'Telecommuting' In Formula 1 90
flewp writes "This New York Times article on Formula 1 racing gives some insight into the workings of one of the most high-tech sports on the planet — consider that a few years ago, Sauber's supercomputer ranked toward the top of all the supercomputers in Europe. The teams bring to each race dozens of mechanics, support personnel, etc.; but back at their home bases, perhaps thousands of miles away, countless more engineers work (with the help of gobs of computing power) to give each team that extra edge."
Re:Yeah. But Formula 1 is BORING! (Score:3, Informative)
F1 is usually less boring than:
- soccer
- baseball
Even with all the messy rules.
Re:Off Topic but related, sorta (Score:4, Informative)
Speed is the NASCAR channel. I try to watch MotoGP on it. There was a 3 way battle for 2nd place going on last week and they cut away from it, just as an attack was going on to show 1st place, 4-5 seconds ahead, cruising across the finish. *sigh*
There's lots of cutting away from a race to show a NASCAR repeat. ESPN used to do it with Supercross & cut off the end to show the football draft rerun. At least Speed treats supercross better then ESPN.
FWIW, I heard about an F1 race with 2-3 lead changes in a race. The next week I saw a MotoGP with 4 lead changes in *1* corner.
Re:Yeah. But Formula 1 is BORING! (Score:3, Informative)
I mean. It's almost as boring as US car races but at least the tracks aren't ovals.
I love this argument. It only shows people who don't understand racing should just STFU.
Anyone who is a fan of motorsports understands that NASCAR ovals are far more "exciting" than Formula 1. Just because they go in circles doesn't make it more boring...in fact, it provides more overtaking opportunities. A typical F1 track has one or two overtaking spots on the track. If they were to make an "oval-like" track (sometimes called a roval, or road-course oval), there'd be more passing in Formula 1.
Also, if Formula 1 would require all drivers to start with the same tires and fuel load, it would be far more interesting. Instead, the winner always makes their "pass" in the pits and had the best tire strategy.