Red Bull Motorsports
F1
F1 Race Car versus Supercar
The highest level of motorsport against consumer zeal, which would you rather drive?
Red Bull Racing driver Neel Jani on Khardung-La
© Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool
A question that bench racers frequently wonder is which would you rather drive, a supercar, or a purpose built Formula One car – a machine that competes in the most strategic and technologically advanced motorsport in the world?
In a sanctioned race around a proper track, there’s no contest. The F1 car, with its high levels of aerodynamic downforce and traction, lightweight construction, and a powerful engine, will easily take on any license-plate wielding supercar. Take the Circuit of the America’s track located in Austin, Texas. Site of the upcoming United States Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing driver, Sebastian Vettel qualified for pole position with a time of 1:35.657 at the track last year. For reference, if a “generic” supercar can get into the 2:20’s, it’s considered spectacular.
Thanks to fierce competition from 21 other cars, a slew of designers, engineers, and technicians, technology advances at a feverish development pace that make a modern F1 race car more like a constantly-updating software during beta testing rather than a finished product. Let’s just say this year’s pole time should be even quicker than last.
On the flip side, even the best of supercars will only get a refresh once every other year or so, with most cars being flashes in the overall product portfolio, albeit bright ones, for their respective manufacturers. Once the sales objectives are reached, production lines go quiet, ready for the next product. That said, with economies of scale parts for a supercar are far more affordable to custom fabricated parts. An off-the-shelf bumper beats an autoclaved carbon fiber piece any day.
Sebastian Vettel woke up in an old Bugatti
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Nevertheless, once a finicky breed like an F1 machine, supercars now can be driven any day of the week, in just about any season. These automotive products get mileage that rival regular passenger cars from just a few years ago, while delivering acceleration numbers just a few tenths slower than an F1 car. Just don’t tell the F1 superstar that the supercar driver is swathed in Alcantara, carbon fiber, brushed aluminum, and the finest leather and listening to a podcast about artisanal cheese while the seat heaters are on.
But one area that F1 cars have an advantage is in the engine. Regulated by a strict set of rules, the engine specification consists of a 2.4-liter V-8, with dual overhead cams (with trick pneumatic springs working in conjunction with the standard coil-type) and fuel injection. Since they can rev to 18,000 rpm–at least twice what even the best supercar engines can provide–estimated power output is in the neighborhood of 800hp. In comparison, a Ferrari 458 Italia’s V-8 engine redlines at 9,000 rpm and produces “only” 562 hp.
Riding off into the sunset
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Just as in F1, recent supercars such as the Porsche 918 have started to adopt kinetic energy recovery system (KERS). While the powertrains may not be as squeezed for every drop of power or weight like in an F1 car, supercar engineers have the benefit of being able to have some creativity and ingenuity for their products. Engine sizes, configurations, cylinder count, power-adders¬–they’re all fair game in order to capture the hearts and minds of potential customers.
Regardless of the method, it’s this very technology that even allows us to put a supercar and an F1 car in this odd couple match-up. But at the end of the day, while the supercar owner merely has to belt himself in and flip the starter, the F1 driver will require a full crew to get the lubricants and tires up to temperature, strap himself into the car, and get the car off the jack stands. And at the end of the day, no matter how fast a car is, the best car is the one you can drive off into the sunset.
Catch the F1 action from the U.S. Grand Prix on NBC. The race starts this Sunday at 1 p.m. Central.
Follow Red Bull Austin and Red Bull Racing on Twitter for the latest updates on the U.S. Grand Prix.
