Some Good News from F1: Project Pitlane
Given that recent weeks have been dark, it makes me proud to say that the lack of photons has shone the light upon the greatness of Formula One: my sport. While most us, quite rightly, have remained at home, the Coronavirus crisis has united some of the world’s greatest minds to help tackle this epidemic in the best way that we can. The seven British-based Formula One teams have a wealth of intellect and resources. They have come together in what has been called ‘Project Pitlane’. Mercedes Formula One team and UCL confirmed that they had been collaborating and Mercedes appear set to make 1000 Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines per day. These are breathing devices that will help keep patients out of the intensive care units, limiting pressure on the NHS. Incredible. But when you think for a second, this is what Formula One is all about.
When there is an issue in a race on Sunday, the engineers are up against the clock. A team will identify the problem in hours, design a solution in a day and produce the new part by Tuesday or Wednesday. The cameras focus on a weekend sport where the best drivers in the world go wheel to wheel. However, the race continues in the factory, where alumni of the most prestigious institutions search for fractions of a second. This is a world where a tenth of a second per lap is the difference between picking up a trophy or not; an average race has around 60 laps, hence, a tenth of a second per lap, becomes 6 seconds faster per race.
So we know that the people in this sport are good at overcoming challenges to make a real difference. It’s all very good talking about tenths of a second, but what about the real world? Do not fear, Formula One has got us covered there too. With the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, Honda and McLaren involved, F1 is a testbed for the car industry on how it approaches our road cars. Much of the hybrid engine technology, present on the road, comes from Formula One.
Finding a clear identity for Formula One has always been a challenge. Primarily, it is a sport, where some of the finest athletes dance with death, lose up to three kilos of sweat and withstand forces up to 6 g as they negotiate the ownership of a trophy. It can be compared to a high-speed game of chess, in a sauna. Like most sports, with substantial interest comes significant stakeholders, looking to flex their products or even countries as the world looks on. Unlike most sports, the athletes’ equipment is as essential as their ability to drive quickly. While you will rarely hear Roger Federer blaming his racket for bowing out of a tournament, Lewis Hamilton could drive the best race of his life, but if his engine decides that it wants to set ablaze, it’s not exactly his fault.
If you were Mercedes, and responsible for Hamilton’s equipment costing him and your team victory, you’d be pretty concerned about what message that says about the reliability of your engine. Therefore, it’s imperative for the business that Formula One teams find solutions quickly so that they can be the ones that are stood on the top of the podium and headlines at the next race, demonstrating that their products are fast and will last. This is why teams hire the best in the business: the best people produce the best results.
It’s important to note that the majority of those involved in Formula One do so out of love for the sport. They are true racers. But when a crisis such as this takes place, racing and sporting competition, in general, is put into perspective. This is why ‘Project Pitlane’ makes so much sense. It would be nonsense to waste such abundant talent and resources by asking them to sit at home. Many have likened this period in time to a war period. Such comparisons feel almost uncouth, – we must stay at home whereas our ancestors and relatives faced the demolition of their homes. But the war was a time when industry and intelligence discovered a new level due to its unified approach, and you can bet your bottom currency of choice that the world’s greatest minds are convening as you read this to fight this pandemic. Surely that is good news.
Thursday evenings at 8pm have become a time to put scrabble, walking and other self-improvements or sanity-maintainers on hold as we applaud the NHS for all of their hard work. Like many, I shudder to imagine the stress that is faced by our champions that wear white and work day and night. Let’s be clear. They are our soldiers. While the world of sport stops and stares, I can’t help but feel proud to look at what my sport is doing; taking the initiative, doing what it does best and playing the supporting act in this tragedy where doctors and nurses play the role of the heroes.
This post was originally published on my Medium Site on 6th April 2020