Tools in Formula One?

[MarcSeattle]

I was reading about the F1 race tomorrow and started wondering what brands of tools the teams used. When a team budget is $400 million, what do they choose?

Also, unlike the US is seems the teams aren't sponsored by tool companies. Anyone know why? Maybe it's a money thing. Only auto companies, mobile phones, etc. can afford the tab? That makes the tool brand preference more interesting to me because the teams aren't getting paid to use a brand and they can afford anything.

 

[Fedwrench]

Watch the race or the prerace shows and you might spy a Facom, Beta, or even Snap on box in a bay corner.

 

[lukiep]

I know that red bull use some Snap on as i saw one the guys working on the car using a snap on ratchet screwdriver in practice. i think it all depends on the team i think ferrari use Beta and i Think mclaren use snap on as snap on produced a ltd edition box last year in the uk

 

[y20dth]

They can't afford just anything. They are on a budget just like anybody else. Especially now that the big sponsors are not likely to cough up huge amounts of money anymore. BUT, they do tend to go for the high quality stuff, after all most of them are engineers, so they should value quality tools.

I've seen Facom and Hazet being used, but I'm sure there are other brands to.
In the seventies Beta used to sponsor an F1 team (as main sponsor) but that was a LONG time ago .


If you can, watch F1 on BBC, they usually start way early (practice laps etc...) and take the camera into the pits and boxes alot of the times. If you pay attention to the background, you should be able to see a tool or two .

 

[poprockcrusher]

I remember ferrari using USAG in the day

 

[Stick Figure]

Not anywhere near F1 budget, but the Japanese techs from the company BLITZ use Snap-on. I've read it in an article on them, as well as talked with the Snap on truck owner that services the US headquarters. He said they almost cleaned out the truck when the techs were in the states for a race.

 

[y20dth]

The Toyota F1 team uses Nepros, if I'm not mistaken. But they aren't competing this year.
Nepros is the premium brand of Kyoto Tool Company (KTC) who have been supplying Toyota factories for decades.
http://www.nepros.net/IDX.html


http://en.ktc.co.jp/brand/motorsports.html

 

[Monte]

USAG once sponsored Ferrari, Benetton and now the Red Bull Team but i don`t know if they also use their tools...

 

[arkangel06]

I bet none of them use HF stuff....

 

[Diesel_Crawler]

I bet none of them use HF stuff....

No only the NASCAR guys use that.

 

[vssjim]

I have one of the USAG F1 sets from the eighties, I have mostly seen the same as others USAG, BETA and Facom over the years. I have never seen and American company sponsor and F1 team on the cars as far as stickers etc.

 

[y20dth]

USAG once sponsored Ferrari, Benetton and now the Red Bull Team but i don`t know if they also use their tools...

Is that Jacky Ickx in the first picture (sitting on the tires)?
Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter,...those were the days.....

 

[y20dth]

Those beta boxes. When I just got out of school, i had one of those at the VW-Audi workshop I worked at. Total **** that was. Sorry, its true. Tools were ok, but the whole "hanging the tools by a hook in a box on wheels"-thing, really is just ****.

I bet, when these guys onloaded them from the trucks, al the tools would be lying on the bottom of the box, and they had to spend the first 2 hours sorting them out, and hanging them up all nice again.


Didn't stop my fellow countryman to win races, though...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacky_Ickx

 

[Toolhorder]

I see Snap On alot. Never even heard of Beta before.
On a side note I called Honda special tools hotline last month and wanted a belt tension tool for some of the newer Hondas. The factory manual had a blue point number that the snap on dealer said was discontinued. So I called Honda special tools number and low and behold it's a Snap On phone number and when I asked the lady on the phone she said they are a divison of Snap on for Honda factory/dealers tool programs.
Just thought that was interesting.

 

[Toolhorder]

Usag=facom=stanley tool group=mac=china

 

[jeepnut24]

I bet none of them use HF stuff....

How long before they sponsor a NASCAR team.... Seriously... The number of stores has exploded recently, and they are always packed....




I bet those hanging tools are faster to find and get to than tools in a drawer....

 

[y20dth]

Usag=facom=stanley tool group=mac=china

At least as of 2005. That's when Facom got into huge financial problems and Stanley bought Facom. Facom has owned USAG for years before that. Very good tools back then.

 

[Toolhorder]

At least as of 2005. That's when Facom got into huge financial problems and Stanley bought Facom. Facom has owned USAG for years before that. Very good tools back then.

Yeah the older Mac stuff is good too but I quit buying Mac because I want a USA quality tool in return for my broken stuff and I know once it's broken I'll get some Chicom replacement so no more.

Pretty soon none of the tool trucks will give back USA tools as replacements and I'll have to buy used I guess.

 

[Gregster]

I'll have to upload my F1 garage pictures.. most the boxes I saw were Snap On's. I'll post them up later.

 

[poprockcrusher]

most of the nascar teams are MAC - penske/childress/dei have snap on deals
sabates used to have matco but that became ganassi then became earnhardt.ganassi

48 says kobalt [hf only priced higher]

 

[poprockcrusher]

no F1 in the USA Again -yo ho ho
maybe they should have the races closer to euro/American expat centers like NYC/Miami/LA

 

[supertooljunkie]

most of the nascar teams are MAC - penske/childress/dei have snap on deals
sabates used to have matco but that became ganassi then became earnhardt.ganassi

48 says kobalt [hf only priced higher]

Kobalt are made by Danaher. Craftsman, Armstrong, Matco, KD, Allen

 

[Fedwrench]

48 says kobalt [hf only priced higher]

Kobalt is just a name from the sponsor Lowes. There aren't enough tools in the Kobalt line to outfit a pit box. They use Mac tools.
Some of the Kobalt line is Chinese but, most of the ratchets and chrome hardline is made by Danaher and closely resemmbles the K-d, Allen, and Napa regular sockets and satin finished wrenches.

 

[terabyte]

I'll have to upload my F1 garage pictures.. most the boxes I saw were Snap On's. I'll post them up later.

please do that would be awesome. here is what I got from cart...

 

[metalhead212121]

I can remember years and years ago I was at Raceway Park (in NJ) at a big 1/4 event. I think it was Snap on Night of Thrills. Anyway.. there was a drag car with the words "Mac Tools" plastered all over it. All the guys working on the car had uniforms that said "Mac" as well. I thought it was funny that when I looked at their tools I noticed they were using Snap On torque wrenches.... I can't remember if they were using other NON MAC tools but I'm 100% sure that the torque wrenches were from Snap On.

Dan

 

[AV8OR]

Off topic but the current version of the F1 Formula cars are **** ugly. The front end of the car is just flat goofy looking.

 

[Mike 47]

Off topic but the current version of the F1 Formula cars are **** ugly. The front end of the car is just flat goofy looking.

Can't say I agree, and that's last year's car

In your opinion what era are the good looking ones?

 

[kartracer55]

no F1 in the USA Again -yo ho ho
maybe they should have the races closer to euro/American expat centers like NYC/Miami/LA

USF1 was looking bright too...

 

[MarcSeattle]

Those beta boxes. When I just got out of school, i had one of those at the VW-Audi workshop I worked at. Total **** that was. Sorry, its true. Tools were ok, but the whole "hanging the tools by a hook in a box on wheels"-thing, really is just ****.

I bet, when these guys onloaded them from the trucks, al the tools would be lying on the bottom of the box, and they had to spend the first 2 hours sorting them out, and hanging them up all nice again.


Didn't stop my fellow countryman to win races, though...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacky_Ickx

Yeah, that would be pretty funny to see a box opened after traveling 16 hours on a freighter airplane. Those hanging wrenches look like more of a sales display than a working toolbox. That picture was from 20 years ago and even then they didn't work on the cars much outside of the garage unless it was just a quick adjustment. Too many press and cameras around to maintain security.

As for Facom, they bought USAG and now the tools are almost identical from what I've seen in the catalogs. Nice stuff.

 

[arkangel06]

How long before they sponsor a NASCAR team.... Seriously... The number of stores has exploded recently, and they are always packed....

A big yellow race car with Pittsburge on the side

Falls apart half way through the race, takes 3 hours to do a tire change....

 

[Jononon]

The suppliers who have a presence across almost all teams are Lista and Paoli.

USAG once sponsored Ferrari, Benetton and now the Red Bull Team but i don`t know if they also use their tools...

USAG currently sponsor STR and they do use their tools.

McLaren Mercedes had Snap-on as a sponsor in '09, but Snap-on doesn't appear to be a named sponsor of anyone in 2010.

 

[y20dth]

I went tru the qualifying in Australia and tried to find some shots of tools. Not very good ones I think, but anyway...

I think the battery powered drill is a Bosch. Anybody recognise whats in the tray?


I think this is a really nice shot. Impact wrench. Anybody recognise that one?



If you look closely, in the background there are some toolboxes. I don't know what brand. Lista?

 

[lukiep]

The wheel guns are made by Paoli, i'm sure that all the teams use them

 

[benjamming]

The wheel guns are made by Paoli, i'm sure that all the teams use them

I didn't realize that - thanks. Paoli They run pretty high pressures as well - 150 to 300 psi.

 

[Monte]

quite expensive the Paoli guns.... click

 

[scooby074]

quite expensive the Paoli guns.... click

sure are

Their F1 guns look nuts, 20 bar!!! http://www.paolipitstop.com/eng/dp3000.html

 

[y20dth]

I was just contemplating buying one, until I saw they need 20bar.
Now that I now the price, I can forget about it completely.

It would be interesting to learn more about these things, and why racing teams use these.
The required pressure of 20bar is probably because of the huge amount of air volume it consumes.
The type-nr seems to rougly correspond with available torque value(atleast for the 1"):

DP-3000 = 2800Nm
DP 2000 = 2000Nm
DP-197 = 1900Nm

Does a "normal" air gun run at the equally high rpm as these Paoli?
I am guessing the teams pick these because of the high rmp?

 

[peter_x]

The RPM looks to be around the same as a regular gun, but the power is a lot more. Only one nut on F1 wheels. I see they make both right-hand thread and left-hand thread versions of those guns, with one direction being more powerful. I guess there are different threads on each side of the car.

 

[Taylor J.]

Most of the teams that I have worked for made me provide my own box. Once I did get a Lista to use, everyone had the same box, just so the paddock would look more professional. But it's about 99% provide your own tools and box. It differs from series to series I know, but that just my $.02.

Cheers,
Taylor

 

[MarcSeattle]

The wheel guns are made by Paoli, i'm sure that all the teams use them

Yikes. Now that's an endorsement:

"To date, the users of PAOLI PIT STOP® products include all the teams running for the following championships: F.1, GP2, DTM, WORLD SERIES BY RENAULT, A1GP, IRL, F.NIPPON, V8-SUPERCAR, and nearly all racing stables in ENDURANCE, GT, F.3000, ALMS specialties. It is also worth mentioning that the main teams of the remaining championships are satisfied customers of PAOLI PIT STOP® recommended products and accessories."