Formula 1 fans who aside from watching cars on track like to study every minor technical detail will be familiar with Craig Scarborough. He is travelling the world following F1 since 2000 and became known from his analysis and drawings done for Autosport and Racecar Engineering and to this day he remains one of the most tech-savvy people in the paddock.
You are synonymous with the technical part of racing. Why is this what you enjoy about the sport the most?
Most of my personal interests revolve around design and technology. Even as a child, my favourite toys and TV programmes had technical elements to them. So I guess technology is just what makes me tick. So, it’s natural that a very technical series like F1 grabs my attention, while other series have a great deal of tech, F1 cars change every two weeks, so there’s lots to be me occupied.
For the past few years a lot of people came up with ideas of “how to fix F1”. Don’t you think that the issues are exaggerated?
I think the ‘F1 is doomed’ negativity is over exaggerated, but its clear F1 has its issues, no one simple idea or stabbing at several of its problems will solve the problem. F1 really does need root and branch changes from the political, commercial and technical side for it to be as big a success in the future decades as it has been in the past few decades.
With hybrid systems, complicated electronics and advanced aerodynamic designs being common today, do you think the better times were when the cars were much simpler?
F1 has always been at the leading edge of technology, from chassis, aero and engines, the current cars are more complex, but the level of engineering behind them makes them no less complex than their predecessors were in their day. That’s not to say that some carefully selected tech changes, especially in regards to aero could help make the racing better.
Aside from F1, you have been to few Formula E races. Some drivers claim that the electric series will never be as appealing as F1. What is your take on it?
In some respects, they are right, but we must remember FE is not F1, it’s not trying to be from a technical, spectacle or commercial point of view. FE is not trying to be a typical motorsport category. It’s there to showcase the viability of electric vehicles, it does that by producing great racing and allowing technical development of the EV.
To do this it runs in city centres, recently it raced during a climate conference in Marrakech, that underlines the positive environmental nature of the sport. As result FE should run for a good long time, it’s much more like a travelling festival, aimed at the local urbanites. These are much more likely to have never gone to motor race, but may have interests in sports, cars and the environment, there potentially more of these in a city, than hardcore F1 fans, especially when the race is brought to them. In contrast F1 has dedicated fans paying a lot for tickets and driving hours from city centres to watch races at dedicated circuits.
What would be the strangest technical solution you have seen to this day?
There’s been many, both during my time writing about motorsport technology and the years before that. But possible the oddest set up, was McLaren’s F-Duct, the drivers knee was used to block off an airflow that in turn altered the airflow passing over the rear wing to boost top speed. I think none of us saw that coming or could immediately explain it.
If it was up to you to decide what should be allowed in car designs and what not, how different would they be from what is racing today?
F1 has tied itself up in knots with regulations trying prevent certain technical freedoms, especially since the ban on active technology in 1994. I think active technology should be reintroduced, with suspension and aero, but with the FIA SECU having certain controls over their use. On the aero side, more freedom to have different shapes and even moveable aero, again there are ways to control the number of changes per season and even ways with CFD to measure their performance to ensure a degree of equality. Lastly, I think the power unit formula needs to look further into the future, with alternative fuels and motive power sources starting to emerge into realistic technologies, F1 needs to incorporate these.
What do you think about autonomous racing? Will self-driving cars force people out of racetracks?
I think autonomous control has a place in motorsport, as branch of it, not to replace it. As a support category with the right promotion or as an event in itself. I see no reason why people won’t watch this at the event of on TV or internet if the racing is exciting enough.
If a guy from the street would want to buy a part of F1 car as a gift or decoration, what would you recommend and how much would it cost?
A wheel nut is a good start, they are hugely complex in their design and shape, but small enough to fit in your pocket or on your desk. They cost around €30 for a part from a recent race car.
The best and worst cars in F1 history?
We could debate for hours the best, one of my favourites is Adrian Newey’s Leyton House March from 1989. The worst may be the Andrea Moda team from the early nineties, which rarely even got as a far as leaving the pit lane!
Having spoken with drivers who raced in F1 and are now in Formula E, do they miss having a petrol engine behind them or do they prefer the electric series?
I don’t recall a driver saying they missed driving a petrol-engined car, but then at an electric racing event they probably wouldn’t! However, the drivers do talk about the incredible torque of the electric car, saying this is great when racing that they have power whenever they need it.
