Motorsports as a Source of Automotive Innovation

With the start of the new Formula One season kicking off in Bahrain last weekend the debate on whether the rule changes will have a positive effect on the overall sporting spectacle is buzzing around the paddock and the news rooms. In the 2010/2011 season race cars will not be allowed to be refuelled during the race itself, thus must start the race fully laden with the fuel they will require to complete all the designated laps. This rule is complemented by other challenging regulations such as the restriction on the total quantity of tyres a driver may use at any one event along with the limit on the number of engines and gearboxes that may be used throughout a championship season.

Perhaps the primary objective of these rules and regulations is an attempt to level the playing field for teams competing within the championship. Some of the larger teams (such as Ferrari and McLaren) have vast budgets to draw on whilst the smaller and newer teams do not have such extensive financial reserves. These rules will help establish some form of competitive balance in an effort to ensure that the team with the biggest chequebook does not necessarily guarantee themselves the championship.

A welcomed additional benefit of these rules is that it encourages teams to act in a more frugal manner and consider the efficiency of their race cars. Whilst the overall objective will always be developing your race cars and drivers to be the fastest on the grid, these rules ensure other considerations are taken into account when developing the overall racing package. Hybrid technology has already been introduced to Formula One in the form of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) which allowed race cars to recover energy lost during the breaking zones of a racetrack by charging a battery that can be drawn on to provide an additional boost in power in any given lap. Whilst some observers may discuss whether or not this added to the competitive display of the sport it has without doubt added to the development of hybrid technology in the automotive sector.

Technological development has been a key component to the success of any Motorsport team throughout the sport’s history. Most recently the advantage gained by Brawn in Formula One due to their addition of a double diffuser to assist in the generation of downforce arguably played an important role in their success in the driver’s championships. Aerodynamic and safety technology has been pushed forward by motorsport with all of these innovations trickling down in some form to the production of conventional personal vehicles.

Formula One has, in the past, expressed interest in reducing the environmental intensity of their sport and push towards an end goal of becoming carbon neutral. The act of transporting these teams and other requirements around the world will undoubtedly generate concerns over the environmental impact but the enjoyment the sport creates with the fans will be much greater than any negative implications. It is hoped that the teams competing in Formula One will rise to the challenge posed by the new rules being introduced and that in the process of doing so will help develop new technologies and techniques to assist in the progression towards more efficient use of energy resources in vehicles.