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Visualized: Sauber F1 cutaway car is half the vehicle it used to be (video)
Ever wondered what goes on inside a Formula 1 car? No, we're not talking about Jenson Button's delicate elbow movements, we mean inside the car. Well, it turns out that we're not the only ones, and fortuitously for us, some people with the actual means to find out -- the Sauber F1 team -- have done the noble thing, and cut one in half. Yes, a real F1 car. Cut in half. It took two years to achieve, but from tip to tail, it's all there on display. That precious steering wheel you see drivers carry with them? Halved. Clever layered fuel system for lower center of gravity? Carved open. They even bring a driver in, the only thing to remain intact. Race on past the pit stop break for the visuals.
Autocar takes Gordon Murray's T.25 and T.27 city cars for a spin, gives us its impressions
When he isn't tinkering around with McLaren F1 supercars and Batmobiles, Gordon Murray is working on fuel-efficient -- or even fuel-independent -- city cars. Autocar just got its hands on the gas-powered T.25 and battery-powered T.27, and reports a pleasant experience with the three-seaters. We already knew that the T.27 crashes well and offers efficiency comparable to an astounding 350MPG, but we learned even more info today. The 74MPG T.25 will cost £6000 ($9467) should it ever go into production, while the T.27 would theoretically run you a grand more, but also get you 100-130 miles between four-hour charges. The body and interior is simple and innovative which becomes evident before you even get inside -- stepping behind a windscreen that pivots forward on struts. Neither travels at high speeds (90mph for the T25 and 65mph for the T.27, though it's faster off the mark), but these cars don't aspire to compete with Formula 1 racers; they're going for efficiency and simplicity -- and evidently doing it pretty well.
Sky Sports dedicated F1 HD channel coming next season
The 2011 Formula 1 racing season just wrapped up in Brazil, but Sky is already breaking down what it will bring to the series as it takes over UK coverage next year. Launching in March, Sky Sports F1 HD will be a channel dedicated to round the clock coverage of the world's most technologically advanced racing series including every race, practice, and qualifying session. Sky customers with the Sports and HD packages will see the HD channel appear at number 408 on the dial, although there's no word yet whether or not it will be available on BT Vision or Virgin Media. Other tidbits include a promise of Sky Go access, and that despite the broadcaster's big 3D push, there's no such coverage planned for 2012. Seeing how long it took for true HD broadcasts from F1 we're thinking that could take a while, but here in the US we'd simply settle for a promise of no more tape delayed broadcasts on Fox (and some competent challengers for the Red Bull team while we're asking) for next season. Until then, check out this brief video trailer, plus a press release with all the details after the break.
Thrustmaster's Ferrari F1 Wheel Add-On takes you from zero to hero in $200
You may never get the chance to join Ferrari's Formula 1 team, but indulging your imagination is about to get a lot easier, now that Thrustmaster has unveiled its new Ferrari F1 Wheel Add-On -- a life-sized replica of the wheel you'd find within the 150° Italia. Announced yesterday, this rubber-textured wheel features a full slate of professional-grade rotary knobs, switches and action buttons -- including two rotary encoder switches, eight push-buttons and a set of "push and pull" sequential shifters that, true to form, are attached directly to the wheel face. Designed to seamlessly attach to your T500 RS, the accessory will be available in two models: a PC- and PS3-compatible mode, with 13 action buttons and three D-Pads, or an advanced PC-compatible mode, with 25 action buttons and one D-Pad. No mention, however, of that And if you look in the upper left corner, you'll even find your very own boost button. The Add-On is slated to start shipping in early October for $200, so buckle up and steer past the break for more details, in the full PR.
Visualized: Porsche's GT3 R Hybrid has its very own boost button
Sure, it may seem like any old Formula 1 steering wheel, but take a closer look. See that big red button sitting on the left side, just begging to be pressed? That, friends, would be a boost button, capable of giving this Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid racer an extra burst of acceleration. Unlike most battery powered hybrids, both the 911 GT3 R and the 918 RSR run on an inertial flywheel that's spun by the momentum generated whenever the car brakes. All it takes is one tap of the boost button, however, for that momentum to be instantly converted into a potent jolt of KITT-like horsepower. We still don't really know what we'd do with all the other buttons, but we definitely know which one we'd keep our thumb on.
Formula 1 cars set to go all electric in the pit lane from 2013 onwards, racing purists outraged already
Formula 1, the pinnacle of gas-powered racing, is more often at odds with the eco-conscious electric car movement than in tune with it, but here's an exception to that rule. The FIA, the sport's governing body, announced back in December of last year a move to a hybrid four-cylinder turbocharged engine, which is still on track to be introduced in the 2013 season, and Williams boss Adam Parr has now enlightened us on some of the benefits of the new power setup. Noting that future cars' kinetic energy recovery system will be four times as powerful as on current models, Parr says enough electric juice will be available to power each one-seater through its journey into and out of the pit lane. That would mean that at least for the tame, speed-restricted portions of a race, the F1 gas guzzlers you know and love will be humming along in almost perfect silence while using good old electricity. Unfortunately, it's exactly that lack of vroom vroom that old timers like Bernie Ecclestone and Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo are afraid of, describing the new hybrid stuff as sounding "terrible" and insisting on the sport sticking to its V8 roots. Then again, as Parr says, if you don't move with the times, the times leave you behind.
Official F1 Timing App 2011 for iPhone and iPad, is it worth $33?
Formula 1 has always been the pinnacle of the FIA's motor racing roster. It's the most technologically advanced motor racing championship on Earth, with the teams and drivers pushing their cars to the absolute limit every time they hit the track. Everything on the cars is monitored remotely via a wireless data link; Formula 1 isn't a solo effort by the racing driver by any stretch of the imagination, it's most certainly a team game. From sector split times to track position, the amount of G experienced in the corners to the tire pressure and brake temperature, the team monitors it all from the pit lane wall and in the garage. But what about the fans? How can they get a bigger slice of the data-pie when it comes to the race? That's where the officially licensed, universal Formula 1 Timing App 2011 for iOS comes in. %Gallery-121202%
Free and paid apps for Formula 1 racing fans adding features for the 2011 season
We're just a few hours away from the start of the 2011 Formula 1 season and while the technologically advanced series seriously lagged in adding high definition broadcasting technology, app developers are filling in on the mobile front. This year's version of the official Formula1.com app is available for the first time on Android (in addition to Blackberry, J2ME and iOS) and has also added push notifications (iOS only so far) to tell you when the race is about to start -- convenient for the Australian GP's 2 a.m. EST start time. If you're looking for an upgrade as a viewing companion, the F1 2011 Timing App Championship Pass pulls in live stats and indicators of where each racer is on the track, as seen in the iPad version pictured above, and can even pause or replay the info later if you're watching on DVR. It runs about $30 on the iTunes and Android app stores, check it out at the links below or the press release after the break, or just poke around the app stores yourself for a few other options.
Ecclestone proclaims no 3D broadcasts for F1 as the sport prepares for HDTV this weekend
If you thought that the upcoming debut (delayed after Bahrain withdrew due to unrest in the region, leaving Australia on the 27th) of Formula 1 racing in high definition this weekend would finally put an end to Bernie Ecclestone commenting about broadcast technology, you were wrong. According to PitPass, the F1 chief said "I've always said 3D will never be used," when asked about it recently. This, despite LG's tests of the technology last year and curious declaration by Korean provider SingTel that it will actually broadcast races in 3D this year, according to Crave Asia. Of course, this is the same guy who claimed we would have to wait until 2012 for HD, but the article also notes he may have a personal objection to the technology due to being blind in one eye. We haven't seen any footage of F1 action in 3D yet, but after the long, long wait for F1 HDTV broadcasts, we wouldn't expect it to lead the way in other formats regardless of any potential health issues.
Formula One Management makes it official: 2011 season will be the first in HD
After many years of waiting we'll finally get to experience Formula 1 racing the way we should, in high definition. Sky Deutschland and the BBC have already confirmed they will carry the new HD feed, and formula One Management has confirmed it will be available to all host broadcasters and will include all track sessions in 42 Mb/s MPEG-2 form. The widescreen PAL feed we've been watching has been good enough to fool a few into believing what they saw on Speed HD and others was true HD, but we can't wait to see the difference when the season kicks off. Update: Speed TV has also officially announced it will carry the HD signal for US viewers this season starting with the opener in Bahrain March 13 and installing 'continuous fiber service' to guarantee the best picture quality.
Formula 1 could see high definition broadcasts (except for in-car cameras) next year
In our last crazy Bernie Ecclestone update, the F1 boss had suggested we could be two years away from high definition Formula 1 broadcasts, but since then he's apparently indicated it could happen as soon as next year. Last week, he apparently told German media that he's "not sure" whether the series will be in HD next year, citing problems fitting HD cameras on the cars. That other series like IRL have no problem squeezing the cams in has apparently gone unnoticed. At this point, we don't expect anything better than the current widescreen feed until well into the era of Super Hi-Vision, but just in case things change, we'll keep you posted
Robot arm takes engineers for a virtual reality Formula 1 ride (video)
As it turns out, industrial-strength robot arms are good for more than amusing hijinks and the occasional assembly line -- a team of researchers at Germany's Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics have turned a KUKA KR 500 into the ultimate Formula 1 simulator ride. Outfitting the six-axis, half-ton lifter with a force-feedback steering wheel, pedals, video projector and curved screen, the newly-christened CyberMotion Simulator lets scientists throw a virtual Ferrari F2007 race car into the turns, while the cockpit whips around with up to 2 Gs of equal-and-opposite Newtonian force. There's actually no loftier goal for this particular science project, as the entire point was to create a racing video game that feels just like the real thing -- though to be fair, a second paper tested to see whether projectors or head-mounted displays made for better drivers. (Projectors won.) See how close they came to reality in a video after the break, while we go perform a little experiment of our own. [Thanks, Eric]
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.
BBC won't air Formula 1 in HD this season
So, here's the good news. Auntie Beeb will be covering the 2009 season of Formula 1 racing. The bad news? It won't be in HD, at least not at launch. According to a reply by Roger Mosey, the director of BBC Sport, the network will not be making F1 racing available in high-def, though he does confess to "wanting to." Yeah, we'd love to say his "I'll keep you posted" remark gives us overwhelming hope, but sadly, we can't. Prove us wrong, BBC -- we dare you.[Image courtesy of TheSun, via Digital Spy]
Aigo "revs up" Formula One-themed PMP with 720p output
Unlike certain other Chinese devices, the Aigo Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP5 personal media player is actually a working, fully-featured PMP with support for FM radio, eBooks, and an adequate variety of audio and video formats -- it even outputs 720p content, though its own display is limited to 480 x 272. While Aigo's sponsorship of the McLaren Mercedes Formula One car is this thing's excuse for existence, it's technically also under the company's Patriot name (it's called the Patriot MP5-MK3510) but we're guessing the F1 theme will be more attractive to the Y chromosome than Winnie the Pooh. [Via PMP Today]
Formula 1 superstar finishes first in race to nab BlackBerry Storm
There are, shall we say, certain "advantages" to driving a race car sponsored by global wireless behemoth Vodafone. Fame, fortune, and a free account (seriously, all the minutes and kilobytes you can eat!) definitely rank high on that list, but it all pales in comparison to this. It seems that Formula 1 wizard Lewis Hamilton has been gifted with a Voda-branded Storm, a great publicity play for the carrier -- particularly as he's sitting in front of a camera describing how "wicked" it is. Clearly, the video is little more than a PR stunt, but the phone genuinely seems to be his, and at least we can get a clear look at how fast, fluid, and pretty the interface appears to be. So, anyone know where he leaves that thing when he's out racing? Check the full action after the break.
F1 Ferrari phone is red, lacks speed and grace
This prancing red handset brings a dash of faux-Ferrari styling to the dreamers amongst us. This Chinese made phone features the typical touchscreen found on Chinese sets, dual-band GSM, 1.3 megapixel shooter, memory card expansion -- we're not sure on the type -- all packaged in a shifty looking red car housing. The handset also comes pre-installed with three games,Jet Plane, Intelligent Puzzle, and Hand & Boot Dance -- yeah, where is the racing game? Price is set at $190 though we suspect this novelty phone won't have the tifosi yammering and cheering like they did for their F1 hero, Michael.
Spyker rolls out three handsets and joins cellphone biz
Spyker, Dutch maker of fine performance wheels -- and owners of one of Formula 1's newest teams -- has rolled out a line of branded handsets. The -- pictured from top left -- C8 Spyder ($560), C8 Laviolette ($425), and C8 Laturbie($285) should help Spyker keep up with the Joneses in the automaker as cell phone manufacturer world. The Spyder and Laviolette are both dual band 900 / 1800 MHz jobbies with mostly unremarkable features like 1.3 megapixel cameras, 128 x 160 TFT screens, finished in black and silver. The Laturbie brings some tri-band action, a QVGA screen, same 1.3 megapixel cam, and gets dressed in glossy red. Interesting note is the keypads all seem to sport Chinese characters, so it doesn't take many guesses to figure out where they're bound.[Via Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 13
Note: This week's edition was delayed due to problematic video encoding.PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to the VIDEO folder. These high resolution 480x272 videos require firmware 3.30 or above. Grand Theft Auto IV [360, PS3]Download MP4 (5.93MB) | Download JPG The following videos are featured after the break: 28 Weeks Later, Formula 1 [PS3], The Reaping, Super Rub-a-Dub [PS3].
