The factory tour was excellent - I got to see just about every part of the car being made and tested. The design studios were off limits of course as they were busy working on next year's model. One of the most interesting parts was the hydraulic test facility. Here they map every turn and bump of each of the F1 circuits into a computer and then 'play back' the laps using a mixture of hydraulics and tie-downs. This simulates the exact loadings on the car as if it were on the circuit. I also enjoyed seeing the carbon fibre process and was amazed at how small F1 car clutches are. The pics you see below are at the end of the tour when I got to sit inside one of the cars. I was amazed at how little you can see from the cockpit and how difficult it was to get in and out.
Hover for a description and click to enlarge.....
