I’m a big fan of Formula 1 racing, the technology used in the “sport” is state of the art and it has come a long way since this form of racing first started. Some may say the technology has gone too far, as evidenced by the 2014 F1 regulations. If you’re not too sure what I’m talking about, watch one of the races from 2014 and you’ll notice a lack of noise coming from the cars, which has made watching F1 racing very boring and the fact that there isn’t much overtaking now a days doesn’t help the sport either.
One aspect of F1 that’s mind boggling is the mere seconds it takes for a F1 car to make a pit stop. Below is a video comparing the time it took an F1 car to go through a pit stop in 1950 compared to a 2013 pit stop (the noise you hear in the 2013 race isn’t there anymore in 2014, at least on TV).
It took 67 seconds, in 1950, to change only two tires and refuel the car; compare that to about 3 seconds in 2013, that’s pretty impressive. Although only 4 people (including the driver) were allowed to work on the car in 1950, compare that to 21-22 guys (if my math is correct) in 2013. Also there is no more refueling in F1 during the race, it’s still amazing how quickly the mechanics are able to change the tires and have the driver on his way. I think the pit stops are the most exciting part of modern Formula 1.
