I worked at BMW for many years. I didn‘t do anything relate to their F1 program but once I talked to an engineer that did.
He was a mechanical engineer that designed different parts for the road cars. Once, people from the F1 team went to him because they had an issue with a part breaking frequently and asked him to improve it.
He designed another part and told the F1 guys that this will easily last for thousands of hours. They weren‘t happy. They told him they only wanted the part to last for 2 hours and the one he designed was too heavy. He had to do it again…
> They told him they only wanted the part to last for 2 hours and the one he designed was too heavy. He had to do it again…
As someone in the racing industry, the ideal engine/parts/etc are what will get you across the finish line (and meet the other requirements like how long engine components have to last) as fast as possible, and no more.
There is a lot of money put into the sport, and extracting much of the money comes from the win/place, not whether or not the car will last 40k miles.
If something blows up/breaks after crossing the finish line, it doesn't matter much... just rebuild it for the next race.
Everyone is looking for every advantage they can find.
He was a mechanical engineer that designed different parts for the road cars. Once, people from the F1 team went to him because they had an issue with a part breaking frequently and asked him to improve it.
He designed another part and told the F1 guys that this will easily last for thousands of hours. They weren‘t happy. They told him they only wanted the part to last for 2 hours and the one he designed was too heavy. He had to do it again…