Ferdinand Porsche famously said, “The perfect race car crosses the finish line in first and then falls to pieces.” And that is the way F1 engines used to be, until the two races per engine rule.

Today’s F1 cars have highly automated gearboxes with drivers selecting gears via paddles fitted behind the steering wheel. These are called 'sequential' gearboxes. In principle, they are very similar to those of motorbikes, allowing gear changes to be made far faster than with the traditional ‘H’ gate selector. The only difference being that the gearbox selectors operate electrically, allowing for much faster and easier gear changes – it takes just 20 milliseconds to a shift.

The driver merely flips his fingers - a sophisticated electro-hydraulic system performs the actual gear change and throttle control, while he keeps his foot planted. Ferrari first introduced the system back in 1989.

The clutch used in a F1 gearbox is multi-plate carbon design measuring less than 100 mm in diameter and weighing less than 1 kg. Today the entire gearbox is made out of carbon fiber to improve efficiency.

The transmission is bolted directly to the back of the engine and incorporates a torque-biasing differential that works with traction control systems to ensure that the maximum amount of power is applied to the road. Most of the grid now runs seven-speed gearboxes.

During a grand prix weekend, every cog in the gearbox is replaced to remove even the minutest chance of failure. The gear ratios (the size of each cog) are also changed to suit each circuit’s characteristic. This is done by first adjusting the seventh / top gear in a way that the engine reaches the top rev limit only at the end of the longest straight. Then the lowest gear is selected, adjusted to give the best acceleration out of the slowest corners. The other rations between the seventh and the first are set at equal intervals. Apparently, it takes just about 40 minutes to change the whole set.