Once the suspension of an F1 car has been set, it is pretty much locked in with the rest of the car.  Because of the complex, highly technical and interlocking nature of the suspension’s multiple wishbones and rods, there really isn’t the ability to make drastic changes. When teams need to make adjustments to better suit changing track conditions there is still plenty of opportunity to tweak the spring rates, camber, ride height and toe as well as a host of other minor properties to help get a good match between car and road and tighten up lap times. When wheels touch in a Formula one race, damage to the suspension and wheels is a big concern. The suspension, the link between a car and its wheels, dictates how the car reacts to the road and to the driver's requests. On an F1 car, the multi-structure supporting each wheel is both complex and sophisticated. FIA allows teams to have as many as six structural members per wheel, usually consisting of two double wishbones along with rods, a steering arm or track rod (differences in choices for pushrods, pull rods and steering arms will depend on if the mount is on the front or the rear suspension). While there is a wide range of setup variations possible, most teams actually choose to operate the same member sets across the front and back wheels for the past few seasons. As the wheel is moved up and down in its contact with the tarmac, the pushrod is engaged and the suspension spring is compressed. The pull rod is mounted in reverse (but will depend on front and rear positioning). Teams are looking for accurate responses to driver requests, and consistent performance around the whole track as well as great aerodynamics. It’s a lot of different information to take into account and requires hours of tinkering and testing to find the exact balance. When the balance is achieved drivers will feel confident in pushing the car to its maximum power and won’t have to work as hard adjusting the car to the road. The design of the suspension systems will depend on the car’s packaging but will consider a wealth of factors including tyre performance. In fact, one of the big factors that affect the speed and handling of a car when they come out of the pits with a new tyre compound is the suspension.  The suspension system's ability to handle a particular tyre compound can be vastly different. Teams must choose which tyre to favour in their initial suspension setup, cross their fingers and hope that is the tyre best suited to the track come race day.