These are more than cars. They’re science experiments.
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I love Formula 1. This isn’t just a car race, it’s a massive group science competition. Ten teams are all fighting to be first, and on every team there are hundreds of people, spending millions of dollars, all working together to push technology to its limit.
In this video, we’re gonna show you what it takes to build and drive some of the fastest and most expensive cars in the world. We’ll give you rare access into a factory in England where they build these cars and into a garage in Bahrain where they race them. This is Formula 1 cars, explained!
One note because it’s important to me you never be confused about what is paid for and what isn’t: Oracle comped my flights, but didn’t have any say in the editorial and didn’t see the episode before it went live. The Red Bull F1 Team did not pay me, had no say in the editorial, and didn’t see the episode before publish either. Everything I say here is entirely my own.
Chapters:
0:00 What is a Formula 1 car?
1:13 What do F1 cars look like?
3:08 What’re the rules for F1 cars?
4:12 Where do they keep old F1 cars?
4:53 What’s the goal of F1?
5:30 How does an F1 car go so fast?
7:26 … Can I sit in an F1 car??
9:06 How is an F1 car built?
11:55 How is an F1 car painted?
12:42 How does an F1 engine work?
15:45 Sneak peak: Red Bull’s new engine sound
16:34 How do you race an F1 car?
17:40 What does it feel like to drive an F1 car?
18:30 OH NO
18:51 What does an F1 steering wheel look like?
19:22 What is a pit stop?
20:02 What are F1 tires like?
20:28 How do you WIN an F1 race?
22:08 Why care about Formula 1?
23:18 Thank you :)
Corrections:
4:59 Track direction should go the other way!
5:38 Track direction goes the other way. Sorry about that.
You can find me on TikTok here for short, fun tech explainers: / cleoabram
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Bio:
Cleo Abram is an Emmy-nominated independent video journalist. On her show, Huge If True, Cleo explores complex technology topics with rigor and optimism, helping her audience understand the world around them and see positive futures they can help build. Before going independent, Cleo was a video producer for Vox. She wrote and directed the Coding and Diamonds episodes of Vox’s Netflix show, Explained. She produced videos for Vox’s popular UKposts channel, was the host and senior producer of Vox’s first ever daily show, Answered, and was co-host and producer of Vox’s UKposts Originals show, Glad You Asked.
Additional reading and watching:
- “Formula 1, explained for rookies” - our previous Huge If True episode on the sport itself • Formula 1, explained f...
- “How Red Bull is Breaking F1,” by Search Party • How Red Bull is breaki...
- My favorite newsletter on F1, Engine Failure by Lily Herman: bit.ly/EngineFailureF1
- “F1 Aerodynamics: The Basics” by Chain Bear • F1 Aerodynamics - 1: T...
- “F1 Drivers Explain F1,” from F1 • F1 Drivers Explain F1
- “Formula 1: Explained” by MKBHD • Formula One: Explained!
- How Oracle Race Strategy Works: www.oracle.com/customers/red-...
- “How a Formula 1 Race Car Works” by Animagraffs • How a Formula 1 Race C...
- “The Insane Logistics of F1,” by Wendover Productions • The Insane Logistics o...
- “Why F1 Banned Their Best Car,” by Donut Media • Why F1 Banned Their Be...
- Latest Updates from Red Bull: www.redbullracing.com/int-en
- “How to Make F1 Sounds,” by Matt Chambers :) • How to make F1 Sounds
Vox: www.vox.com/authors/cleo-abram
IMDb: www.imdb.com/name/nm10108242/
Gear I use:
Camera: Sony A7SIII
Lens: Sony 16-35 mm F2.8 GM
Audio: Sennheiser SK AVX and Zoom H4N Pro
Music: Musicbed
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Welcome to the joke down low:
What do you get when dinosaurs crash their cars?
Tyrannosaurus wrecks
Find a way to use “tyrannosaurus” in a comment to let me know you’re a real one who made it to the end of the description :)