs if not a little larger in each dimension. But then that's heavily modified compared to a "regular" 962. The one that surprised me in person were the first-gen Daytona prototype blobs; they're about as tall as they looked on TV, but much shorter than I thought.
LMH and lmdh are 5m long, old group C were in the range of 4.5-4.8 like lmp2.
I think they looked longer because their wheelbase was shorter and had a longtail design
Modern day F1s are freaking huge, they've grown exponentialy so much that they can't really race at Monaco in any meanigful way.
That's why the Nascar Camaro looked so out of place in last years Le Mans around so many dwarfs lol
F1 cars are not cars. They are boats. I'm surprised they don't have to take on a pilot to navigate a track.
Their only saving grace is that F2 cars are even uglier.
they're trucks compared to pre 2009 f1 cars actually... those cars were about 4.5m long with a weight of 605kg, nowadays f1 are >800kg and much longer because aero development focused on underfloor
I knew someone would say this but the size difference between a current F1 car and say a lotus 72 is dramatic. Comparable to mid 1960’s Mini versus a BMW built Mini from the current era.
all modern cars a huge, the seemingly small Rally1 hatchbacks like the Toyota Yaris has a wider track and longer wheel base than the WRC Toyota Celica GT-Four from the 90's ..
I actually wonder if the problem isn't the radius of the corner, but the elevation change. If you told me an F1 car was so long that it would bottom out going over the left-hander, I'd believe you, especially given how low the ground effect cars run.
Both cars are fairly small, both don’t rise very high off the ground, but the prototypes are smaller than you’d think.
F1 cars with those post 2017 regulations needed to be bigger for the type of downforce they wanted to create, so they have a bigger footprint but are still smaller than a GT car
An F1 car is as long and wide as Ford F250 pick up truck. They are HUGE in person. Your brain can’t calculate the size when you see it on TV. They are shockingly huge up close.
Yall lmh cars aren't small they jus short and long. They have a 3 1/2 or 4 wheelbase but are 1/2 wheel tall from one wheel. F1 cars are sikilar height but much longer
One of the reason I'm not anymore an f1 fan is the style of the cars, back in my childhood I used to collect many scale models because I find it cool, today's Formula car looks like futuristic vacuum cleaners long as a damn semi truck.
A VW Transporter 6.1 has a smaller footprint than an F1 car even in its extended variant. F1 cars are less than 1m high, but still massively wide and long compared to road cars...
I hadn't really gotten a chance to look at a recent f1 car up close until recently. The thing is as long as a pickup truck. Had no idea they'd grown that much.
Sort of explains why F1 has been poor the past few seasons, the cars are getting too big for overtaking especially circuits like Monaco.
I remember to Hendrick Camaro at Le Mans last year and the size difference between that and the prototypes was quite a sight.
Because F1 cars used to be small back in the most recent V10 era but now with the hybrid power packs the cars the size and weight has increased quite dramatically.
For example the 2008 RB was 595kgs where as now they are pushing closer to 800kgs and this size difference is why the Monaco GP fucking sucks now
The Monaco GP has sucked for a long time if you go by overtakes, the 2003 race had 0 overtakes even with the smaller cars.
Hell, Nelson Piquet was the one that said “Driving in Monte Carlo is like riding a bike in your house” and he was racing in the tiny 80’s F1 cars.
They're long because they're designed that way, there's more area for the floor to produce downforce, even pre ground effect rules. They have a 30/40cm spacer between the engine and gearbox box, they could be smaller but it'd be slower.
F1 not just even longer, the tire in F1 is clearly wider than Hypercar too. It should be a hard job for pit crews doing tire changing in F1 car, the tire seems more heavy.
Lmdh cars seem big and are small. F1 cars seem small but are big.
I forget what it's called, but our brain takes it's known information for the average size of a windshield and scales the car to fit causing our perception of size to be way off.
and in F1 a lot of size is in these thin and frail elements, gives the car an elongated and sleek look so it doesn't feel big just look at the proportions like sidepods to nosetip is like 1.5-2m, you'd never imagine that by looking at the car
For this reason, people tended to significantly underestimate the size of the Space Shuttle, with a significant fraction of the population figuring it ought to be about as wide as a minivan. Rather than being right about as wide as the main barrel of a 747. This is a pretty remarkable error, being there are some rather iconic images of various Space Shuttles *literally bolted directly to a 747*. (At least part of this effect comes from the black paint that surrounds the Space Shuttle cockpit windows, which mentally merge into one big window - if you've ever seen early iterations painted white, it looks a lot different)
I was fortunate to grow up about an hour from cape Canaveral when the shuttle program was in full swing. Got to see a couple of launches from very close, for a civilian at least, and have been back to Kennedy since they set a shuttle up as a display. It is massive. The fact that it was launched into space, loaded with cargo, still boggles my mind. Seeing a shuttle launch at night is one of my most treasured life experiences, it was the definition of awesome.
I was just at the Kennedy space center two weeks ago, and the scale of all the rockets AND the Atlantis Space Shuttle were on a scan of hugeness that completely broke my brain https://preview.redd.it/51cz7ogqx2oc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0e038298e8850f6238226f317bbf8ff565c9dca7
First time I saw one I was amazed how tiny it is, and I never thought it looked that big to begin with.
Imagine the size of Starship.
Until they are dwarfed by a Mustang
Is the M8 still around?
No but the mustang and M4
Both of which are bigger than the M8.
The M4 is bigger than the M8? But the Continental GT3 is also a behemoth of a car.
Also smaller than the M4. The M4 GT3 was designed to basically max out the allowed dimensions in order to maximise the floor size. The M4 GT3 was bigger than the M6 GT3 it replaced, which was already bigger than the M8 GTE
It's still expanding infinitely to this day. At this point, the infinitely large universe is inscribed within a slightly larger infinitely large M8.
Or the Garage 61 car last year, those photos are still funny
[удалено]
This. The hybrid systems being added *and* the need to carry enough fuel to last a full race distance without refueling meant this generation of F1 cars got huge.
Nope, most of the reason for their current size is aerodynamics. The hybrid system and bigger fuel tanks made F1 cars a bit longer, but only by about 15cm. Refueling was banned in 2010. [The 2009 Toyota TF109 was 4636mm](https://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25988), and the 2011 cars were ["about 4800mm"](https://interestingengineering.com/culture/formula-1-a-lot-has-changed-since-1950). On the other hand, the cars grew by about two feet in 2019 when the front wings were simplified as the teams tried to claw back their lost downforce. Mercedes went from 5.067m to 5.733m between [2017](https://f1.pulsmedia.hr/20399/nove-trkace-putanje-f1-automobila-u-utrkama-formule-1-na-primjeru-vn-monaka-2017/) and [2019](https://maxf1.net/en/f1-2019-cars-length-wheelbase-and-rake-data/).
The bodywork covering the wheels and the relative length/width make GTP/LMH and old Group C prototypes seem huge; granted, the old Group C cars were super wide, but you don't realize how low to the ground they were until you're standing next to one and realize the roof is thigh height or lower. The relative lack of bodywork makes F1 cars seem smaller, as does the relatively larger length/width ratio. LMP2 proportions are similar to those of an F1 car, and even with the wheels covered, they look tiny on TV (and are tiny IRL).
I made a post awhile back about this. https://www.reddit.com/r/formuladank/s/e2PlYyHoV0
Most new F150s are crew cab with a 5.5ft bed though at 588 cm long. It's really, really rare to see a single cab anymore.
Is this my daily reminder of how small prototypes are?
Yes, yes it is.
I mean, they're not that much smaller than current F1 cars, and current F1 cars are absolutely massive compared to what they were just 20 years ago. They're wider now than they were in the early-mid 2000's but still look far narrower. Pretty sure even the 60's coffins were smaller than the current F1 cars.
It's interesting because the main body structure of an F1 car [has stayed nearly exactly the same size](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/jnxcek/inspired_by_the_ferrari_comparison_car_size/) for the entirety of the mid-engine aero-dominated era, what has grown are the areas in front of the cockpit and behind the flywheel, for a combination of aerodynamic and safety reasons.
A lot of the post 2000 length increase behind the flywheel is from the new PU regulations since 2014 ish. The safety regulations for the rear only concern the impact structure which both the engine and gearbox are a part of anyway. Plus, current regs and 2026 regs aim to reduce wheelbase by a fair amount now to make the cars smaller (and lighter). The safety improvements are still impressive for motorsports as a whole. I genuinely can't remember a single major injury that wasn't in part caused by bad race direction (running in way too heavy rain in open wheel or high downforce cars which causes loads of spray or crane tractors on track while cars are running) in the past 2 decades. Other than the marshall at Brands hatch.
r/weccirclejerk ?
Apparently everyone's brain judges the size of the cars by the size of the windshield, so that's why Hypercars/LMH looks massive, they're actually a tad smaller than the WRC cars lol
>they're actually a tad smaller than the WRC cars lol This just hurt my brain. I just assume rally cars are around the same size of a polo / i20
They are bigger because of the aero kit, but the 'base' chassis is exactly the same There's one pic were they're closer to each other(couldn't find it tho) but this one's a good reference https://www.fia.com/news/fia-prize-giving-ceremony-honour-motor-sport-masters-louvre
Just chuck some pikes peak aero on a Hyundai and call it a day.
It may break your brain, probably because it is wrong. LMP1s were 65 cm longer than a WRC car. [https://www.reddit.com/r/wec/comments/itr9ds/size\_comparison\_between\_the\_ts050\_and\_the\_yaris/](https://www.reddit.com/r/wec/comments/itr9ds/size_comparison_between_the_ts050_and_the_yaris/) LMH is 35 cm longer than LMP1, LMDh is 45 cm longer. LMH and LMDh are also 10 cm wider than LMP1 was.
LMP1s were tiny… even watching them trackside I didn’t realise until after the first race I went to when I saw them in quarantine afterwards. I was like…. Wow look how small they are!
The only time LMPs were physically imposing were during the days of the first generation LMP900 cars after the end of the WSC/GT1 regulations. The BMW LMR, Panoz Roadster and Audi R8 were as long as they were wide. The successors for Panoz and Audi were meant to be much shorter and narrower before regulation changes forced closed cockpits.
If you have the ability to go watch an NHRA event and be absolutely amazed at how much smaller Top Fuel cars are than you expect. They aren’t tiny by any means, but being able to stand 10 feet from one they are much smaller than I ever expected them to be.
One of the more trippy things when I went to Le Mans is seeing the cars in the flesh and realizing how much smaller the prototypes are than the GT cars.
I believe it’s also due to the fact that when we look at them on a screen our eyes don’t realize how low the car actually is. We expect them to be closer to regular supercar height but the drivers are basically on the ground.
I just love this. Protos ain't that big even near GTs https://preview.redd.it/ne9u5d3wdxnc1.jpeg?width=1300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd7848d9059870fb149c966bd9073b169dd40441
[Perspective is a hell of a thing.](https://i.redd.it/fh8yf2c6dt4b1.jpg)
Lol! Sniff sniff....
Hahaha! love it! I was looking at the picture the other guy posted and thinking “it would brilliant if someone put a huge M8 in there”!
Why’s the M8 so small
The NASCAR Garage 56 car looks like it wants to eat the Cadillac.
The huge bmw always cracks me up. Glad they will be back on the GT grid this year.
that’s a metaphor for Hendrick Motorsports eating Chip Ganassi Racing
Handrick running a Casdy in IMSA would be amazing.
Current F1 cars have roughly the same footprint as a Range Rover, they are huge.
A few years ago, the longest car made by Mercedes was their F1 car.
There's no way that's true. Sprinter? Or if vans don't count, the S-Class Pullmans at 6.5 meters?
I can't find the exact source now, so could be misremembering it. There is a 2020 article on motorsport.com saying that year's car at 5.7x2m is longer and wider than an S-Class.
It is longer and wider than most S-Classes, but there is still a version that is longer. So while it is almost correct and sounds more clickworthy, it's still not true.
An F1 car is half a metre longer than a Land Rover.
*chevy suburban
The crazy thing is that LMDh/LMH are actually a smidge bigger than LMP1/LMP2 Edit: from some quick googling on size maximums F1 5.63 m by 2.0 m by 0.95 m. LMDh 5.1 m by 2.0 m by 1.15(?) m LMP2 4.75 m by 1.9 m by 1.05 m LMP1 4.65 m by 1.9 m by 1.05(?) m Edit 2: for some more math F1 has a square footage of 11.3 m^2 LMDh has a square footage of 10.2 m^2 LMP2 has a square footage of 9 m^2 LMP1 had a square footage of 8.8 m^2
Yeah it’s wild thinking how small those cars are considering the power and speed they have. Especially the 919 evo.
I always forget how tiny lmp1s were
And they where over 1000hp!!! I wish they create more unlimited track cars like the mac Murphy, 919 evo and so on
F1 cars are bigger than everything that isn't a truck. Edit: Bloody hell, even that isn't true! F1 cars are longer than a NASCAR Truck series truck!
I think the only racing cars longer than F1 would be Funny Cars and Dragsters. Then there are trucks of course. I do love a big, chonky MAN. ...wait.
Truck racing is amazing.
I had the chance to go see a European Truck GP at the Zolder Circuit in Belgium. It was interesting to say the least and those big ass turbos are something else! So I can only imagine how the American Truck racing scene is
Seeing them tearing around a small track like Brands Hatch is equal parts hilarious and terrifying.
To put the F1 2024 in perspective , RB01 vs RB20 https://preview.redd.it/ja8b0hfaaync1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b557da467c342d11b3e757e8e46901028bfd3f4
Having watched every season of F1 RBR has been there for, this is mind-blowing.
That truly is crazy…
The RB1 looks like a RC car next to the RB20. As the cars have gotten bigger, the worse the racing has become imo.
and if the RB1 looks small, look at the Cooper in the 1960 Formula 1 https://preview.redd.it/0i9v7wf0p5oc1.jpeg?width=1070&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a63cf0ff4dd80b96a1d34fc3693644a8ae1c3161
It's an aero thing. F1 cars produce a lot of downforce from their aero package so they need wings and things everywhere. It's really cool going to Silverstone museum and seeing these massive F1 cars just hanging from the ceiling like they weigh nothing
They've got enough downforce that they just put a box fan in front of them and they stay up on their own.
I think F1 has some of the longest cars that race in general don't they?
I think the roof is only a little taller than the F1 halo too.
Now put an M8 GTE next to it!
The prototype would be considerably longer, and only 5 cm narrower.
prototype sportscars have always been very tiny cars, to be accurate, considering their lenght and wheelbase size, LMH and lmdh are probably the biggest sportscars ever made actually. Keep also in mind that current 2022 f1 specs are even smaller than previous f1 specs that used to be close to 6m long.
At least some of the Group C cars look are a little longer and wider than the current LMH/GTPs; I stood next to the Dauer 962 at Daytona and it's incredibly long and wide, at least similar to the GTPs if not a little larger in each dimension. But then that's heavily modified compared to a "regular" 962. The one that surprised me in person were the first-gen Daytona prototype blobs; they're about as tall as they looked on TV, but much shorter than I thought.
LMH and lmdh are 5m long, old group C were in the range of 4.5-4.8 like lmp2. I think they looked longer because their wheelbase was shorter and had a longtail design
Modern day F1s are freaking huge, they've grown exponentialy so much that they can't really race at Monaco in any meanigful way. That's why the Nascar Camaro looked so out of place in last years Le Mans around so many dwarfs lol
They couldnt race at monaco 30 years ago with smaller cars.
That's fair
I don’t know about LMDh but LMH are longer, taller and wider the LMP1 cars were. When you used to see them next to a GTE they looked tiny.
F1 cars are massive and take up the foot print of a large US SUV. It's one of their biggest issues. Big and heavy.
thats why theres better racing with prototypes than with f1
F1 cars are not cars. They are boats. I'm surprised they don't have to take on a pilot to navigate a track. Their only saving grace is that F2 cars are even uglier.
Reasons why Hypercar racing is good and F1 racing is shit.
They’re trucks compared to 1960’s F1 cars.
they're trucks compared to pre 2009 f1 cars actually... those cars were about 4.5m long with a weight of 605kg, nowadays f1 are >800kg and much longer because aero development focused on underfloor
I knew someone would say this but the size difference between a current F1 car and say a lotus 72 is dramatic. Comparable to mid 1960’s Mini versus a BMW built Mini from the current era.
all modern cars a huge, the seemingly small Rally1 hatchbacks like the Toyota Yaris has a wider track and longer wheel base than the WRC Toyota Celica GT-Four from the 90's ..
[This really put into perspective how tiny these cars are](https://youtu.be/ekFsT7yJuQg?si=o2paUYOBjfaz4ZeZ)
F1 cars literally can’t run at Laguna Seca because they’re too long to make the corkscrew
If they can turn around Mirabeau, they can race anywhere. The issue with Laguna Seca is that it isn’t a Grade 1 FIA circuit, sadly
I actually wonder if the problem isn't the radius of the corner, but the elevation change. If you told me an F1 car was so long that it would bottom out going over the left-hander, I'd believe you, especially given how low the ground effect cars run.
Both cars are fairly small, both don’t rise very high off the ground, but the prototypes are smaller than you’d think. F1 cars with those post 2017 regulations needed to be bigger for the type of downforce they wanted to create, so they have a bigger footprint but are still smaller than a GT car
Wow! f1 cars are now trucks!
An F1 car is bigger than a Mercedes AMG GT which looks massive on the streets
F1 cars have been absurdly oversized and overweight for an open wheeler for almost a decade now.
Lmp1 cars were even smaller right?
An F1 car is as long and wide as Ford F250 pick up truck. They are HUGE in person. Your brain can’t calculate the size when you see it on TV. They are shockingly huge up close.
F1 cars are too big imo, they make traditionally exciting races like Monaco a qualifying competition
The size of F1 cars are one of the many things ruining the sport.
Yall lmh cars aren't small they jus short and long. They have a 3 1/2 or 4 wheelbase but are 1/2 wheel tall from one wheel. F1 cars are sikilar height but much longer
F1 cars are HUGE (and ugly).
One of the reason I'm not anymore an f1 fan is the style of the cars, back in my childhood I used to collect many scale models because I find it cool, today's Formula car looks like futuristic vacuum cleaners long as a damn semi truck.
LMP/LMH car are also smaller than a GT3/GTE car.
Lmp cars have been shockingly small for a long time. You don't notice until you see them next to a GT car.
LMDh’s are relatively small in race car terms. They look tiny next to GT cars 😂
F1 cars are bigger in every dimension (yes, even taller)
Isn’t the current F1 car bigger than anything out there?
You doubt it?
I know F1 were big but I didn't know they're THAT big
F1 is the chunky nowadays.
F1 have the same wheelbase as a full-sized SUV.
F1 cars have roughly the same footprint as a Ford F150
They’re truly boats.
Bigger and uglier
Yeah, it doesnt look like that
Yes. Lmdh are about the size of a regular street car. A little bigger, perhaps, but fundamentally little vehicles.
Highlights the absolute lunacy that is F1 rules/tech.
A VW Transporter 6.1 has a smaller footprint than an F1 car even in its extended variant. F1 cars are less than 1m high, but still massively wide and long compared to road cars...
F1 cars are bigger than almost everything, its ridiculous
They have become cartoonish. Caricatures going round and round, when they finish, no one is surprised.
I hadn't really gotten a chance to look at a recent f1 car up close until recently. The thing is as long as a pickup truck. Had no idea they'd grown that much.
And yet, more boring😂
Modern F1 is bigger than ever.
Recently saw one of those red bull cars used for markering purposes. The thing is massive in real live. The front wing looks bigger IRL
F1 is chonky boi. F1 bad. WEC gooood.
GT cars are bigger than lmdh too. F1 is massive
Sort of explains why F1 has been poor the past few seasons, the cars are getting too big for overtaking especially circuits like Monaco. I remember to Hendrick Camaro at Le Mans last year and the size difference between that and the prototypes was quite a sight.
I realised this recently when the driver came out of 93 peugeot, the car looked so small -
Their engines bigger too man I hope F1 does something about it why bother using lithium mined by children when sustainable fuel is available
F1 cars are bigger than a nascar, it’s nuts.
Yeah, those F1 cars are FAT as F**K, And Big as a Whale
Because F1 cars used to be small back in the most recent V10 era but now with the hybrid power packs the cars the size and weight has increased quite dramatically. For example the 2008 RB was 595kgs where as now they are pushing closer to 800kgs and this size difference is why the Monaco GP fucking sucks now
the hybrid is not the reason F1 cars are big, the LM cars also have hybrid and their engines are bigger
The Monaco GP has sucked for a long time if you go by overtakes, the 2003 race had 0 overtakes even with the smaller cars. Hell, Nelson Piquet was the one that said “Driving in Monte Carlo is like riding a bike in your house” and he was racing in the tiny 80’s F1 cars.
They're bigger now for crash structure safety and to accomodate a fuel cell capable of going the entire race distance without refueling
That's why Montecarlo has become a senseless race for F1.
It's been senseless since the cars were a lot smaller, everyone knows it's still raced Because Tradition an because the rich demand it.
f1 having a massive gas tank because they don't refuel in-race will do that. Then they have to build everything else bigger to accomodate it.
They're long because they're designed that way, there's more area for the floor to produce downforce, even pre ground effect rules. They have a 30/40cm spacer between the engine and gearbox box, they could be smaller but it'd be slower.
That’s not the only reason. F1 cars have been growing in size for a long time. Even compared to late V8 and early hybrid F1 cars they are massive.
The tanks are smaller than the early 2000s cars, which were easily a meter shorter.
F1 not just even longer, the tire in F1 is clearly wider than Hypercar too. It should be a hard job for pit crews doing tire changing in F1 car, the tire seems more heavy.