The power to change your mind

A reversal of thoughts on the future of electric racing

29/11/2017 by Bridget Schuil

I was wrong about electric cars. I was studying ecology at the time, so really should have known better than to slate green tech. I thought jet fuelled cars were going to be the way of the future, not realizing that, if I had paid attention in inorganic chemistry, I would have known that 1) jet fuel is far too volatile for civilian use, and 2) water is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. I also thought that charge networks were a silly idea when most of the world’s power came from fossil fuels.

The evolution of fireproof socks

Progress in F1 driver safety

09/05/2013 by Bridget Schuil

Humans have used fireproof clothing for centuries. The earliest reliably documented use of fireproof clothing was in twelfth century Arabia; warriors would don silk undergarments, a cotton tunic daubed with a sticky fireproof substance, and a barrage of fireworks. Then, for some reason, the technology was forgotten until humans started venturing into space and incinerating themselves on race tracks.

Being positive

Bruno Senna's optimistic outlook may see him shift to another series

10/12/2012 by Bridget Schuil

If ever there was a poster child for perpetual, unshakeable positivity – at least in public fora – Bruno Senna would be it. Throughout the three years of his Formula 1 career, his comments in interviews have been on the optimistic side of realism. Yes, this weekend the car should be strong. We've brought updates that should give us the edge over [insert closest rival team name here]. I didn't have a great performance in qualifying, but I believe I can fight for points.

Car-less in the Deep South

Is cycling to Goodwood the solution to traffic woes?

25/09/2012 by Bridget Schuil

Contrary to popular opinion, Goodwood Motor Circuit does not exist in some Diagon Alley-like warp in the space-time continuum. Neither does Silverstone, although it is considerably easier to get to (and get into) Silverstone.

A question of traffic

Testing out a solution for the British motorsport traffic problems

18/07/2012 by Bridget Schuil

What’s the best way to get to a motorsport event without spending hours in traffic? The discussion started between my flatmate - henceforth referred to as The Aussie - and I while reading the frustrated tweets of Goodwood Festival of Speed attendees waiting to get through traffic.

A Tolkien fan guide to the F1 2012 grid

A different kind of F1 who's who

16/03/2012 by Bridget Schuil

In the far South, near the ocean, twenty-four warriors are preparing for war. The fighting men have been dedicatedly preparing for this day all winter, or at least since the aftermath of Christmas. They have beaten their bodies into submission to reach the peak of physical fitness. Having glimpsed their equipment’s capacity - both strengths and flaws - they will enter the fray come daybreak. Each warrior and his support crew share a common goal: to win. However, only one can be champion. The smallest error or mechanical failure could leave them broken on the battlefield; if they haven’t rectified all the faults in their equipment, Fate will reward their enemies.

The Internet is for awesomeness

Spreading the Formula One word and joining the community together

05/10/2011 by Bridget Schuil

The internet is for awesomeness. It’s the only place where we can meet and share ideas in a fast, global way. It’s also a great place to store information – there are millions of servers out there with data that simply dispense it to whomever wants it at that time. I will admit that there’s a lot of junk, but there’s also a whole heap of great community resources – directories of local food producers, websites to jettison/acquire free stuff, and specialist news sites.

F1 teams mid-season performance review

A look at the winners and losers of 2011 so far

25/08/2011 by Bridget Schuil

At the beginning of summer break I got to pondering how well last year's new teams – namely Lotus, Virgin and Hispania – were doing. I started with a simple analysis of their qualifying performance statistics to see how far they were off the leaders, only to find that they had all gone backwards. I eliminated the Bahrain results, because they didn't paint a true picture of what each team was capable of – especially since Chandhok's first time in an F1 car was in qualifying. Still, it looked as though they had regressed.

Life of Lucas

An update on Lucas di Grassis' career and plans

10/03/2011 by Bridget Schuil

I've always thought that Lucas di Grassi was something special – he has a diverse skill-set and a good head on his shoulders. In his early career, he won a number of awards for driving in addition to the championship titles in karting that he racked up. When he was left without a drive at the end of 2010, many were surprised. We know that Virgin (now Marussia Virgin) let him go for financial reasons, opting for the better-funded Jérôme d'Ambrosio, which I felt was most unfortunate for such a promising driver.

A moment of silence

Commemorating the disappearance of an important part of the F1 paddock

02/02/2011 by Bridget Schuil

Let us have a moment of silence... Maybe I should explain why we're having a moment of silence before we start. TBEC will no longer be gracing the F1 paddock with his presence.

Bernie Ecclestone is not a humorologist

Three incidents that demonstrate an inability to make jokes

11/01/2011 by Bridget Schuil

Bernie Ecclestone is not a humorologist (a practitioner of humorology). Our Great Leader is a prime example of someone low on the HiQ (humour intelligence quotient) scale. While we have no doubt that his IQ is high, Mr. Ecclestone's ability to make jokes (and endure being the butt of them) is woefully lacking. This is demonstrated by many incidents, but I will only enter into discussion of three to save time.

Five reasons why Di Grassi deserves a drive next season

A plea for an F1 future for the Brazilian racer

24/11/2010 by Bridget Schuil

Having already made an argument for why Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok should get drives, I'd like to justify why Lucas di Grassi deserves a seat next season. I haven't spent hours poring over figures, like I did with the other two, but that is mostly because the competitors for his seat drive different cars. Thus, there isn't a basis for fair comparison.

How do you solve a problem like Hispania?

The driver dance at the rear of the field continues to hurt the team

01/10/2010 by Bridget Schuil

How do you find the clown (who’s choosing driver line-up) and take him down? We've been over the events a million times – two happy drivers in the car and two reserves, swapping one of the drivers out for a reserve, swapping the other driver out for a reserve, swapping one of the reserves out for a reserve – and the team never give us a straight answer.

The sky is falling

Formula One's ongoing efforts to be a greener sport

14/08/2010 by Bridget Schuil

The sky is falling. Well, not technically, but still, the earth is dying. It’s unavoidable now – people make movies like An Inconvenient Truth and Age of Stupid, TV channels screen adverts about greener products that seep into our consciousness while we take our mid-program bathroom break. The hippies (yes, I’m a hippie, but we can be party poopers) are trying to introduce carbon tax the world over.