Formula One is undoubtedly one of the most fiercely competitive sports on the planet. Indeed, the ceaseless quest to have the fastest car on the grid has seen the world’s most innovative minds headhunted from all over the globe in order to find the elusive edge that will help a team reach the chequered flag first. Essentially, this is an industry that doesn’t rest given that teams use every waking minute to get ahead over the course of the season that spans 23 races whilst traveling to 21 different countries. It is, in short, one of the most demanding, fast-paced and dynamic working environments to be involved in.
Needless to say, when the world’s most powerful brains come together to find solutions like they do in F1, the results are groundbreaking. Yes, the awe-inspiring technological advances in today’s F1 machines make them almost unrecognizable from the editions of even a decade ago, such is the constant desire to better the cars in order to go faster than their opponents. Needless to say, standing still is not an option in an industry that consistently breaks new ground.
Remarkably, it is F1’s never-ending race for perfection which has also improved the lives of those outside of the sport. It may be a strange thing to hear but the truth is that F1’s revolutionary technology is now used in various sectors of day-to-day life. In particular, a significant amount of this software is being used to make the world a better place. Below, we’ll take a look at a few of the industries that are benefiting the most from the technological breakthroughs in F1.
Public transport
Source: medium.com
When you think about Singapore, what first comes to mind? For many people, it’s the phenomenal efficiency of public services and the faultless delivery. Indeed, you typically don’t wait in Singapore when you need to catch a train or bus, and that is primarily down to the software the city uses which was derived from F1 technology that consists of information tools and sensors that now help develop 5G infrastructure. So next time you’re being effortlessly moved around the Garden City, remember that it was the folks at McLaren that made it possible. If you’re an F1 fan then it may come as a surprise to hear that McLaren have been instrumental in helping connect one of the world’s busiest cities given that they languish down the grid these days. For further evidence of McLaren’s recent downfall by looking for the odds for the Constructors’ Championship, you can follow this link https://www.bodog.eu.
When you do, you’ll see Red Bull at odds of -10000 to win the 2024 Constructors’ Championship whilst McLaren are not even given a price owing to their disastrous campaign. This is all the more incredible when you take into account that the season still has three months left to run.
In truth, it should be pointed out that McLaren were out of the running as early as preseason when it was evident that their new car design was inferior to their rivals. However, even if McLaren are currently down on their luck in racing terms, they still have a team of 800 talented people finding solutions every day, as their official website here mclaren.com explains.
Put another way, irrespective of their current form, some of these ideas from their army of experts can still be used outside of the sport.
Come fly with me
Source: pinterest.com
From trains and buses to aircraft, air traffic controllers now use McLaren’s F1’s simulation technology to determine which planes will arrive and leave on time. Thousands of these simulations are done every day in order to help predict how an airport’s schedule might play out over 24 hours. Along with saving passengers time and money, these readings help reduce emissions as congestion is avoided.
Intensive care monitoring
Would you have ever been able to draw parallels between an F1 car’s thunderous pistons and the silence of an intensive care ward? Not many would have but these days, hospitals around the world use F1’s data monitoring technologies to help keep an eagle eye on their patients. For a better idea, picture an intensive care ward and imagine the noises coming out of the monitors above a patient’s bed which are carefully listened to for any signs of difficulty by the attentive ward staff. In essence, they are able to take such great care of those who need it thanks to F1’s monitoring systems that were first designed to help the pit wall diagnose what was wrong with a car when it was going around the track at a reduced speed.
What’s more, these systems have helped keep track of the trends of thousands of patients which has, in turn, provided crucial research which is saving lives on a daily basis.
A matter of life and death
Source: pinterest.com
Yes, whilst F1 is a sport that we can enjoy, the goings-on inside a hospital is quite literally a matter of life and death which is why it is so intriguing to see how many lessons medical practitioners have taken from the sport. At the top of the list are teamwork and communication during times when any delays could potentially be fatal. To streamline this process and help avoid negative outcomes during procedures, medical experts turned to F1 and the famous lightning-quick pit stops in order to improve communication during times of intense pressure.
Keep in mind that an average pit stop takes 2.4 seconds, you can read more at bleacherreport.com as they explore in greater detail the evolution and speed of these mind-boggling F1 pit stops.
Indeed, given the speed at which these teams operate in the pits, you can better understand why top medical professionals would want to apply the same lessons in order to better prepare themselves for scenarios where time is of the essence.
What will F1 help solve next?
Source: freepik.com
There is reason to be genuinely optimistic about what the future holds as the whole of F1 have now put their efforts into making the sport net-zero by 2030. The knock-on effect will influence everyone’s lives as the greatest push for solutions to a problem the globe faces is being worked on day and night by some of the world’s smartest people.
