Formula 1 teams are known for their innovations and building high speed race cars.
When World is struggling with covid-19 pandemic, F1 teams used their cutting edge manufacturing facility to produce low cost ventilators.
Ventilators are necessary to fight Covid-19, as it helps patients to breathe oxygen when their lungs are partially/fully dysfunctional with infection.
Due to high number of Covid cases across the world, regular medical equipment manufacturers will not be able to meet the demand for ventilators with their limited production capacity.
UK government requested all manufacturers to help producing ventilators at rapid rate nearly 1000 units per day.
Mercedes AMG HPP ventilator
Mercedes team is known for their powerful engines in F1, thanks to their engine department for producing unbeatable Hybrid engine.
Pandemic provided a new challenge to Mercedes High Performance Power train team based out of Brixworth,to produce 10,000 ventilators as per UK government request.
Andy Cowell from Mercedes AMG HPP team provides complete insight into how their team approached the problem in below video.
Muchas Gracias Mercedes!
Ferrari FI5 pulmonary ventilator
Italy is one of the most impacted countries by covid-19. Also Ferrari’s native Emilia-Romagna region, one of those hardest hit by crisis in the country.
Heavy heart Red team contributed in many ways to combat the pandemic crisis.Turning over their Maranello factory to the production of respirator valves and fittings for protective masks ,while donating 10 million euros and 150 ventilator to the Italian Civil Protection Department.
As per request from Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) to collaborate on a pulmonary ventilator device(FI5), a working group headed up by Ferrari’s Head of Chassis Engineering Simone Resta and F1 Innovation Manager Corrado Onorato was set up.
F stands for Ferrari,while I stands for Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and 5 stands for no of weeks to finish design ,conceptual prototype of new low cost pulmonary ventilator.
Ferrari and IIT successfully achieved the target and unveiled the prototype. The design of FI5 is freely available for any manufacturer to use and produce ventilators.
Project Pitlane
The seven F1 teams’ based out of UK come together to help government in building ventilators.
The project ‘Project Pitlane’, are part of a UK industry-wide effort to manufacture and deliver respiratory devices to support the national need.
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, BWT Racing Point F1 Team, Haas F1 Team, McLaren F1 Team, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, Renault DP World F1 Team, ROKiT Williams Racing are part of Project Pitlane.
