Formula One is the pinnacle of Motorsports and features some of the brightest engineering minds developing the most impressive technologically advanced motorsports machinery, with drivers then taking the cars to the track. Formula One cars might be more complicated than the average online casino and constantly produce incredible amounts of data and a never-ending supply of facts.

With significant amounts of data and decades of history,  we could dig through lap times and race recaps to find race-based Formula One statistics. However, we’re giving the technical side of Formula One the spotlight. We’ve assembled four facts that Formula One Racing Technology might not know.

Mercedes Formula One Technology in Road Cars

Did you know that you may have witnessed Formula One technology in action and not know it? Some of the Formula One teams are extensions of large automotive manufacturers that make road cars you might see on any given day. One of Formula One’s technical aims is to create technology that will eventually find its way into road cars anyone can buy.

If you have seen a Mercedes-Benz with the letters “AMG” on it, you are looking at a vehicle with technical ties to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. The next time a Mercedes-AMG road car passes you on the road, you’ll never forget that some of the technology that helped Lewis Hamilton become one of the greatest racers of all time is the same tech that just passed you.

Mercedes has taken this a step forward by producing the Mercedes-AMG Project One Show Car. This street-legal race car is as close to having as much Mercedes Formula One technology in a road car as possible. In fact, this car’s engine is a 1.6 V6 Hybrid Turbo power unit designed in concert with the Formula One team at the Brackley factory, where the Mercedes Formula One EQ Power+ Formula One power units are designed and built.

Formula One Race Cars Create Enough Downforce to Drive Upside-down in a Tunnel

While technically advanced and reliable power units are a significant factor in Formula One, the biggest thing that separates Formula One cars from all other racing categories is aerodynamic downforce. Downforce is an aerodynamic concept in which a lift force pushes down on a car to give it more grip and traction by manipulating aerodynamic drag. The bigger the wings on a Formula One car, the more downforce the cars crate, making them faster in the corners but slower on the straights.

While downforce creates more grip in race cars, when applied in a different application, downforce is a major factor in longitudinal stability and control of a fixed-wing airplane. Theoretically, a Formula One Car creates enough downforce to drive upside-down on a tunnel. While we don’t recommend trying this, the fact that a Formula One car could drive upside down in a tunnel never ceases to amaze.

Formula One’s Sustainability Efforts

Formula One has made significant changes to make the pinnacle of motorsport more sustainable both economically – with the introduction of the cost cap – and environmentally. While sustainability efforts include lofty goals like zero waste on and off track, did you know that in the near future, Formula One engines will be turning waste products into laboratory-created fuels that can be used in combustion engines in the future?

Formula One introduced E10 Fuel (10% Ethanol mixture) to Formula One in 2022. When new power unit regulations are introduced in 2025-26, the internal combustion engine will no longer burn fossil fuels. Following Formula One’s aim to become net zero C02 by 2030, Formula One power unit manufacturers and their fuel suppliers will create “drop-in fuels.”

These “drop-in fuels” will be created from non-food biomass, municipal waste, or a carbon-capture scheme and will be compatible with standard internal combustion engines in everything from the long-haul logistics industry to your road car.

The Impressive Engineering of Pirelli’s Wet Weather Tires

Formula One has partnered exclusively with Pirelli for racing tire design and manufacturing since 2011. Pirelli introduced new 18” low-profile tires for the new Formula One technical regulations in 2022, a size that enables Pirelli to quickly transfer Formula One tire technology to their road car tires. While tire construction and compounds are constantly changing and improving, there is awe-inspiring engineering going into each type of tire, none more fascinating than the blue-striped wet weather tire.

Did you know that Formula One’s wet tires are engineering marvels that can disperse a trash bin’s worth of water in a second? Crazy, right?

The Pirelli Formula One wet weather tires are 10 mm wider than their slick counterparts. They have a specifically engineered groove profile, giving Formula One cars a higher ride height to help with aquaplaning and grip. The wet-weather tire treads are designed to disperse 85 liters of water per second at 300 kph. That’s a large waste bin or a standard bathtub of water per second.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post Four Facts About Formula One Technology You May Not Know appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsports, with some of the world’s brightest minds engineering the fastest single-seater open-wheel car possible. As of publication, Formula One has a cost cap permitting teams to spend over 140 Million Euros to design, develop, and race to become the World Champion. Unfortunately, unlike making NFL picks on your favorite online sportsbook, owning and operating a Formula One car are out of the technical capabilities and financial means for many of us.

If you do own a Formula 1 car, you know the only place you can race them is on a circuit. It is illegal in most parts of the world to drive a Formula 1 car on the street, even if you have one in your private collection. In this article, we’re going to look at some circuits that can give wannabe racers a chance to drive a Formula One car and one special show car bringing Formula One technology to street-legal racing cars.

LRS Formula F1 Experience

Circuit de Catalunya de Barcelona holds a special place for Formula One fans. Formula One teams have used Catalunya as a testing ground for many years and have been a staple of the Formula One calendar for decades. When planning a European vacation, you might consider spending an extra day in Spain and taking a Williams FW33 for a spin around Catalunya. After all, you can review the NFL expert picks for your betting ticket in the paddock after you make your Spanish Grand Prix debut.

LRS-formula.com will get you into various open-wheel racing cars on five separate circuits in Europe, including F1-graded courses at Catalunya and the Portimão, Algarve International Circuit, home of Formula One’s Portuguese Grand Prix. LRS Formula has multiple packages and multiple Formula One cars for you to choose from for your racing experience. The Williams FW33 from 2011 is the highlight car, while drivers will start with a Formula Renault open-wheel race car and choose between the Williams, a Benetton B198, a Jaguar R3 driven by Nikki Lauda and Eddie Irvine, or a Prost AP04 from 2001.

Puresport Top Driving Experience

Monza. The temple of speed and home of Formula One’s Italian Grand Prix. Puresport Top Driving Experience allows you to channel your inner Charles Leclerc and take a Formula One car for a few laps around legendary Formula One race tracks, including Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Autodromo Internazionale Enzo, and Dino Ferrari Imola Race Track, and Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

Racers can choose from various Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Formula 3 cars, Formula Renault 2000, and Formula One cars to race on numerous tracks in Italy, Belgium, Austria, and Germany.

Yas Marina Circuit Formula Yas 3000

The Yas Marina Circuit is where World Champions have been crowned under the lights at the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix numerous times. Yas Marina has a vehicle for you regardless of the type of motorsports vehicle you want to drive. However, the most interesting experience is driving as close to a Formula One car as possible, and that is a possibility at Yas Marina.

Yas Marina has an experience where you’ll race a Formula 3000 open-wheel racing car around a 2.19kms portion (a total of nine turns) from the Formula One Grand Prix circuit.

Silverstone Race Car Experiences

Silverstone is the home of British Motorsport, the location of the first official Formula One Grand Prix in 1950, and a major highpoint on the Formula One calendar. Like many permanent race tracks, Silverstone plays host to various classifications of motorsports, driver education, and training programs. Regardless of your experience level, budget, or the type of race car you want to drive, Silverstone has the vehicle for your racing experience.

However, unlike NFL predictions that can get you the payouts you want, if you want to tackle the maggots, Becketts, and chapel complex, you’ll need to own a Formula One car and book a testing day, as the Silverstone racing experiences are on the Stowe Circuit within the Silverstone complex.

The Mercedes-AMG Project One Show Car

Did you know that when you see the letters “AMG” on a Mercedes-Benz, you are looking at a vehicle with technology that has its origins with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team? The Mercedes-AMG Project One Show Car is as close to having Formula One technology in a road car as possible. In fact, this car’s engine is a 1.6 V6 Hybrid Turbo power unit designed in concert with the Formula One team at the Brackley factory, where the Mercedes Formula One EQ Power+ Formula One power units are designed and built.

You can learn all the details about the Project One Show Car here. Hopefully, before long, we’ll get the chance to take Project One or maybe even the World Championship-winning Mercedes W-11 for a few laps around our favorite racing circuits.

Image Source: Formula1.com

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post I Want to Go Fast! Racing Circuits That Provide Racers With the Opportunity to Drive Formula One Cars appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

Formula 1 is captivating with growing popularity thanks to a Netflix documentary. The elite racing series has been around for more than half a century, yet it is finally seeing a balloon in the United States. That is helping the popularity of the sport as it gives those who like NFL odds and football watching an appetizer most Sundays.

The Netflix series is complementary to the actual races. It takes fans behind the scenes of the races they’ve already watched to see in greater detail what decisions were made, how drivers changed seats, and other storylines not apparent on race day.

The best part is both American football, and Formula 1 fans are a global enterprise. Not only are there Vegas NFL odds but also Formula 1 betting and daily fantasy sports opportunities. But also, like the NFL, there is a passing of the baton in terms of a golden era of quarterbacks and drivers.

The Drivers

Lewis Hamilton is the greatest Formula 1 racer of all time, and there isn’t anyone in the conversation with him. Hamilton, 37 years old, has 103 checkered flags to his name, far greater than anyone, and is the only driver to reach triple digits. The next closest active driver is Sebastian Vettel, who has 53 wins and was one of the greatest racers before Hamilton’s dominance began. Vettel is third on the all-time wins list.

The emerging racer, however, is Max Verstappen. He won the driver’s championship a season ago and has clinched it once more already in 2022. His 32 wins already are good enough to tie for sixth with active driver Fernando Alonso, who signed with Aston Martin for 2023. But Verstappen is only 25 years old and figures to be the face of Red Bull for many years to come.

Up and Coming

Next in line figures to be George Russell, the 24-year-old English star seated alongside Hamilton with Mercedes. The constructor elected not to re-sign Valtteri Bottas, who has ten career Grand Prix victories and is now with Alfa Romeo.

Russell has yet to break through with his first victory, but he does have seven podiums, one pole, and one fastest lap in his young career. He’s shown plenty of promise for Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff.

Perhaps Alexander Albon, a 26-year-old also from England, has three podiums racing for Williams. Fellow 26-year-old Pierre Gasly, who had a brief stint with Red Bull, has a win, three podiums, and three fastest laps.

NFL Comparison

The NFL is going through a transitional period, too. Tom Brady has the most Super Bowl wins of any quarterback and, at 45 years old, is looking to wrap up his stellar career. He retired, but that lasted 40 days before he decided to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have good NFL lines on winning another Super Bowl.

He had a great rivalry with Peyton Manning when Brady was with the New England Patriots and Manning with the Indianapolis Colts. But there is a new wave of quarterbacks for fans to support.

The best comparison is Patrick Mahomes III of the Kansas City Chiefs and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills. The two have already had an incredible playoff matchup, and another phenomenal regular season game was played in 2022.

Those two certainly will carry the league forward. But there are other blossoming stars, like Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.

Now the NFL also has its aging stars who will soon retire. Think Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers, good enough to win MVPs but not lead his team to Super Bowl victories, and Matt Ryan, who was with the Atlanta Falcons and is now with the Colts.

The same can be said for Formula 1 with some legendary drivers – including Danny Ricciardo, if only for his quick-witted humor – to make way for a newer wave of fresh faces who could lead the constructors forward in their championship desires.

About Post Author

Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post Formula 1 is in its Golden Era of Drivers Like the NFL is With Quarterbacks appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

33-year-old Polish motor racing star Robert Kubica has set his sights firmly on securing a race seat for the 2019 F1 World Championship. The Pole had to settle for a reserve and developmental role with Williams this season after failing to secure a racing berth.

The former BMW Sauber driver became the first Polish driver in F1 back in 2006 but sustained a serious injury whilst taking part in a rally car event in Andorra back in 2011. Kubica partially severed his right forearm, leading to a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Since 2013, Kubica has made appearances in a host of rally and endurance events, but he still harbours an ambition to compete again at the highest level in Formula One.

Kubica is part of the backroom team at Williams for the 2018 F1 World Championship, acting as the team’s primary reserve and occasional Friday testing driver. He has witnessed Williams’ slump in fortunes at first hand and publicly admitted that there was little to like about the team’s 2018 car. When recently asked what his favourite aspect about the latest Williams car, Kubica could only say that “the livery is nice”. While the third most successful F1 team in the history of the sport have mustered just four points all season so far, at the other end of the grid things are hotting up nicely.

Technical difficulties plagued the Mercedes team at crucial points of the Austrian Grand Prix, allowing Red Bull’s young prodigy, Max Verstappen to step in and take the chequered flag. Lewis Hamilton surrendered his World Championship lead in the process, but the latest F1 odds still make Hamilton a 1/2 favourite to claim his fifth world title this year.

Returning to Kubica, the Pole is relaxed about the prospect of driving for Williams next season, suggesting that his future could be elsewhere as “there are more teams” and opportunities in the coming months. Toro Rosso’s struggling driver, Brendon Hartley is reportedly in danger of losing his drive. Helmut Marko, head of Red Bull’s driver program, insisted Hartley was not going anywhere “at the moment”, but acknowledged that the situation was “not pleasing”. Kubica is reportedly one of three potential mid-season replacements, with up-and-coming stars Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Giovinazzi said to be possible contenders alongside the Pole.

The summer break is fast approaching for the 2018 F1 World Championship and many of the leading drivers prefer to have their long-term futures sorted prior to this period. Options on drivers for next season will expire in the autumn, so Kubica should have a good idea of his race seat options within the next few months. For the meantime, Kubica will continue to get minutes behind an F1 wheel where he can for Williams in testing. In many ways, driving Williams’ 2018 car is a real baptism of fire, but if he can get a tune out of it in any way, the team principals of many other teams will surely take notice of Kubica’s potential for 2019.

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BMW withdrew from the world of Formula One after the 2009 season due to the severe global economic downturn. The German company was forced to cut costs, and although their Sauber outfit was competitive in the Constructors’ Championship in the 2007 and 2008 terms, finishing second and third respectively. Despite their relative success in the sport, the expense ended their involvement and they have not opted to re-join the action since. However, with new regulations coming into force for the 2021 term, there could be an opening for a return, considering that the financial markets have settled.

The company had previously been solely an engine supplier, most notably in a six-year spell working with Williams between 2000 and 2005. The outfit came close to victories in the Constructors and Drivers’ Championship, with Juan Pablo Montoya reeling off back-to-back third-place finishes. Ralf Schumacher also enjoyed success with Williams during the run, notching six victories, including back-to-back triumphs in the 2003 campaign in France and Austria.

Buoyed by their success, they ventured into sport as BMW Sauber in 2006. Although Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica were consistent during their tenure with the team, only Kubica was able to record a victory in the 2008 campaign. BMW Sauber were expected to make a challenge for the Constructors’ Championship crown in 2009, but they, along with the rest of the field, were blown away by the performances of Brawn GP before their time in the sport came to an end.

Mercedes’ dominance of Formula One at the moment does not make a return to the ranks an attractive proposition for BMW. Although Lewis Hamilton finished behind former BMW driver Sebastian Vettel in the opening race of the 2018 season, Mercedes are still considered the leading contender in the latest F1 betting odds to win the Constructors’ Championship at 2/7.

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However, with time to build up a strong understanding of the new regulations that will come into force in 2021, BMW could make an impact similar to that of Brawn GP in 2009. Ross Brawn’s outfit controlled the sport in the term as Jenson Button won the Drivers’ Championship crown, while the team won the Constructors’ Championship in the Brit’s combined effort with Rubens Barrichello. The success of the team led to a buyout from Mercedes, who have built on Brawn’s achievement and turned themselves into the dominant side in the sport.

It will be difficult for BMW to have the same impact, but their experience could allow them to at least provide a challenge. Luring a top-quality driver could also make the difference, with 2016 Drivers’ Championship winner Nico Rosberg linked with a return to the sport. The German may relish the opportunity to prove himself with a rising team after enjoying a fine spell with Mercedes, leading to his title win by a narrow margin ahead of Hamilton. That could be the spark that BMW would need to return to the highest level of the sport and end Mercedes’ stranglehold at the top.

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