How to drive an F1 car

We all know it's a complicated business, but what exactly do the guys do? Edd Straw asks some of the Formula 1 aces

There are times when a driver's contribution to on-track success can be downplayed. There are those who might think that it's entirely down to the car. It's true that you don't win races without a good car, no matter who you are. But it's also true that good cars don't win races without a handy operator behind the wheel. The modern Formula 1 car may be a multi-million-pound missile, but it requires a balance of the organic and the technological, the man and the machine, to work.

And it's not just about jumping in, braking late, catching a slide and hustling the car around a corner. Not by a long shot. The modern race driver must deal with an enormous number of duties. Watch on-board footage of Michael Schumacher in his all-conquering Ferrari days and you'll see him fiddling with settings on the steering wheel from corner to corner. And all at the same time as trying to extract every last thousandth of a second of laptime from the car.

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