What’s new about the E20?

1. No forward blown exhaust – replaced with top exit exhausts

The 2011 generation of blown floors are discarded. For 2012, the exhaust must exit in a prescribed box that is in a similar location to the top exit exhausts of circa 2008. It is also subjected to particular exit angles and diameter as a means of providing further restriction.

2. Lower noses

The nose regulations have changed, so the high-tip nose isn’t allowed for improved safety.
The car noses are lowered to 550mm above the reference plane (previously they could be 625mm high). This is to ensure that all parts of the nose are definitely below the height of the cockpit sides in the event of a T-Bone type of crash.

3. Repositioned track-rod

Last year the track rod was aligned with the lower wishbone, now it’s separate.

4. Single apertures for suspension legs

Each suspension leg that emerges from the rear bodywork may have just one aperture. Suspension apertures allow the team a certain amount of aerodynamic development possibilities and from an aerodynamicists point of view, the more apertures the merrier.

5. Captive wheel nuts for quicker pit stops

With no refuelling, the speed of the pit stop is defined by how quickly the tyres can be changed so every saving of a tenth of a second is invaluable. The nuts are now held to the wheels. As an aside, helium is banned for use in the pit stop guns for 2012 – the use of this low density gas enabled the guns to spin up to 30% faster, but it’s very expensive.

6. Panels

To give better protection to the driver in the event that a car T-bones him from the side, the homologated intrusion panel is increased in height to 550mm above the reference plane (the same height as the highest part of the new nose regulation above).

7. FOM cameras

Recent seasons has seen the FOM nose cameras located in a manner clearly aimed at promoting the performance of the front wing rather than to deliver effective TV pictures. Now there is a minimum standard for the field of view of any nose mounted camera. A similar minor change is made to the roll hoop camera location to ensure that a clear picture is not sacrificed on the altar of downforce.

The E20 in numbers

0 The time taken in seconds for the gearbox of the E20 to change gear (drive is never lost during the gearshift).

0.1 How much faster in seconds the E20 goes each lap due to the reducing weight as the car burns fuel (not accounting for tyre degradation).

1.6 The time in seconds for the E20 to decelerate from 100 km/h to standstill.

3.0 The average time for the pit crew to change all four wheels and tyres at a pitstop.

4.9 How many seconds it takes for the E20 to reach 200 km/h from standstill.

5 The number of consecutive races each gearbox must survive before it can be changed without suffering a five-place grid penalty.

6 How many hours it takes for a complete rebuild of the car at the track with 12 mechanics (assuming sub-assembly is already complete). From scratch at the factory it would take 150 people seven days.

6.67 The number of seconds per lap that the KERS electric motor can be activated at full power.

7 The number of gears in the E20’s gearbox.

8 The number of engines allocated to each driver in 2012.

10 The weight of a Pirelli front tyre in kilograms.

18.5 In psi, this is the average pressure for an F1 tyre.

30 The weight of a driver’s head and helmet in kilograms during maximum braking of 4.5G (the same as a heavy suitcase).

42 The number of revolutions per second by a tyre when the E20 is travelling at 300 km/h.

60 The amount of water dispersed in litres per second by a wet Pirelli tyre travelling at 300 km/h.

87.75 The impact energy in kilojoules that must be withstood by the nose of the car when it is crash tested by the FIA. This is the same amount of energy as would be required to stop a 4 tonne elephant moving towards you at 25km/h.

90 The operating temperature in degrees Celsius of each Pirelli tyre.

130 Measured in decibels, this is how loud the RS27-2012 engine is at full revs.

400 The amount of braking energy in kilojoules that the KERS generator can place into the KERS battery in a single lap.

500 The temperature in degrees Celsius reached by the clutch during a race.

640 The minimum weight of the car in kilograms

900 The temperature in degrees Celsius of the exhaust gases when the car is on full throttle.

1,100 In degrees Celsius, this is the temperature a brake disc can reach during the race.

1,500 This is the total number of moving parts in each RS27-2012 V8 engine.

2,500 The number of gear changes the drivers have to make during an average Grand Prix.

4,000 The total number of parts that make up each RS27-2012 V8 engine.

11,000 The number of technical drawings produced by the time of the E20 car build (28% more than any previous car).

10,000 The number of aero parts tested annually in the wind tunnel.

30,000 The number of individual parts that make up each E20.

250,000 The amount of man hours that have gone into the design of the E20.