Formula One Mirrors: Form and Function

One of the most basic devices on a Formula One car is a rear-view mirror but it performs one of the most important functions – that of letting drivers see who is following them and the wear levels (and damages) of their rear tyres. It is equally useful to both frontrunners and backmarkers. But are the mirrors on an F1 car exactly the same as that on the road cars that we drive everyday? Of course not. Nothing is simple in the pinnacle of motorsport and that applies to mirrors as well. Let us learn about these devices in a bit more detail.

Formula 1 Mirror

First of all, as with all other parts on the F1 car, the mirrors too are designed in such a way that they don’t result in too much drag and cause loss in performance, however small might that be. After all, pole position can be decided by a mere 0.001 seconds!

Aerodynamicists never want the mirrors but as they are necessary for safety purposes, therefore significant amount of work goes here as well. Carbon fibers are used to manufacture the shell and the stand of the mirror to provide the perfect combination of extremely high strength along with low weight. If you are wondering how much, then a simple comparison – carbon fibers can be 10 times as strong as steel with much less weight. The internal carbon honeycomb structure is the secret behind such magnificent properties. The low weighing carbon fibers provide a benefit of lowering the car’s centre of gravity because the mirrors are fitted on the upper part of the chassis.

Another safety issue with the mirrors is that during accidents, the mirror might shatter and cause injury to the driver. To prevent that from happening, Perspex (poly (methyl methacrylate)) is used. This acts as a shatter-resistant subsititute for glass. With the cars revving up to a mammoth 18000 rpm, there is a huge amount of vibration experienced by the chassis and that might cause the mirrors to break off if not attached strongly enough. Solution to that is titanium – a very high-strength metal.

Now coming to the actual dimensions and functions as stated in the FIA Technical Regulations:

Minimum Width – 150mm

Minimum Height – 50 mm

Maximum Corner Radius – 10mm

Also, according to Article 14.3.3 “All parts of rear view mirrors, including their housings and mountings, must be situated between 250mm and 500mm from the car centre line and between 550mm and 750mm from the rear edge of the cockpit entry template”.

The FIA also sees to it that the driver gets a proper view of what’s behind by sending a technical delegate – mostly before the season begins – to check whether a driver seated inside the cockpit can identify any letter or number, 150mm high and 100mm wide placed anywhere on boards behind the car, positions of which are defined as (Article 14.3.4):-

Height: From 400mm to 1000mm from the ground

Width: 400mm either side of the car centre line

Position: 10m behind the rear wheel centre line

One might wonder whether racing drivers have to adjust their mirrors like normal drivers have too. Luckily, they are spared that trouble with most of the work being completed in the garage. Very small movements are possible while on track.

Mirrors were first made mandatory in 1979 and since then, research has been going on regarding how to reduce the associated drag. One of the most innovative solutions was outboard mirrors used by teams from 2009 but were soon outlawed by the governing body.

2009: Force India Outboard Mirrors

Another new configuration was tried out by McLaren in 2002 on their MP4-17 when they used double-faceted mirrors so as to increase the view of their drivers. Ferrari was yet another team to try their hand. What they did was they aligned their mirror supports with the vortex generators. This was used not only for reducing drag, but for gaining some aero benefit as well. Whether they were successful in achieving that is very difficult to judge from the outside.

F2012 Mirror Supports

Designers don’t like them but drivers definitely require them! Will the FIA ever let the sport return to the non-mirror days or will we see a much more advanced aerodynamic version of the mirrors which will let just positive performance to be had from them? Only time will tell.