F1 drivers may be the star athletes behind the wheel, but it’s the cutting-edge technology and the skilled engineers who deploy it that complete the rest of the team.
F1 races are often decided by tenths of a second, and advances in technology can affect a team’s time on the circuit.
“Formula 1 is all about performance, and success on the racetrack is determined by performance. Therefore, as engineers, our focus has always been on how we can deliver the fastest cars. Achieving this requires a highly innovative approach,” said Ben Waterhouse. Head of Performance Engineering at Oracle Red Bull Racing.
According to Waterhouse, the four main elements that contribute to a car’s high performance are the chassis, power unit, tires, and driver.
“It’s very difficult to achieve real success unless all four are functioning at a very high level,” Waterhouse added.
The F1 winter break is the period between the end of the season and the start of pre-season testing, but it is by no means a “break” for team engineers.
“There are different approaches to designing an F1 car. You can either base it on the previous year’s car and carry it forward, or you can do a complete conceptual change to get better performance. There is still a lot of work to be done to physically assemble the car in the winter,” said Dan Keyworth, director of business technology at McLaren Racing.
Williams Racing team principal James Vowles said he spends about 30% of his time on technology.
“What I’m doing is building the technology and infrastructure that will allow us to produce good cars in 2026, 27, 2028, rather than producing good cars in 2024. It sounds like a world away, but it’s really important to get the timeline right. What we’re fixing isn’t going to be fixed overnight,” Vowles said.
Watch the video above to learn more about the technology that powers F1’s success. Includes interviews with F1 Group CEO Stefano Domenicali, McLaren Racing CEO Zac Brown, Williams Racing Team Principal James Bolles, Scuderia Ferrari HP Team Principal Fred Vasseur, and more. .