When people ask you why F1 cars are so expensive, show them this video. You are going to watch a fascinating engineering study that tells the story of how the Mercedes team quite literally redesigned the wheels on their F1 car to stop tire failures that they were happening.
The Mercedes team has been monstrous in F1 and with Lewis Hamilton racking up another championship, they show no signs of slowing down. If there was one weak point in their armor it was tires and the fact that they were blowing them out in spectacular fashion during the race and it was costing them podiums, wins, and potentially championships. Throwing the whole might of their organization into the problem yielded first a study as to why these failures were happening and then a way to fix it.
We’re not sure this much fascinating stuff has happened with a wheel since they were first invented! The way that they figured out how to pull the heat away and use the wheel as an active part of the whole process is truly amazing to us.
So why are F1 cars so expensive? Just check out what goes into the wheels!
