The Carbon Revolution in Formula One: A Journey of Innovation and Perseverance
I didn't really think you could win at the time because I think Renault were out there with a turbo engine with loads more horsepower than our cause was fail. And lo and behold that John goes and wins at Silverstone, I mean you know John Watson, British driver, Silverstone first year of a carbon monocoque car, I mean it was just ridiculous really, but the trouble was we were so small in those days, the teams are so small, it's like you just had to run as hard as you could to get to the next race to develop something and sort the problems out. Because you know, the first time you ran the car in Long Beach, I'd done something with the exhaust pipe, so I tried to flatten the exhaust pipes to minimize the body profile at the back, and I'd run them too near the bodywork, and we had a problem with the bodywork catching fire over the exhaust pipe and all this kind of thing in the long beach, and you know it was all these sort of things. So all that had to be got over by the next race, and so on.
The Sun and they're just not that many people, I mean you know it was just so you would just flat out all the time, Formula One is all about that, you know, it's the last race, yeah, that was nice, what can you do for the next race, that's how you live in Formula One, you know what's my next step, where do I find the next tenth, how do you know, it's just it's just non-stop and it's really days like this that actually make you realize what's happened. There are a few other things that are responsible for afterwards, but the carbon monocoque was such a look back at it, it's such a commitment, it was such a there ain't no plan B, you think you look back and you think were we a bit nuts, and you think probably I mean, but you know, hey, and and you know it was just believed, you did it, get on with it about. I can see the technology coming down the pyramid towards let's say higher priced production cars and eventually down to your mass-produced cars, but before you get there, technology will have to evolve so that it can be, there'd be a lot more automatic handling, one of the problems with carbon even today even on the mp4-12c is that that's got to be hand laid up, the actual basic material, it's got to be putting the mold tools by hand laid up by hand, that doesn't happen on most production cars, it's all automatic, it's robot this robot, so you know, there's a ways to go before you can handle carbon like that.
I mean what they've done here is a big step forward, this, the closed mold, the resin infusion systems, and all that kind of thing, that's taken it a step on, but there's still a lot, there's still a hand element which from mass production I think is a no-no, it just can't happen, I mean you could take plants to China, you could take past of India, whatever South I mean where hand labor is much cheaper, but there's an element of quality that has to be maintained well with carbon composites, it's much more difficult to find a problem in the basic frame layout, the basic manufacturer of the part, so you have to believe that people doing the job have done it 100 percent, that's not to say can't be done in China, India, South America, whatever but it's not a production process and that back will have to count that will have to change.
The Carbon Monocoque: A Commitment to Innovation
I look back at the carbon monocoque and I realize just how much of a commitment it was. We didn't have any plans B, we were in this all or nothing scenario. The technology had to evolve so that it could be implemented in mass production cars. It's not just about slapping some material together, there's an art to it, an understanding of the materials and how they interact with each other.
We're talking about a revolution here, a shift from traditional materials to something new, something lighter, something stronger. The carbon monocoque was just the beginning, but it paved the way for so much more. We can see that technology coming down the pyramid now, towards higher priced production cars and eventually down to mass-produced cars. It's an exciting time, full of possibilities.
But we're not there yet, there are still challenges to overcome. The hand laid up process is still prevalent, even on a car like the mp4-12c. We can't just automate it all, there has to be some human touch, some understanding of what we're doing. It's hard to find that quality in mass production, but it's essential.
We could take plants to China, or India, wherever hand labor is cheaper, but we can't compromise on quality. The carbon composites are a new frontier, one that requires careful consideration and attention to detail. We have to believe in the process, trust that our people will do the job right.
It's not easy, it's not going to happen overnight. But that's what makes this journey so rewarding. We're pushing boundaries, we're innovating, we're making history. The carbon monocoque may be just the beginning, but it's a start, and with every step forward, we get closer to our goal: to make Formula One faster, safer, and more exciting than ever before.