Motorsport helps in fight with Coronavirus!
With all motorsport currently being placed on indefinite limbo, the flexible and versatile engineering capabilities of Formula One racing teams have meant they've been quick to answer UK government calls for high-tech companies to help combat the coronavirus pandemic in any way they can. Formula One teams have long-used meticulously honed skills to move an idea from concept to completion in record time utilizing techniques that are legendary. This key requirement is born from the necessity of having to engineer car upgrades, frequently between qualifying and race during a busy Grand Prix race weekend, then producing and couriering the finished upgrade to a circuit somewhere on the globe.
This unique motorsport-derived ability has now been applied to good use during the current global crisis, as several front running F1 teams with advanced technical divisions have turned their attention to helping develop much needed CPAP - Continuous Positive Airways Pressure - devices, to assist the breathing of COVID-19 victims.
One example is Formula One engine manufacturer Mercedes who has worked with clinician companies and University College London Hospitals in development and production processes. Mercedes said they were proud to have been able to participate in a team to help deliver the ventilator, which has been engineered from an existing device in around four days.
Also assisting in the global requirement for much-needed pumps is Williams Advanced Engineering, whose high-tech team in Grove Oxfordshire has considerable experience in specialist, low-volume manufacturing across all sectors of industry, from automotive & motor sport to aerospace & defence, from energy & sports science to healthcare. Among successful healthcare products Williams has developed and produced is the Baby Pod 20, a lightweight carbon fibre pod for new-born babies requiring emergency transportation.
Among the other high-tech subsidiaries of F1 teams redirecting their wide-ranging advanced engineering skills are McLaren Automotive & Applied technologies based in Woking Surrey, Red Bull Advanced Technologies situated adjacent to its championship-winning F1 team's base at Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire, together with UK based Racing Point, Haas F1 and Renault Sport Racing teams who, together with other manufacturers Rolls Royce, Ford, JCB and Dyson are currently involved in producing the vital COVID-19 breathing ventilators in collaboration with various international specialised healthcare companies.
2nd April, 2020