Nanotech Does Have an Impact on Formula 1

A few weeks back I commented on a conference that at the time was soon to take place and would address the topic of how nanotechnology could be, or is, applied to Formula 1.

I wondered what were the applications for nanotech in the highly regulated world of Formula 1 racing and whether a conference that had topics on its agenda like “Low Carbon Vehicle Initiative and Funding Opportunities” would really be able to address my curiosity.

We now have a first-hand account of the conference and a little insight into the applications of nanotech in Formula 1 that apparently weren’t addressed within the conference.

As to the accounting of the conference, no real surprises. It was put together by a UK-based metrology group and focused primarily on…metrology.

However, TNTLog in following up on the issue of applications in Formula 1 came across an interesting application that the conference organizers neglected. It seems that last year McLaren used the rather high-profile A123 battery technology on its cars.

TNTLog notes: “As far as I know, nanotechnology was used in the 2009 season, with McLarens KERS system using A123s nano phosphate lithium ion batteries as a result of their combination of weight and charge/discharge capacity.”

It would also seem that the more strict and specific Formula 1 attempts to makes its rules on the use of nanomaterials, the more ripe it is for loopholes. When one considers the money difference a sponsor is willing to pay for a pole-position car and that of one on the back row, we are likely to see more and more ingenious uses of nanotech.