Scrutineering

On the Thursday leading up to each race, the cars are checked at the track for compliance to the regulations. FIA-approved scrutineers – people with a technical background in racing who check the cars at events– perform these tests. The checks are safety and performance related. The safety checks include tests on the wheels, steering, and suspension attachments as well as whether the regulatory safety features are all present and correctly installed. The performance checks also include measurement of the bodywork, position of the cockpit, width measurement, front and rear wing height, shapes and widths, underbody contours, the presence of the regulatory plank on the car’s underside (the plank keeps ride height at a critical minimum to limit downforce). All these things are strictly legislated in the technical rule book. You may expect all these features to have been checked at the first race each season. But if the checks weren’t repeated each race, you can be sure that some – or hey, maybe even all – of the teams would take advantage.