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Complete Glossary of F1 Terms - Part II

There is an old adage in Formula One racing that goes: "Behind every great F1 driver, there's a great race engineer". The role of the engineer is one of the most important roles in this sport, but this role is not that easy to understand. The intricacies of F1 racing have captured the imagination of all speed lovers. As this lies above the understanding of an average Formula One fan, Carazoo.com brings you a glossary of the terms used in Formula One racing in the hope that understanding of this much-loved sport will become easier. Since the list of glossary itself is pretty stretched-out in size we are giving the same in parts.

We here present you the second list of the F1 glossary.

Installation lap: A lap done on arrival at a circuit, testing functions such as throttle, brakes and steering before heading back to the pits without crossing the finish line.

Jump start: When a driver moves off his grid position before the five red lights have been switched off to signal the start. Sensors detect premature movement and a jump start earns a driver a penalty.

KERS: Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems, or KERS, are legal from 2009 onwards. KERS recover waste kinetic energy from the car during braking, store that energy and then make it available to propel the car. The driver has access to the additional power for limited periods per lap, via a 'boost button' on the steering wheel.

Left-foot braking: A style of braking made popular in the 1990s following the arrival of hand clutches so that drivers could keep their right foot on the throttle and dedicate their left to braking.

Lollipop: The sign on a stick held in front of the car during a pit stop to inform the driver to apply the brakes and then to engage first gear prior to the car being lowered from its jacks.

Marshal: A course official who oversees the safe running of the race. Marshals have several roles to fill, including observing the spectators to ensure they do not endanger themselves or the competitors, acting as fire wardens, helping to remove stranded cars/drivers from the track and using waving flags to signal the condition of the track to drivers.

Monocoque: The single-piece tub in which the cockpit is located, with the engine fixed behind it and the front suspension on either side at the front.

Oversteer: When a car's rear end doesn't want to go around a corner and tries to overtake the front end as the driver turns in towards the apex. This often requires opposite-lock to correct, whereby the driver turns the front wheels into the skid.

Paddles: Levers on either side of the back of a steering wheel with which a driver changes up and down the gearbox.

Paddock: An enclosed area behind the pits in which the teams keep their transporters and motor homes. There is no admission to the public.

Parc ferme: A fenced-off area into which cars are driven after qualifying and the race, where no team members are allowed to touch them except under the strict supervision of race stewards.

Pit board: A board held out on the pit wall to inform a driver of his race position, the time interval to the car ahead or the one behind, plus the number of laps of the race remaining.

Pit wall: Where the F1 team owner, managers and engineers spend the race, usually under an awning to keep sun and rain off their monitors.

Pits: An area of track separated from the start/finish straight by a wall, where the cars are brought for new tyres and fuel during the race, or for set-up changes in practice, each stopping at their respective pit garages.

Plank: A hard wooden strip (also known as a skid block) that is fitted front-to-back under the middle of the underside of all cars to check that they are not being run too close to the track surface, something that is apparent if the wood is excessively worn.

Pole position: The first place on the starting grid, as awarded to the driver who recorded the fastest lap time in qualifying.

Practice: The periods on Friday and on Saturday morning at a Grand Prix meeting when the drivers are out on the track working on the set-up of their cars in preparation for qualifying and the race.

Protest: An action lodged by a team when it considers that another team or competitor has transgressed the rules.

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