With more than a thousand races and over 70 years under its belt, one might forgive F1 for being slow to embrace change, if it were the case. Instead, this top-tier motorsport remains firmly committed to taking on and creating technological advances which have helped keep the on-track action fresh while also helping out plenty of people beyond the racetrack.
F1 has been around for a long time, and the world has changed drastically in the decades since the first event was held at Silverstone on 13 May 1950. From mobile telephones migrating from the realm of science fiction to everyday items owned by billions of people to cars powered by electricity, and the nebulous, everywhere-yet-nowhere sphere of the internet, things have changed immeasurably. And both F1 and the world of motoring are no exception.
Different motorsport categories pride themselves on different strengths (the Dakar Rally being the embodiment of rugged endurance, for example). F1 is uniquely well-placed to adapt because its essence is one of innovation and technological progression. This means it’s constantly seeking new advances to get an edge on the competition, whether that’s the ingenious double diffuser that enabled Brawn to win in its first, and only, season, or the even more unexpected six-wheeled Tyrrell P34.
And it’s not only the on-track action that’s been revolutionized by technological progression in the fields of engine power, aerodynamics, energy recovery systems, and safety protocols. The presence of major manufacturers such as Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, Alfa Romeo, and, most recently, Aston Martin means that many F1 creations end up feeding through to the mass market of road cars a few years down the line, improving safety, fuel economy, and the general driving experience. While football, rugby, cricket, and other sports have their fans, F1 is the one that has actually led to concrete improvements for millions of people through ideas forged in the furnace of competition.
Traditionally, the power in F1 has come from an old-fashioned engine (sometimes now referred to as an ICE, internal combustion engine). But this started to change in the early 21st century with the introduction of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems). Initially, this was a significant horsepower boost of around 80bhp activated by the push of a button. The energy was harvested from the kinetic energy generated under braking, and could then be unleashed at strategically useful points (to overtake another driver, prevent oneself being overtaken, or to get a great lap around a pit stop to try and leapfrog another driver with an undercut).
This might sound familiar to the hybrid cars that have recently taken the general motoring world by storm, and it should. Replacing or supplementing combustion power with electrical energy, particularly when harvesting otherwise wasted energy and putting it to good use, is an excellent example of how technological innovation in F1 can dovetail perfectly with energy efficiency. It’s counterintuitive to think of motorsport as being green, but if you weigh up all the improvements that can be traced to F1’s door, there are actually quite a lot of positives. A modified version of the Williams team’s flywheel KERS was even modified so it could be retrofitted to London buses.
Over recent years the KERS system evolved to be known as the MGU-K (Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic) and was joined by the MGU-H (Motor Generator Unit – Heat). In 2020, Mercedes announced it was going to adapt the MGU-H system for use in future road cars. The MGU-H, which works similarly to the MGU-K but for heat rather than kinetic energy, is a complex system that can recover or send energy to the turbocharger in an F1 car. It cuts turbo-lag and enhances low-speed torque.
So how much are the MGU-K and MGU-H worth in terms of speed? Well, a lot. And it’s not just speed. The brake balance is significantly altered because it’s assumed, naturally, that the systems will be functioning. But if they break down, which can always happen in motorsport, it can be potentially race-ending. And even if a car can still drive then the cost can be enormous. In the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix the Mercedes of Hamilton and Rosberg were around 20s ahead of third-placed man Perez but both cars suffered MGU failures. The lap time loss was into the seconds, a vast amount for cars in F1, and Hamilton was forced to retire. Rosberg was able to continue with brake adjustments but ultimately lost out to Ricciardo (who had passed Perez) for the win.
So an F1 car can finish a race without either MGU unit, but it’s significantly slower and there’s a chance of retirement, showing how integral this efficient technology has become in today’s racing. It’s not only made the sport more compelling than ever, but even a seemingly unassailable lead can be undone, which makes for thrilling F1 races as we all know and love today.
This one might sound less snazzy than the recovery of kinetic and heat energy to produce horsepower, but in many ways, it’s the most impressive advancement F1 has made in recent decades and is directly useful for the everyday motorist in terms of cutting fuel bills.
From 2014 to 2019, thermal efficiency rose from 40% to exceed 50%. As might be expected, manufacturers were keen to reproduce this in their road cars, with one of the first examples being Mercedes’ Project One hypercar, and hybrid tech also finding its way into the S-Class.
This might sound crazy, but the drive for ever-faster pit stops has actually helped improve the performance of maternity wards in the UK. While pit stops have taken under 2 seconds in optimal circumstances, and labor is a rather more prolonged affair, there are a surprising number of similarities that mean techniques used in pit stops can actively be used in maternity.
Both situations are time-critical and have very limited space. This means teams need to work rapidly, communicate quickly, and respond immediately if anything appears amiss. This coincidence led Cardiff’s University Hospital of Wales to model its delivery theatres on F1 pit stops, including mapping out the floor. Trolley equipment was stripped to the essentials and color-coded for easier identification and quicker use.
This isn’t the only way that advanced F1 techniques or technology have assisted the medical world. Data is being used increasingly across the sporting spectrum but very few sports have the sheer volume of information or sophisticated analysis that F1 employs on a weekly basis. The cars today are mind-bogglingly advanced, with the steering wheel an incredibly complex device that requires serious multi-tasking from every driver. All this needs an extensive network of sensors that assess the situation and can be used to try and head off problems before they become critical.
McLaren’s data systems have been used by doctors to monitor intensive care patients. Not only does this help care for the individual patients but the information thus gathered can be analyzed to spot patterns and conduct research. Sensors placed on surgeons’ elbows offer extremely precise feedback that can be used to improve performance. In F1, tiny changes can lead to significant effects, and much the same is true in surgery.
F1 teams are always looking to get a competitive edge over their rivals, whether that’s with more power, better braking, or greater efficiency. And it’s a big added bonus that this drive to excel also has great benefits for wider society, from hospital wards to road cars.