Fuel

Surprising but true, despite the vast amounts of technical effort spent developing a Formula One car, the fuel it runs on is surprisingly close to the composition of ordinary, commercially available petrol.

令人驚訝但卻是真的，儘管開發一輛Ｆ１賽車所費不貲，但是它所用的油與我們一般的隨手可得的燃油油卻沒有多大不同。

It was not always so. Early Grand Prix cars ran on a fierce mixture of powerful chemicals and additives, often featuring large quantities of benzene, alcohol and aviation fuel. Indeed some early fuels were so potent that the car's engine had to be disassembled and washed in ordinary petrol at the end of the race to prevent the mixture from corroding it!

但是並非一向如此，以前的ＧＰ賽車用的油是加了化性激烈的物質和添加劑進去，通常是大量的苯、酒精和航空燃油。甚至一些更早之前使用的燃油，在比賽後引擎必須拆解，並且用一般汽油清洗來避免混合燃料的侵蝕。

Over the years more and more regulations have been introduced regarding the composition of fuel, a move driven in part by the oil companies' desire to have demonstrable links between race and road fuel. 

經過這些年來，越來越多的關於油品組成的技術規章訂定，這樣的改變部分是因為石油公司希望在比賽用油和道路用油之間可以有更多共通點。

The modern fuel is only allowed tiny quantities of 'non hydrocarbon' compounds, effectively banning the most volatile power-boosting additives. Each fuel blend must be submitted to the sport’s governing body, the FIA, for prior approval of its composition and physical properties. A 'fingerprint' of the approved fuel is then taken, which will be compared to the actual fuel being used at the event by the FIA's mobile testing laboratory. 

現在的燃油只允許使用少量的非碳氫化合物配方，有效的禁止了大部分的增加爆發力添加劑。每個油品的混合成品都要經過ＦＩＡ管理單位的檢驗，以在賽前確定燃油的成分和物理特性。在ＦＩＡ的移動實驗室裡，燃油的各種特徵將會被記錄下來，和實際用在場上的燃油做比對。

During a typical season a Formula One team will use over 200,000 litres of fuel for testing and racing, and these can be of anything up to 50 slightly different blends, tuned for the demands of different circuits - or even different weather conditions. More potent fuels will give noticeably more power but may result in increased consumption or engine wear. All of Formula One's fuel suppliers engage in extensive testing programmes to optimise the fuel's performance, in the same way any other component in the car will be tuned to give maximum benefit. This will likely involve computer modelling, static engine running and moving tests.

在一個常規的賽季中，一支Ｆ１車隊會用掉超過200000生的燃油，包括測試和比賽用的。其中會有超過50種不同的些微差別配方的燃油，用於不同的賽道甚至是不同的天氣。更有爆發力的燃油會有明顯的動力提升，但是也會造成引擎的磨耗增加。所有F1的燃油供應商都保證會在經過大量的測試過程去增進燃油效能，同樣的賽車的其他機構也會得到最大的效益，測試包括電腦模型分析、靜態引擎運轉和動態測試。

Pit-stop refuelling is once again a vital part of Formula One, and an integral part of modern race strategy. The fuel rigs are designed to operate as quickly and safely as possible, two-stage location and double sealing ensuring the best possible fit. The rigs pass fuel at the rate of about 12 litres a second. The hose itself operates as a 'sealed system', requiring air and vapour to be extracted as fuel is added. It is very heavy and requires one mechanic to hold its weight while another engages and disengages the nozzle. Another mechanic will stand by a fuel cut-off switch next to the pump itself. Leakages are extremely rare, although accidents have happened, for example to Michael Schumacher at the 2003 Austrian Grand Prix. 

PIT-stop 是F1裡很重要的部分，並且是現今比賽策略裡的一部份。加油設備以盡可能最迅速和最安全的目標來打造，雙層定位和兩層密封確保最佳的密合性，加油機的速率大約是每小12公升。油管本身有密封系統，當加完油需要有空氣和蒸氣來使油槍脫離，油管本身也很重，一位組員負責噴嘴的接合和脫離時，需要一個組員撐住油管重量，還有另一個站在供油幫浦旁邊。即使發生意外，洩漏的情況非常的少，例如大舒在03年的澳洲站情況。

The car's engine oil is also worth a mention. It helps to perform a vital diagnostic role, being closely analysed after each race or test for traces of metals to help monitor the engine's wear rate.

車子的引擎機油也值得討論一番，它幫助完成關鍵的部分，在每場比賽或是測試後都被嚴密的分析以幫助監控引擎的磨耗。