Little technology transfer from Formula 1 to ordinary cars

By Felix Rehwald Jun 27, 2007, 7:31 GMT

Munich - In one of the most spectacular Formula 1 crashes in recent years, Polish driver Robert Kubica crashed his BMW-Sauber against a concrete wall during the Canadian Grand Prix at a speed of more than 280 km/h, almost miraculously surviving without injury.

Many a motorist might have thought: 'Why can't such safety technology be transferred to the ordinary road car?'

In reality such transfer is pretty limited, according to several experts.

'Technology from Formula 1 cannot be transferred to ordinary road conditions,' says Hubert Paulus from the technology centre of Germany's automobile association ADAC.

As racing cars and road vehicles are driven in an entirely different environment, constructors of the Formula 1 car looked only at developing a safety cell or monocoque for the driver. The driver is tightly secured in this virtually indestructible carbon fibre safety cell with the head fixed by a special back support system.

No ordinary motorist would allow themselves to be strapped to the car in such a manner which is why car makers have concentrated on airbags as the best safety solution.

Even BMW spokesman Friedbert Holz concedes: 'Formula 1 vehicles and current road vehicles are so different that virtually no comparison can be made'.

But engineers working in motorsport gather know-how that can be used for ordinary cars such as special materials. Carbon fibre used for the monocoque also finds its way into the production car.

'But it is also very expensive and its use limited because nobody could pay for a car produced entirely from this material,' says Holz.

Mercedes-Benz only uses carbon fibre for the super SLR sports car which is produced in limited numbers. The bodywork of the gullwing SLR has a similar structure as the monocoque, according to spokesman Michael Allner. The sports car, which has a top speed of 334 km/h, is also fitted with high-performance ceramic brakes - an idea from Formula 1.

Knowledge transfer from Formula 1 is also utilised in electronics such as engine management and braking systems, according to Holz.

'Without Formula 1 we would not be this far,' he concedes.

Another German premium car producer Audi has had similar experiences. Although not active in Formula 1, Audi takes part in the 24 hour Le Mans and the German Touring Car Championships.

Direct fuel injection combined with a turbo-loader was first used in the 2001 Le Mans race which Audi won first time and has meanwhile been successfully transferred to road cars, according to Audi spokesman Josef Schlossmacher.

ADAC technology expert Paulus, however, says that not much technology transfer of safety systems from Formula 1 is possible.

'It would be a real exaggeration to say that safety of road vehicles has been much improved because of motor racing. Modern cars have become safer over the years because of data gained from accident research and refined crash tests,' he argues.