How big is a Formula 1 car? Mercedes’ F1 car examined and rules explained

The true scale of a Formula 1 World Championship-winning Mercedes is revealed in this video from Motorsport TV’s show The Flying Lap.

By:

Edd Straw

May 8, 2020, 12:40 AM

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1 W08, in the Mercedes garage

In this episode, our 3D animation team shows off its full-scale F1 car – which appears in Motorsport Network’s UK office in Richmond-upon-Thames.

This allows presenter Peter Windsor and technical editor Craig Scarborough to walk around the 2017-spec Mercedes and take a closer look. They also show off an x-ray view of the driver's position, as well as what the Halo cockpit protection device will look like.

There is no set regulation that restricts the overall length of an F1 car, but its width must not exceed 2000mm.

“The Mercedes is over 5.7 metres long, it’s two metres wide,” says Scarborough. “Trying to put that into context, you can see how big this car is, but this Formula 1 Mercedes is bigger in length and in width than the S-Class road car.”