FormulaOne
Latest
McLaren imagines a future with AI co-piloted race cars
Formula One racing will be more like a video game in 30 years, according a fanciful vision of the future unleashed by supercar maker McLaren. According to its "MCLExtreme" research project (don't try to pronounce that), future formula race cars will do everything short of flying. The cars, electric naturally, will run on Hot Wheels type tracks at up to 500 km/h (310 mph), pulling up to 5 Gs while taking 90 degree bends at 250 mph.
HTC Vive Pro McLaren Edition is made for Formula One fans
When HTC and McLaren announced their multi-year partnership back in May, the two had already teased an upcoming limited edition Vive headset along with some special VR content. Well, the wait is finally over for hardcore Formula One fans. As announced at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, said hardware turns out to be based on the Vive Pro full kit (not to be confused with the cheaper starter kit), which makes sense given that the Vive Pro is the official VR device for McLaren's eSports competition, Shadow Project. The Vive Pro McLaren Limited Edition is accented with the racing team's signature orange around the headset's front cameras, as well as on the menu button and strap on the controllers (2018 version, to go with the bundled Base Station 2.0 units). Naturally, this package comes with its very own box artwork. The damage for all of this is $1,549, which is a tad more than the standard full kit's $1,199 holiday offer.
Formula One's streaming service won't launch until next month
We're almost halfway through April, and Formula 1's streaming service hasn't launched as promised. The racing organization announced today that F1 TV will now be available next month ahead of the 2018 Gran Premio De Espana. Annual subscription rates are available for between $70 and $150, or $8 - $12 per month. "The service will be priced according to market," the announcement reads.
F1's streaming service will be ready for March's Grand Prix
Formula 1 racing is getting in on the streaming game. F1 TV launched today at Mobile World Congress, and the new functionality will be up and running in time for March's opening grand prix in Melbourne, Australia. F1 TV will deliver racing fans commercial-free streams, which include access to onboard cameras for all 20 drivers in competition. From there you can arrange the camera feeds on your device however you like. There will also be a premium tier that grants access to exclusive camera feeds "not available on any other platform with the capability of multi-level personalization," according to Formula 1.
Fernando Alonso is the first F1 driver with an eSports team
You've seen basketball and soccer (aka football) teams dive into eSports, and now it's the turn for individual Formula One drivers to get in on the action. McLaren Honda driver Fernando Alonso has launched an eSports team in partnership with Logitech, with Alonso serving as a team principal. The FA Racing G2 Logitech G team -- yes, it's a mouthful -- will compete in a slew of games across multiple platforms, and has already enlisted F1 eSports league finalist Cem Bolukbasi.
Formula One's eSports racing league seeks the best 'F1 2017' driver
Traditional sports squads and eSports teams partnering has been happening pretty frequently recently. But now we're seeing it happen in a big way with motorsports. Specifically, Formula One is pairing with developer Codemasters and Gfinity to find the best F1 2017 driver. Per Reuters, the semi-final races will be held in London at the Gfinity Arena in October, and the best 20 racers will proceed to the last round of competition the next month.
Online gaming was his gateway to professional racing
When Nicolas Hamilton was born, two months premature, his family was told he would never walk. He had a form of cerebral palsy that would cause a constant stiffness in the lower half of his body. By the age of 11 he was restricted to a wheelchair, but that didn't stop him from wanting to become a race car driver. He had direct exposure to a Formula One world champion in the family: His elder half brother, Lewis Hamilton, went from casual karting on the weekends to winning three F1 championships.
ICYMI: Far away haptic hello, birthing robot mom and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-3569{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-3569, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-3569{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-3569").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The Haptoclone allows users to touch and interact with distant objects, in a way you have to see to understand. But basically, long-distance makeouts over Skype are coming. Cambridge University researchers designed a robot that can make it's own 'children,' then test them for the strongest features, to then incorporate for the following generation. And the FIA Formula E Championship (the E is for electricity-based power) just showcased its new cars for the start of its second official season.
Formula 1 aerodynamics will make grocery stores more efficient
No, that's not a typo. It turns out Formula 1 racing technology, specifically aerodynamics, can help rid grocery stores of the so-called "cold aisle" issue. Using aerofoils that are designed to guide the direction of air flow around a race car, Williams F1's engineering department and UK start-up Aerofoil Engery aim to keep the cool temps inside the open refrigerators at the market. The aerofoils attach to each shelf, guiding the cold air so that not only is that section more comfy for shoppers, but energy use is reduced as well. In fact, Sainsbury's, the second largest grocery store chain in the UK, is already testing the tech. "This Formula 1 inspired innovation has already shown it can cut carbon produced by major refrigerators," said John Skelton, the retailer's head of refrigeration. The project is still in the testing phase, so if could be a while before its ready for widespread installation.
F1 Challenge launches on iOS with more than 90 events
iOS continues to grow as a game platform every day, with new titles and better-looking graphics constantly popping up. The latest beneficiaries of this growing game environment are Formula One fans thanks to the release of F1 Challenge, an officially licensed racing sim. Featuring more than 90 challenges, each inspired by moments from the 2012 racing season, F1 Challenge offers racing fans plenty of content for its US$2.99 price tag. Racers can also compete in time trials, race events and short Grand Prix events featuring 12 cars at a time and more. The controls are even adjustable for both right- and left-handed players. Players will be racing against the full lineup of drivers from the 2012 season, including Scuderia Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' Jenson Button and Lotus F1 Team's Kimi Räikkönen. F1 Challenge is available now in the app store.
Sony axing Liverpool game studio, ends Psygnosis' 28-year history
Sony has confirmed that it's shuttering Studio Liverpool, more famously known as Psygnosis. The publisher was founded in 1984 and is responsible for a legion of best-selling titles including Lemmings, Colony Wars, Destruction Derby, Wipeout and the Formula One games. In a statement, the company said that after a review of its "commercially viable" projects, it's focusing on projects in other parts of the business -- after slashing the studio's remit in a cost-cutting exercise in 2010. The facility is also the location of the company's European Quality Assurance team, which will reportedly remain in operation.
British Grand Prix: A rare glimpse behind the McLaren-Mercedes F1 team (video)
Jealous much? Don't be. I had to sacrifice my ears to the roaring engines at Silverstone last Friday, just for you lovely people. While the Formula One teams were taking a break from the Grand Prix practice sessions, I was able to sneak into the pit area and get up close to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' shiny stallions -- no touching allowed, naturally, but I did learn a thing or two about their pre-race preparation. And to top things off, legendary driver Jenson Button also popped by to share some thoughts on McLaren's F-duct system (a cunning and legal trickery that lets the driver's left leg redirect airflow over the rear wing in order to stall the flap, thus reducing drag when doing straights), as well as a few grumbles about the sharp corners on the recently renovated circuit. Video's after the break, and be sure to crank up your speakers for maximum sensation.%Gallery-97407%
F1 boss Ecclestone says no high definition feed until 2012
Bad news for Formula One fans worldwide, as Bernie Ecclestone told the media we will likely have to wait until 2012 to get a glimpse of the racing series in high definition. Trailing every other autosport federation we can think of, and nearly every sport in existence, F1 spent the weekend during the Canadian GP testing HD and even 3D cameras and feeds, but according to Ecclestone there aren't enough viewers that want it. Andrew Barratt, vice president of F1 sponsor LG backed Ecclestone's assertions, calling F1 "the most technical sport in the world to shoot" and saying the differences in the varied locales make it tough to get right, in his comments to Autosport. From our perspective, it was shocking when we couldn't watch the US GP in F1 in 2007, that it could take five more years to make the jump is nothing short of ridiculous.
Formula One to introduce hybrid Kinetic Energy Recovery System in 2009
While it's not exactly enough to turn Formula One green, the racing league at least looks to be taking some steps in that direction, with it now announcing that it plans to phase in a new hybrid transmission system starting in 2009. Unlike hybrid systems found in regular cars, however, the so-called Kinetic Energy Recovery System (or KERS) doesn't store up energy in a battery, but instead captures kinetic energy during vehicle deceleration using a flywheel mechanism. That apparently not only makes it particularly well-suited to Formula One cars due to their repeated deceleration, but also has the added benefit of being significantly lighter than a battery-based hybrid system, with it adding just 55 pounds to the weight of the car. Not surprisingly, however, the phase-in won't exactly happen overnight, with it set to extend out until 2013, during which time it'll also be tied to other changes aimed at reducing the size and output of the engines.[Via Autoblog Green]
Formula One reaches 8,000 sold copies on day... one
Wow, Japan is surprisingly in the mood for racing games. When MotorStorm went up to the top of the sales charts, we should have known that Formula One, released on December 28th, would gobble up its fair share of yen. It did just that, selling around 8,000 copies on its first day -- it's probably crossed the 10,000 mark by now. Our question then becomes: will this translate to positive reviews and decent sales stateside and... Europe-side? Both are already fairly fervent racing fans, but there's been a lot of ho-hum press about the stale Japanese build of MotorStorm and I'm personally not aware of Formula One being a top-seller in recent history in the US. Perhaps it has, but it's not coming to mind. What do you guys think? Is the PS3 becoming the racing console?
