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Incredible motorsport.
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Because it shows that innovation in motorsport isn't just happening in F1 garages...
It's happening in university workshops, where the next generation of engineering talent is pushing boundaries without the constraints of conventional thinking.
These tiny cars pack more wing area (relative to size) than most race cars I've seen. The whole thing looks like a driver strapped to a battery with wings!
Why does this matter?
The car constantly monitors grip levels at each wheel. If one tire hits a wet patch, it instantly redirects power to the others.
And the aero? It's wild.
The coolest part?
These students developed a system that controls each wheel independently.
Think of it like a tank — it can accelerate the outside wheels and decelerate the inside wheels to turn faster.
But here's where it gets really interesting
What I found was fascinating:
- 4 electric motors (one in each wheel)
- 2.5G cornering capability
- Advanced torque vectoring that would make an F1 engineer jealous
- Weighs just 244kg (less than 1/3 of an F1 car)
University students are building cars that are MORE innovative than F1 in some ways.
Last year, I visited Oxford Brookes Racing to check out their Formula Student car.
Ever seen a race car hit 60mph in less than a second?
Well, that’s what one Formula Student team managed to do (AMZ Racing).
When you think "cutting-edge motorsport tech," F1 probably comes to mind.
But here's something wild...
These tiny cars pack more wing area (relative to size) than most race cars I've seen. The whole thing looks like a driver strapped to a battery with wings!
Why does this matter?
Because it shows that innovation in motorsport isn't just happening in F1 garages...
The car constantly monitors grip levels at each wheel. If one tire hits a wet patch, it instantly redirects power to the others.
And the aero? It's wild.
These students developed a system that controls each wheel independently.
Think of it like a tank — it can accelerate the outside wheels and decelerate the inside wheels to turn faster.
But here's where it gets really interesting
What I found was fascinating:
- 4 electric motors (one in each wheel)
- 2.5G cornering capability
- Advanced torque vectoring that would make an F1 engineer jealous
- Weighs just 244kg (less than 1/3 of an F1 car)
The coolest part?
University students are building cars that are MORE innovative than F1 in some ways.
Last year, I visited Oxford Brookes Racing to check out their Formula Student car.
Ever dreamed of engineering the next breakthrough in motorsport? Get your free personalized report highlighting your strengths and areas for improvement. 5-minute assessment: driver61-education.scoreapp.com
25.03.2025 09:58 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0The engineering elegance is beautiful — achieving more with less.
It reminds me of the wild days of Can-Am and early F1, when innovation knew no bounds.
Sometimes, the best solutions come when we remove the constraints.
Above 150 kph? The car transforms — panels retract, and it switches to pure ground effect aero.
Even the radiators are clever:
- 3 separate inlets
- 2 can close completely at high speed
- Twisted cores (banned in F1)
- Exposed header tanks for extra cooling
The entire car works like a massive upside-down airplane wing, generating downforce from nose to tail.
At low speeds, it uses a giant fan (like a vacuum cleaner) to suck the car to the track.
That's less than 10% of an F1 team's annual budget
The secret? When engineers aren't constrained by regulations, they often find simpler solutions.
Take the aerodynamics:
- No complex front wing
- No intricate bargeboards
- Just clean, efficient aero working as one system
The numbers are wild:
- 4.5 tonnes of downforce
- 1,600 horsepower
- 7G lateral forces
- 0 front wing
But here's what fascinating — it could be built today, using existing technology, for less than $10M.
What if F1 had no rules?
A former F1 engineer, Sébastien LAMOUR has spent 15 years answering that question.
The result? A car that could lap 15 seconds faster than current F1 machines.
Let that sink in for a moment...
That's the difference between winning and losing at 200mph.
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And those carbon-carbon discs? They're changed after every qualifying session and race.
Why? Because carrying even a few extra grams of brake material is too much weight in F1.
The real magic? It's not just about stopping — it's about control.
The modern brake-by-wire system constantly adjusts rear brake pressure based on energy recovery, giving drivers perfect balance lap after lap.
But why spend so much on brakes?
Let's do some math:
Brake just 10 meters later into a corner, and you gain 0.078 seconds. Sounds tiny, right?
Well, teams spend millions chasing just one-tenth of a second per lap.
But here's what makes F1 brakes truly special:
- They hit temperatures of 1000°C (almost as hot as molten lava)
- Drivers push with 180kg of force on the pedal
- Each disc has 1,300+ precision-drilled cooling holes
- A pair of discs costs £10,000
The force? Nearly 6G — so intense most people couldn't even hold their head up.
04.03.2025 09:52 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0I recently went behind the scenes with Alpine Formula One Team, and what I discovered about their braking system blew my mind.
Picture this: You're approaching a corner at 200mph. In just 4 seconds, you'll need to be almost stopped.
Ever wondered how F1 brakes slow from 220mph to 0mph in just a few seconds?
In F1, drivers don't just tap the brakes — they slam them with the force of lifting a refrigerator with one leg.
Let me explain...
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25.02.2025 09:57 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0The 56 might not have won any F1 races, but it got very close to winning the Indy 500 and it showed us what's possible when we dare to think differently.
Sometimes, the craziest ideas lead to the biggest breakthroughs.
