Why F1 cars don't have cockpits

What it feels like to crash an F1 car

Crashes are common in Formula 1, but due to improvements in safety measures like the HANS device and the Halo, driver deaths are far less common. But what does it feel like to crash? This video features the world's top drivers talking about specific crashes and their thought process as they head toward the wall at 150 mph.

F1 cars have evolved through the decades

Formula 1 has continued to evolve since its first race in 1950. Early cars featured front-mounted engines, narrow tires, and speeds of up to 180 mph. In 1958, rear-engine designs, like the Cooper T43, improved handling and balance. The 1960s brought lightweight materials and wings, which enhanced stability by generating downforce. Ground effect designs of the 1970s revolutionized grip and cornering but were banned in 1982 due to safety concerns. By the 1990s, hybrid turbo engines and energy recovery systems emerged, improving performance. Today’s F1 cars integrate advanced aerodynamics and hybrid technology, reaching speeds of over 220 mph.

After a tragic 3 decades, F1 created better safety measures

The first three decades of Formula One saw 41 drivers die in competition; since 1980, only 11 have perished. The reduction is due in large part to better safety measures. This article highlights every safety improvement made by year since F1 started, and describes the accidents or deaths that led to the rule changes.

F1 driving requires intense strategy, endurance, and strength

Formula 1 cars are the peak of human engineering, and the humans driving them must have exceptional skills to master their cars. This Wired video talks to former performance coach Clayton Green to uncover what makes Formula 1 drivers such unique athletes. Learn why drivers focus on neck strength to combat extreme g-forces, and what those forces do to a driver's body over a race.

A 'halo' protects drivers

After the 2015 death of driver Jules Bianchi, Formula 1 mandated that all cars include a protective barrier called a “halo.” This video breaks down how that measure saved the life of Romain Grosjean, who survived a horrific crash in 2020 at a race in Bahrain and later credited the halo as the reason for his survival.

Formula 1 cars are the world's fastest regulated road-course racing automobiles

F1 is the highest international level of open-wheel racing, where the wheels are not covered by the car’s body, differing significantly from NASCAR, which have covered wheels.

Over 120 cameras are used to film a single F1 race

Watching a Formula 1 race today is an immersive experience: Every car has onboard cameras; there are helicopter, drone, and lift shots; nearly every corner has a camera to document drivers jockeying for position; and over 120 cameras are used to film a single race.

F1 is a billion-dollar industry

...but that money doesn't come easily. Team principals have to constantly ensure money is coming in to fund their million-dollar cars every weekend. This CNBC video explores all the costs of running a team. It also shows how team principals woo sponsors and find ways to maximize their technology with a cost cap.

F1 team Renault crashed one driver's car to have the other win a race in 2008

Using rules regarding crashes that require all drivers to slow down (and often take a pit stop), floundering Team Renault asked Nathan Pinquet, Jr., to crash to help teammate Fernando Alonso win. The scheme worked, but when the team fired Pinquet a year later, he revealed the conspiracy, dubbed "Crashgate."

A list of every F1 team

This FIA interactive lists all 11 Formula 1 teams and is organized by team points during each season. Learn who the drivers are for each team and see what their car looks like. Click into the team and get a profile and history. Each driver has a profile page that includes biographical information and the latest news.

How black boxes made flying safe

Black boxes—which are actually orange—were not universally present in airplanes until roughly 1967, a process which grew out of frustration over frequent, unexplained crashes in the industry's first few decades. This piece tells the origins of...

How fighter jet ejections work

One of the most complex pieces of equipment in a fighter jet is the pilot's ejection apparatus, and the process of ejecting is far more challenging and violent than its depicted in film. This six-minute video breaks down the protocol step-by-step.

The trend of onstage mishaps

In the past few years, performers have seen a rise in onstage accidents. While artists are doing their jobs, they face risks of dangerous falls, flying objects, and audience aggression. This article aims to explain why this trend may be occurring and emphasizes the importance of concert-going etiquette and adequate security.

NHL players used to not wear helmets or masks

Until the 1970s, hockey goalies didn't wear masks to protect their faces with any regularity. Instead, they took pucks off their cheeks, foreheads, and mouths, resulting in serious scars. Any player who entered the league after June 1, 1979, was required to wear a helmet, but several players who'd started before then chose to continue playing without one.

The US air traffic control system is safe but due for major technological updates

On any given day, over 3 million passengers fly on roughly 45,000 flights in the US. Flying today is safer than ever, but air traffic controllers deal with outdated technology that can interfere with pilot communication.

Future self-driving cars may communicate across a closed wireless infrastructure

Current autonomous vehicles collect and analyze their own data through their own hardware and proprietary software. Connecting data from all such cars on a single network will require overcoming challenges related to standardization and security.

'Breather holes' in airplane windows help manage cabin pressure

Airplane windows have three layers of acrylic: the super durable outside layer, the inner pane which acts like a "scratch" surface, and the middle pane with the tiny hole. This bleed hole allows pressurized cabin air to be borne by the strong outer pane while preventing the inner pane from breaking.

Planets' high orbital speeds prevent them from falling into their host star

Although the gravitational force attracts a planet and the star it orbits around, the large speed the planet orbits with, which is acquired during its formation process, causes it to continuously miss the star as it orbits around it. This is analogous to theoretically throwing a baseball horizontally faster and faster until it's fast enough to orbit the Earth while attempting to fall to its surface.

Faulty wiring and flammable materials caused a fire in the Apollo 1 command module

During a launch rehearsal test on Jan. 27, 1967, the fire took the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. The tragedy led to improvements to CM construction and the development of a single-piece hatch for escapes.

You are more likely to be struck by lightning than injured on a roller coaster

The ASTM F24 Committee on Amusement Rides and Devices consists of consumer advocates, government officials, amusement park operators, ride manufacturers, and industry suppliers who work to establish a safety standard for the designs and modifications of roller coasters.

Unlike hurricanes, tornadoes are not ranked based on measured wind speed

Technological limitations prevent direct measurements of wind speeds where tornadoes make contact with the ground. Instead, the Enhanced Fujita scale assigns a rating with a range of speeds based on how much damage a tornado caused to various types of structures. These types are more extensive than the original Fujita scale.

Explore 14 iconic self-driving cars from television and film

From the heroic KITT from "Knight Rider" and Batmobile from "Batman" to the demonically possessed Christine from Stephen King’s "Christine," many of the vehicles on this list are examples of how classic cars have been personified in media.

Homes in areas increasingly prone to natural disasters often aren't covered by private insurance

Instead, they're often covered under insurance plans of last resort, known as FAIR (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) plans. However, as more and more homes become covered by FAIR, the program is facing strain. This interactive visual helps explain the new problems FAIR is facing.

Should you give up a car in retirement?

Did you know that drivers over the age of 74 tend to pay higher car insurance rates than most other age groups? That small fortune in auto insurance payments is just one reason some people give up a car when they retire. If you're curious about the pros of getting rid of your car when you retire, read this article.

Hurricanes, which rely on air consistently spinning in the same direction, cannot cross the equator because air curves in opposite directions north and south of it.

Faraday cages protect enclosed objects by redirecting electrical currents

Constructed from conductive materials, the cage allows electrons to distribute themselves evenly throughout its surface and travel to ground, keeping the interior neutrally charged and preventing any internal electricity. The same principle blocks electromagnetic waves by redirecting the electric field component, preventing telecommunication signals from entering the apparatus.

After 25 people used virtual reality headsets to practice flying with virtual wings—flapping their arms—their visual cortex responded to the wings almost as if they were real arms, treating them as body parts.

The deadliest aspect of volcanic eruptions is often not lava, but pyroclastic flows—avalanches of ash, gas, and rock that can move more than half the speed of sound.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

Power lines are dotted with large, brightly colored balls to improve the visibility of these thin wires to helicopters and small planes and help prevent potential crashes.

Apeirophobia is an overwhelming fear of living forever, perhaps stemming from the brain's inability to conceptualize an infinite life.

Despite being favored by 87% of Americans, Congress does not have term limits.

When you complete a CAPTCHA on a website to prove you are human, you may be unknowingly training algorithms for self-driving cars, whose systems require training data to help identify crosswalks, bicycles, and other outdoor objects.

Chaos theory—informally known as the butterfly effect—is the reason why weather forecasts are presented with probabilities rather than certainties.

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.

How fusion—which releases energy when two lighter atoms combine to form a heavier atom—differs from fission

In 1984, Operation Smash Hit intentionally crashed a 239-ton train into a nuclear waste canister at 100 miles per hour to prove the canister's safety, which remained completely intact and lost just 0.29 of its 100 pounds of pressure.

11 people died from firework injuries in the US in 2024.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Domino's Pizza's 30-minute delivery guarantee was responsible for the chain's 1980s surge, but it was discontinued after the company was found liable for delivery driver accidents.

Watch the cumbersome, but necessary, precautions healthcare workers must take to care for and protect themselves while caring for Ebola patients.

The 1987 Nintendo video game 'Stadium Events' isn't known for being particularly fun, but its scarcity has made it a highly sought-after item that has sold for up to $35K at auction.

According to the physics of black holes, our 4D reality may be a hologram—a projection of information coded on a 2D surface on the edge of the universe.

Massive 3D printers have been used to build homes by stacking layers of 'concrete toothpaste,' a fire-resistant material that effectively insulates against outside noise.

Hotels in Cannes, the glamorous city on the French Riviera, hire hawks to ward off seagulls during the city's famous film festival.

The Mona Lisa's celebrity status and repeated restorations have obscured what made the painting so revolutionary for its time

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

The most expensive ad of all time was for Chanel No. 5 perfume and cost roughly $33M to produce in 2004—about $57M in today's dollars.

Browse a detailed visual analysis of over 200,000 similes—comparisons that often use 'like' or 'as'—from popular fiction to see how frequently writers the same idiomatic expressions.