Fan Feature: Interesting Facts About F1

Michael Schumacher makes a pit stop at the 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix. Image courtesy of Mercedes AMG Petronas.

The following is another informational piece on Formula 1 for our novice readers, from Austinite Mike Boone. Mike introduced many Austinites to the Mercedees AMG Petronas F1 Team earlier this year.

// Welcoming F1 Back to the States

Although Formula One has graced the presence of our US shores since its inaugural year in 1950, its culture and leading edge technology is a mystery to most US citizens.  Diversity amongst the sport’s fans, technology leaders, race drivers, engineers, automobile and engine manufacturers has resulted in an experience unlike any other in the world.  Regardless of your culture, social standing or hemisphere, the sheer thrill of watching an automobile be managed by a driver from 0 to 100mph and back to 0 again, will leave you wanting to see and learn more about the sport.

These diverse influences have allowed it to evolve in every almost area of society.  The great news for us, in the US, is that we can be educated fans without having to travel overseas to every race.  Just as Formula One has been the worldwide leader in the commercial rights and marketing business, it has also become a leader in the effective use of social media opportunities like Facebook and Twitter.  The great news for us is we in the US can now enjoy the up close and personal experience of the race culture in Austin, Texas.

Below are some fundamental and historical facts about Formula One that will give a new fan just enough information to spark a desire to learn more. 

// Getting Technical

Every driver is assigned a number with the prior year champion donning number one and his or her teammate getting number two.  Driver numbers are then assigned based on the constructor championship rankings.  Although the number thirteen hasn’t been used since 1976.

Amongst those fans that are familiar with both NASCAR and Formula One you will find a common debate to be which series requires the higher level of talent.  Although the NASCAR drivers are not likely to move to Formula One; Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya, Nelson Piquet Jr and Scott Speed have moved from Formula One to NASCAR.

Formula One race cars are one of the first to promote the use of carbon-fiber composites, which has allowed the constructors to create very light and strong chassis. The car, engine, and driver, weigh as little as only 1411 lbs.

This year, the engines must be 2.4-litre non-turbo V8s.  The gas they run on is a higher grade that what we use in our commuter cars but still very similar in natue

The steering wheel is a work of art and for several thousand dollars, prior versions can be purchased as just that, art work.  Looks aside, the steering wheel has been turned into a central command center for the driver where controls for changing gears, applying the rev. limiter, adjusting fuel/air mix, change brake pressure, and of course speaking to the engineers.  There is an LCD screen that displays the speed, lap times and various other metrics. The wheel hub holds the gear change paddles and a row of lights that change with rpm at each gear.

The various braking systems in F1 cars have led to many advances in our current model production cars.  Today, the brakes and aerodynamics allow an F1 car can decelerate from 62 to 0 mph in 48 ft., compared with production sports cars taking 102 ft.

As great as it is to have the ability to stop quickly when going from 180 mph to 40 mph at a tight turn, accelerating quickly is even more impressive. 

• 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph): 1.7 seconds
• 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph): 3.8 seconds
• 0 to 300 km/h (186 mph): 8.6 seconds

Although the true budget to develop and build the formula one car for any team is very complicated, estimates for Honda, Toyota, McLaren-Mercedes, and Ferrari have been above $200,000,000 in a single year.

// Racing technologies that have transferred to consumer cars

Lotus built a car with an aluminum chassis in 1962, instead of the traditional design. This proved to be the greatest technological breakthrough since the introduction of mid-engine cars. Other technologies we see in the production world today that we can thank Formula One for include:

• Push Button Start versus key
• Left hand key start on Porsche
• Transmissions – Paddle Shifters
• Multi-Link Suspensions
• Tire technologies, both rubber and pattern
• Disc and Ceramic Brakes
• Aerodynamics
• Auto body materials – carbon-fiber, aluminum
• The rearview mirror

Race Preview: German Grand Prix

// This weekend we head to the famed Hockenheimring in the rural countryside of Germany. Here's a 3D Track Experience video from Pirelli.

Can you believe it's already the 10th race of the 2012 season? We're halfway through it, yet the season has been so action-packed that it's almost too good to be true. Continuing on with the European leg of the Grand Prix, this weekend the race will be at Hockenheim, Germany.

Mid-season is also the time when we have what I'd like to call the "Musical chair" part of the season. Top drivers talk to other top teams to explore options for next season and beyond. Hamilton is thought to have had talks with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. Massa may depart Ferrari, Vettel was speculated to perhaps give Ferrari a try, and Webber was also rumored last week to want to leave Red Bull, meanwhile closing the deal with Red Bull this week. Maybe all the drivers should have 1-year contract only, that'll keep the "Musical chair" rumor mill going for the summer.

The front runner to win at Hockenheim this weekend, based purely on historical statistics, is Schumacher who has won four times at this track. Pretty impressive achievement! However, not to be outdone, Alonso and Hamilton have both won twice at this track before. I'm still holding out some hope for Iceman to win a Grand Prix and actually smile, we will have to wait and see how the race will go down this weekend. Can’t wait! Catch you again next week after the German Grand Prix!

Hot Texas Nights Bring Motorsports to Austinites

 // More photos in the gallery

What do you get when you mix a hot new venue with a lively international bunch and one of the oldest automobile manufacturers in the sport of Formula 1? Another successful event creating buzz about Formula 1 and motorsports in Austin.

// Javelina

Javelina is the first restaurant to open up in a popular part of Austin - Rainey Street. This recognized historic district is now Austin's newest entertainment district, situated close enough to a highway (IH-35) but closer yet to Lady Bird Lake in southeast downtown. The majority of the bungalow-style homes have been renovated and repurposed as bars with food trailers sprinkled throughout the 120 acres, but when Javelina opened earlier this winter it became the latest laid-back Austin bar to offer cocktails uniquely paired with in-house prepared bites.

What makes it uniquely Austin is its ample patio space: lining the lot line is a very rustic, very Austin untreated mesquite wood fence, lined with just the right amount of twinkle for hot Texas nights. Speaking of heat, even though we hit 100' F as guests started to arrive at 6:00 PM, the conversation, crowd and vibe was so great it wasn't a point of contention. An equally inviting indoor space provided relief for guests until the sun set, with a newly installed shuffleboard table providing entertainment for guests.

Javelina prepared light hors d'oeuvres and offered a $5 "F1 Burger" (or veggie burger) for the event, but one of my favorite stories from the night comes from Adam Moorehead of Legion Firearms. He joined a table of guests and started learning about the dynamic international makeup of the group. Adam prepared a plate with chips and queso - a Texas staple - and others at the table did not know what queso was. Adam took advantage of the opportunity to introduce the group to the melted cheese appetizer that is served in nearly every restaurant in Texas, especially of the Tex-Mex variety, and they (of course) loved it! This is a small example of friendly Texans sharing and teaching others, this time over food.

With queso and cocktails flowing, Javelina's General Manager, Carlos Gacharna, noticed everyone having a good time. He said it was great to see all the name tags with countries from all over the world.

// EuroCircle

That's a unique feature of EuroCircle events that many enjoy: Kaisa Kokkonen, who is originally from Finland, founded EuroCircle in New York in 1999 and is now an Austin resident, prepares the nametags which list the guest and their country of origin. This proves to be an instant conversation starter as you quickly get a sense of the true diversity of the crowd. Guests easily connect with others by reading the country listed on their nametag and greeting each other in their native language.

You may recall we joined forces with the largest networking group with an international influence a few months ago. We had such a positive experience that we wanted to do it again, and this time we invited a new partner to join us to make the connection to motorsports even more apparent.

// Mercedes Benz of Austin

If you're an F1 fan you are already familiar with Mercedes' involvement in Formula 1 - the Mercedes AMG Petronas team had a great showing at last week's European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain. Arguably the most well-known F1 driver of modern day, Michael Schumacher, completed his first podium finish since returning to the sport in 2006 after a short retirement. His teammate, Nico Rosberg, won this year's Chinese Grand Prix, took second place in Monaco, and is currently 5th in the Formula One World Championship with a total of 75 points.

For Austinites not yet familiar with Mercedes AMG, the event proved to be another experience to teach others in a social environment. Patrick Van den Nieuwenhuysen of Mercedes Benz of Austin provided the hosts with stylish white, turquoise and silver Mercedes AMG Petronas hats (team colors) so guests could easily identify us among the lively crowd. Our helpful event ambassadors, Jenny Tynes, Mike Boone, Allison Berguin and Mike McKinnon greeted guests at the entrance and mingled throughout the night while sharing their working knowledge of motorsports with fans of every experience level. They also distributed Mercedes' gifts of embroidered bags, key chains and tire pressure gauges to guests which were appropriately themed for the event.

Patrick also invited Will Hardeman of Continental Automotive Group to experience his first EuroCircle event and showcase one of the slickest cars on the road right now - the Mercedes E Class. Javelina had a perfect space in front of the raw-mesquite fence out front to position the car for guests to check out on their way in to the event. It also proved to be an opportunity for passersby to peek in and join us.

Thank you to Mercedes Benz of Austin for providing the light hors d'oeuvres and goodies for our guests and Javelina Bar for hosting us for the evening. We'd also like to thank Mike Boone and Jenny Tynes for welcoming the 200+ guests and Kaisa Kokkonen and Allison Berguin for insuring EuroCircle Austin members came out and enjoyed the evening.

// We look forward to seeing everyone at our next event!

 // More photos in the gallery