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I've heard some people complain that F1 and similar sports are a waste of money, but something to keep in mind about these events is their engineering all trick

I've heard some people complain that F1 and similar sports are a waste of money, but something to keep in mind about these events is their engineering all trickle down into modern day cars. Through the rules enacted, engineers must develop new ways to create fast, powerful cars. The new techniques and inventions all trickle down into the average consumer vehicles. I think it's wonderful that our sports are defining our future.

flyinglizard 12y ago
Same can be said for consumerism. Some argue its a waste and an environmental disaster that people change phones every couple of years, but it drives a technological development which trickles down to less lucrative, glamorous and mass market applications. No one would develop something like a Snapdragon processor just for medical devices, but once the technology is pioneered on phones, it can definitely be reused. Besides, our existence has no reason or cause other than having fun. And motorsport is awesome fun and entertainment.
- chillingeffect 12y ago
  > having fun. It could be argued that we could append to having fun "while keeping the planet alive." And F1 glorifies unsustainable habits and attitudes toward the planet. But other than that I agree with you.
  - thaumasiotes 12y ago
    Well, in the first place, planets aren't alive, so they can't be kept alive. But stipulating some meaningful interpretation of "keeping the planet alive", why would that be a reason for or cause of human existence?
TillE 12y ago
Sometimes. There's plenty of technical competition between engine manufacturers, but in most other areas the rules are so strict that there's little room for useful creativity.
- AmVess 12y ago
  Actually, there's very little competition between engine manufacturers. Engine development is frozen from the start of the season. This year, Mercedes got the engine very right, and Renault much less so. Ferrari have gotten it all wrong. Can Renault and Ferrari develop their engines over the course of a season? Nope. Not very competitive, is that? For true competition in engines, we have to go all the way back to 2005 (the end of the V-10 era) when V-10's like Honda's Suzuka Special punched out 1000 HP from 3 liters...on essentially pump fuel in a naturally aspirated engine. FIA's constant fiddling with engine regs has dramatically increased the cost of power...so much so, that a single PU (Power Unit in F1 parlance: Internal Combustion Engine, Hybrid Stuff)today costs as much as an entire season's worth of customer engines in 2005. F1 switched to V-8 hybrids in 2006, and quickly clamped down on development once there was parity in horsepower. And, let's not forget about the preposterous $500MM Mercedes spent developing this year's engine.
AmVess 12y ago
Engineering trickle down from F1 doesn't happen anymore. It does if you buy a McLaren or Ferrari road car, but there's practically zilch for anything else that's both common and affordable. The closest thing you will get to F1 tech in a cheap road car is the $54k Alfa Romeo 4C with its CF tub. Hybrid power systems existed on the road before being adopted by F1. Things like ABS, traction control, and stability management did appear on F1 cars before road cars, but that's largely concurrent development, not a trickle-down. And besides, F1 cars today are no longer allowed to have any driver aids; no ABS, no traction control, no stability management. Things like carbon brakes existed in aerospace before F1, so nix on that, too. Gearboxes that shift in the blink in an eye may have come from F1, but the technology between them is radically different. If you want actual racing (but not F1) technology that made it into a road car, go buy a Subaru WRX or a Porsche. Or an Audi. Or a Corvette.
- thaumasiotes 12y ago
  > Things like carbon brakes existed in aerospace before F1, so nix on that, too. I know absolutely nothing of the history involved here, but the argument seems wrong to me. Even if the technology exists in an entirely different kind of vehicle, if it works its way through expensive luxury cars before ending up in consumer-grade ones then I think it's fair to give the luxury cars some credit for progress in car engineering. Adapting an existing technology to a completely new environment doesn't just happen, it takes effort.

flyinglizard 12y ago

Same can be said for consumerism. Some argue its a waste and an environmental disaster that people change phones every couple of years, but it drives a technological development which trickles down to less lucrative, glamorous and mass market applications. No one would develop something like a Snapdragon processor just for medical devices, but once the technology is pioneered on phones, it can definitely be reused. Besides, our existence has no reason or cause other than having fun. And motorsport is awesome fun and entertainment.

chillingeffect 12y ago
> having fun. It could be argued that we could append to having fun "while keeping the planet alive." And F1 glorifies unsustainable habits and attitudes toward the planet. But other than that I agree with you.
- thaumasiotes 12y ago
  Well, in the first place, planets aren't alive, so they can't be kept alive. But stipulating some meaningful interpretation of "keeping the planet alive", why would that be a reason for or cause of human existence?

TillE 12y ago

Sometimes. There's plenty of technical competition between engine manufacturers, but in most other areas the rules are so strict that there's little room for useful creativity.

AmVess 12y ago
Actually, there's very little competition between engine manufacturers. Engine development is frozen from the start of the season. This year, Mercedes got the engine very right, and Renault much less so. Ferrari have gotten it all wrong. Can Renault and Ferrari develop their engines over the course of a season? Nope. Not very competitive, is that? For true competition in engines, we have to go all the way back to 2005 (the end of the V-10 era) when V-10's like Honda's Suzuka Special punched out 1000 HP from 3 liters...on essentially pump fuel in a naturally aspirated engine. FIA's constant fiddling with engine regs has dramatically increased the cost of power...so much so, that a single PU (Power Unit in F1 parlance: Internal Combustion Engine, Hybrid Stuff)today costs as much as an entire season's worth of customer engines in 2005. F1 switched to V-8 hybrids in 2006, and quickly clamped down on development once there was parity in horsepower. And, let's not forget about the preposterous $500MM Mercedes spent developing this year's engine.

AmVess 12y ago

Engineering trickle down from F1 doesn't happen anymore. It does if you buy a McLaren or Ferrari road car, but there's practically zilch for anything else that's both common and affordable. The closest thing you will get to F1 tech in a cheap road car is the $54k Alfa Romeo 4C with its CF tub. Hybrid power systems existed on the road before being adopted by F1. Things like ABS, traction control, and stability management did appear on F1 cars before road cars, but that's largely concurrent development, not a trickle-down. And besides, F1 cars today are no longer allowed to have any driver aids; no ABS, no traction control, no stability management. Things like carbon brakes existed in aerospace before F1, so nix on that, too. Gearboxes that shift in the blink in an eye may have come from F1, but the technology between them is radically different. If you want actual racing (but not F1) technology that made it into a road car, go buy a Subaru WRX or a Porsche. Or an Audi. Or a Corvette.

thaumasiotes 12y ago
> Things like carbon brakes existed in aerospace before F1, so nix on that, too. I know absolutely nothing of the history involved here, but the argument seems wrong to me. Even if the technology exists in an entirely different kind of vehicle, if it works its way through expensive luxury cars before ending up in consumer-grade ones then I think it's fair to give the luxury cars some credit for progress in car engineering. Adapting an existing technology to a completely new environment doesn't just happen, it takes effort.