Our friends across the pond at Wired.co.uk were fortunate enough to travel to Berlin for the unveiling of the Vodafone Mercedes McLaren MP4-26 Formula 1 car. The car, assembled before a live audience, offers a range of features such as an adjustable rear-wing, distinctive u-shaped side-pods and the the latest version of the kinetic energy recovery system first used in 2009.
It wasn't enough that the blokes from Wired UK got to see the car. No, they scored a brief chat with drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button about new technology, the future of the sport and, of course, cell phones.
First up, Hamilton.
Wired.co.uk: KERS and the moveable rear wing aim to encourage more overtaking. Do you think they will also make F1 more dangerous?
Lewis Hamilton: We love speed so I don't think it will be more dangerous. The teams work hard to make it safe. I have no doubt they will increase overtaking, but I haven't even gone out with KERS this year so I don't know how it feels. Having the rear wing and the KERS together is going to be amazing.
Wired.co.uk: You are only 26, how do you feel about racing when you are 42 like Michael Schumacher?
Hamilton: I don't even know if I'll make it that far. You never know what's going to happen. So I take every day as it comes.
Wired.co.uk: To what extent do you follow the birth of a new car over winter?
Hamilton: Every driver has a different approach, but I love to see how it's developing. The amount of work and ideas is just phenomenal. I always think the guys in the wind tunnel have such a cool job. I spend a lot of time with the aerodynamicists and am always asking questions of them. I try to go to the wind tunnel every chance I get. It's crazy. You can't see any of the air particles but you are able to see where the air flows with the technology they have. It's absolutely fascinating.
Wired.co.uk: What's with the new facial hair?
Hamilton: Over the winter I didn't shave. I'm very lucky since I don't grow much hair on my face. I didn't shave for 5 weeks and this is about as much as I got. So I thought I'd leave it on there because I'm quite proud of it.
Wired.co.uk: What phone do you have?
Hamilton:I have two -- an iPhone 4 and a Blackberry Torch. I don't really have time for apps and they don't really interest me. My mum has one with a cat on the screen that you stroke and she loves it.
And now, Button:
Wired.co.uk: Can you tell us what it's like in an F1 simulator (as featured in Wired's October issue)?
Button: I'm not supposed to talk about the simulator. But it's a surround screen in 3D and a tub from an F1 car which moves so you get the sensations of driving an F1 car and can feel some of the G-force. It's not maximum G-force though since it's attached to our helmet. [Note: Weights attached to the helmet replicate the sensation of G-force.] If you pulled five Gs in this thing it would rip off your head. But you feel the bumps, you feel the shift. We do all of our set up on it before a circuit. If we think of a part for our car, we put it in a simulator first [by designing a virtual component and integrating it into the simulator]. If it works there, we build the component and put it on the car, which means you don't have to build endless components that you might not use.
Wired.co.uk: What do you think of the new regulations and technologies for the 2011 season?
Button: I didn't think losing downforce [by getting rid of McLaren's innovative f-duct and double diffusers] was a good thing. But as long as you've got a car that's well-balanced, it still feels good. KERS is great. As for the moveable rear wing [designed to cut drag on the straight, boost top speed and make overtaking easier] -- I don't know. For me there was already a lot of overtaking in 2011. When you make a maneuver and it's difficult it can be a real buzz.
Wired.co.uk: Do you think F1 is doing enough in the sustainability space?
Button: We've already got KERS. Having KERS hybrid back is great. Hybrid systems are already available on road cars, but when you put it into F1, the technologies move so fast. For most road cars with KERS, it's a very strained system. But in an F1 car, you can't even feel that it's hurting you no the braking. We also have 1.6-liter turbo engines [replacing the 2.4-litre V8 engines currently in use] coming in 2013.
Wired.co.uk: What phone do you have?
Button: I have an iPhone 4. But it sat in the cupboard for four months as I couldn't work out how to get the SIM out. Luckily, Vodafone eventually sorted me out. It's great. I can go on the Internet and everything.
Wired.co.uk: What's your favorite app?
Button: Of the ones that I can probably tell you about, the F1 app is supposed to very good. I also use a triathlon app and a rally app.
This story was written by Olivia Solon of Wired UK.
Photo: McLaren
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