Why Do Formula 1 Drivers Zig-Zag During a Race?

Before the start of any Grand Prix or whenever a safety car comes out, we’ve all observed Formula 1 drivers do a weird thing with their car. They start to move it from left to right and from right to left as they wait to go racing or start racing.

It often looks funny even to see the cars create zig-zag patterns for no apparent reason.

But the truth is, there is a big reason that drivers do that. In fact, they have to weave their cars at lower speeds for a reason that if not achieved, their race can easily end up in a DNF.

Why do Formula 1 cars swerve from left to right?

It should be pointed out again that Formula 1 cars do this zig-zag driving whenever they’re following the safety car before the start of the race or whenever the race is under SC conditions.

And the reason they do that is to maintain their tire temperatures. Because weaving and going zig-zag keeps the tires engaged enough so that they don’t turn cold.

So whenever a driver isn’t driving at the limit for reasons such as a caution or a formation lap, they risk their tire temperatures to drop, which in turn could lead to a lockup, or understeer, or oversteer that could then result in a car which is not fully ready to go racing, or worse, cold tires can result in a driver crashing into another car.

The tires on an F1 car are designed in a way that they operate only at a certain temperature, any lower than that simply doesn’t work when it comes to racing.

In fact, almost all the components of an F1 car are designed in a way that they operate their best when being pushed to the limit. Be it the tires, be it the brakes, the engine, if you’re not pushing them to their highest, they won’t work as they should.

And it’s only fair because Formula 1 is a sport of extremes, of pushing the limits and going beyond limits.

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