Front wing A crucial part of the overall design as it is the first part of the car that comes into contact with the air. The way the wing channels the air has an effect that is felt the full length of the design. Even tiny changes to the front wing can have huge effects on the overall performance.
Cockpit Formula One drives are cocooned in an immensely strong "survival cell" of space-age materials like Kevlar and carbon-fibre. The chassis is subjected to a series of extremely tough "crash tests" that it must pass before it is allowed to race.
Rollbar The roll-over bar has to be immensely strong - it protects the driver in case the car turns over in an accident.F1's rules are constantly increasing the loads it must withstand to increase driver safety. The 7cm safety area is there so that there is less chance of a driver's head hitting the ground if the car bounces upside down.
Tyres/Wheels Tyres are arguably the most important single element of a Grand Prix car's performance - they can have a bigger impact on speed than any other single element. Tyres are mounted on lightweight aluminium wheel rims, which are attached to the brakes and suspension by a single nut. Wheels house high-tech carbon-fibre brakes that glow red hot at operating temperatures of up to 1,300 degrees Celsius. They can stop a car from 180mph to 50mph in less than two seconds.
Fuel Tank This is a crushable yet bullet-proof structure, housed inside the chassis behind the driver. It is made of Kevlar to prevent it being punctured in an accident. Size is not governed by rules, and designers have to decide whether to go for a small tank, which may improve ultimate performance, or have a larger one which provides greater tactical freedom in races.
Suspension Close control of the suspension is vital. Wheel travel is less than five centimetres and a dipping of the car by a millimetre more than ideal under braking or acceleration can dramatically disrupt airflow and make the car difficult to handle. The suspension parts are aerodynamically sculpted to reduce drag. Each corner of the car is independent and operated by wishbones and a push-rod operating on complicated arrangements of springs, dampers and torsion bars.
Oil Tank This used to be housed between the engine and gearbox, but is now recessed into the back of the chassis in front of the engine. This provides better performance, in terms of both the car's weight distribution, and oil pick-up.
Rear Wing The rear wing helps glue the rear wheels to the track, and therefore has an important role to play in performance. However, it also hugely increases drag. This means designers are constantly working to use as little angle of incidence on the rear wing as possible without harming overall performance.
Engine A Formula One engine is a miracle of modern engineering. The best of these three-litre, normally aspirated V10s rev to well over 18,000rpm and produce in excess of 860bhp. And they weigh less than 100kg. That is twice the engine capacity of a typical family saloon, but more than three times as many revs and eight times more power. And it is less than half the weight.
Aerodynamics The most important part of car design. Formula One cars produce so much aerodynamic downforce that they could be driven upside down at speeds of over 100mph. Controlling the airflow over the car in order to maximise the downforce is a black art that makes the difference between the front and the back of the grid. The various extra bits of bodywork visible around the car are all designed to smooth out the airflow as much as possible.
Gearbox A Formula One gearbox has six or seven gears which change automatically in about 0.1 seconds. The clutch paddle, which is usually on the steering wheel, is used by the drivers only at the start as part of the automatic starting procedure. It can also be activated to prevent the car stalling if the driver spins. Once the car is in motion, the clutch is operated electronically by the complicated gearbox software.
Steering The steering wheel is one of the most complex pieces of equipment on a Formula One car. Through it, the driver controls many of the systems of the car. The illustration here is a generic impression of an F1 car's steering wheel and is not based on any specific team. 1.Revs indicator 2.Gear indicator 3.Spare button 4.Increment down (for brake adjustment) 5.Rear brake balance adjustment 6.Gearchange down paddle 7.Pit-lane speed limiter 8.Mode selector 9.Engine cut 10.Clutch paddle 11.Data display 12.Drink button 13.Increment up (for brake adjustment) 14.Front brake balance adjustment 15.Gearchange up paddle 16.Neutral 17.Fuel mixture adjustment 18.Radio 19.Extra oil pump