'Telecommuting' In Formula 1

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."

Yeah. But Formula 1 is BORING!

[Colin Smith]

I mean. It's almost as boring as US car races but at least the tracks aren't ovals. God, almost fell asleep just at the thought.

Excitement. Look at Touring cars, motorcycles; British Superbikes, now there are a bunch of complete nutters. The TT at the Isle of Man. Even MotoGP is better.

Formula 1? What ...a ... bunch ... of ... BORING ... pussies.
 

Off Topic but related, sorta

[Low Ranked Craig]

A couple of weeks ago I was watching qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix on Speed Network, after which they showed the 24 hours of Le Mans, of which I watched about 10 hours worth. I was all excited and expecting the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday but no, it was some stupid NASCAR recap show (not a race) then some "Two Rednecks in a Garage" show. Pardon me for wanting to actually see racing and not that other crap. If you like racing, (not the kind that is a constant left turn), it's hard to find in the US. I really can't stand NASCAR - it's boring as hell except for the crashes. The rest of the world can have their "football" with their "nils" and whatnot. I just want some real road racing and rally racing, and no, monster truck rallies don't count either. /rant

And all that they achieve is

[Anonymous Coward]

pushing the limited limits in a sports that has very sharp limits defined by a federation. a lot of fuss over huge bullshit. when someone broke a world record or even attempted a trial back in 1930s, it was a real deal, real thrill, real news. they could push the limits. now, it is a huge charade which is built on marketing and illusions.

Re:Remote driving

[schnikies79]

The danger to human life is part of the thrill. Take that away and it's just a fancy video game.

Re:Yeah. But Formula 1 is BORING!

[dominious]

to be honest it is kind of boring...

BUT I remember in my country there was a commentator who was really good at explaining all the technology going on behind each car, explaining how the weather and temperature affects the tires, the weight of the car on the turns etc..That made it quite interesting!

Re:Remote driving

[flewp]

Not only that, but driving a car, especially a Formula 1 car, is an extremely demanding activity. Racing in the comfort of your house, sitting on a couch, is nothing compared to sitting in the cockpit of a car, with temps that can exceed 100+ in your nomex racing suit, while dealing with up to 5 lateral g. Not to mention the fact that all the while you're not just driving the car like you do in the GT series, but you have to be in communication with your race engineers and look after your tires, your brakes, the engine, fuel consumption, basically everything.

Re:Yeah. But Formula 1 is BORING!

[KDR_11k]

If you can drink a beverage during play, it's a game, not a sport.

So the Tour de France isn't a sport?

Re:Intergalactic Planetary

[Anonymous Coward]

current F1 cars are more like 830+ HP

the old 3 liter V10s from a couple years ago were pushing 970 HP, they would probably be over 1150 today if the engines hadn't been downsized to a 2.4 liter V8s.