Formula 1, explained for rookies

All the technologies that filtered from F1 to market, are in a sense, NEW...  because they employ new materials, can do new things, and work in a new better way. What F1 does, that makes it so relevant to our daily lives, though, is something more. 

Take old ideas, materials, technologies and designs.... and seek to update them... do this by factory testing, sending them out to third party labs, fitting them to test bed cars, running some laps of a test track, then maybe doing some dyno work, or weather exposure. 

See how long it takes to make headway. 

Take those same things, let some of the greatest engineers in the world at them, let them do a shortened, mini, dev. program like the above, but only so they feel comfortable it is ready for the real test... and then let that real test be being used on F1 cars, racing on F1 tracks, at F1 speeds, in all different environments and weather conditions, all over the world. 

Which process, do you think, drives such technologies forwards, faster? 

You can do in a year, in one season of F1, in terms of testing and data, research and development, what would take you ten, doing it via simulation, and testing. 

If it does not work, then you know if it could, or never will, best case scenario, it works and is better than what was, so leap ahead, dragging that technology ahead and improving it more and more, worst case scenario, if it does not just fail, but does so catastrophically, like Ayrton Senna's experimental steering column breaking, or critical stability elements of this new carbon fibre stuff being used only recently in F1 cars breaking off Roland Ratzenberger's car, at Imola in 1994, then it is one driver who dies... and not a family of 7 because that technology was subjected to all the factory/lab testing in the world, but it was no substitute for real world forces, and the first time it was subjected to those, failed, and that minivan went off a cliff. 

THAT is how F1 contributes to the everyday cars we all drive, if there is a good idea, they will try it, and if it works, make it a better idea, that is actually useable for road cars, and if it does not work for them, it allows manufacturers to get some insight in how it might not be a great idea for the family station wagon either. 

As for the future? Many manufacturers are now spending millions, hundreds of, on exploring green synthetic combustion fuels, and scaling back EV research a little. Toyota for example, testing direct hydrogen combustion. I personally think THAT is the future. All existing storage, transportation, refueling, and disposal technologies could be modified, much easier than demolished, and all knew EV support infrastructure built, this especially applies to developing countries. Human achievement is staggering. We have walked on the moon, unleashed the power the atom, given someone else's organs to patient in need, the idea of green synthetic combustion fuel/capture tech, is NOT far fetched at all, despite what many "greenies' say. Not in the slightest. We can do it. We WILL, I am betting. 

So THAT is the direction which I think F1 will head, they will play a key role in that, and we WILL get there, so F1 will NEVER become a dinosaur.