zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Watch The First-Ever Formula One Pit Stop In Zero Gravity
Watch The First-Ever Formula One Pit Stop In Zero Gravity-April 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:06

Have you ever wondered what it would be like for a pit crew to take on a tire change in space? I know that I have, mostly just because I frequently wonder what it would the future of racing will be (hint: it is long-distance interplanetary racing). Red Bull Racing is ahead of the game—it’s already practicing its zero-gravity pit stops in the event that this very specific genre of racing takes off sooner rather than later.

Red Bull really went hard preparing for this whole thing. It sent members of its pit crew to Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center at Star City in Russia for a week of zero-gravity training just to get ready for this pit stop, . Here’s more:

Using an Ilyushin II-76K training plane, which experiences zero gravity for around 20 seconds when it is put into a parabolic flight at 33,000 feet, the crew successfully changed tyres on an 2005 RB1.

Red Bull chose the RB1 because it’s a far smaller car than many of the more recent iterations, making it far easier to move around and navigate within the narrow confines of the training plane.

The whole process takes much longer than Red Bull’s current —but I’m sure that just comes down to the whole ‘needing more practice’ thing.

According to members of the crew, the whole process was a lot harder than they actually imagined. Keeping a car steady as it floats along in space is tough enough—but many crew members were saying that it was the bodily sensation of floating that proved most challenging.

It’s a cool idea and a cool video—but I really wish I was there in the meeting where this idea got pitched out.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
How To Watch NASCAR, Race Of Champions, Kyalami 9 Hour, And Everything Else In Racing This Weekend; February 4-6
How To Watch NASCAR, Race Of Champions, Kyalami 9 Hour, And Everything Else In Racing This Weekend; February 4-6
Welcome to the Jalopnik Weekend Motorsports Roundup, where we let you know what’s going on in the world of racing, where you can see it and where you can talk about it, all in one convenient place. Where else would you want to spend your weekend? NASCAR is back,...
Apr 29, 2025
How NASCAR First Visited The LA Coliseum in 1999
How NASCAR First Visited The LA Coliseum in 1999
While today’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum is the first time the NASCAR Cup Series will visit the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, it’s not the first time that a NASCAR-sanctioned series visited the iconic stadium. In a post-practice press conference, Kevin Harvick said, “I’m probably the only guy...
Apr 29, 2025
Lewis Hamilton Returns From Social Media Hiatus
Lewis Hamilton Returns From Social Media Hiatus
Before the 1993-94 NBA season, Michael Jordan shockingly announced his retirement from professional basketball. He was 29 years old, still in his physical prime and the most successful basketball player on the planet. The Chicago Bulls legend lost his desire to play basketball and wanted to pursue a baseball...
Apr 29, 2025
The Busch Light Clash At The Coliseum Was Awkward And Underwhelming
The Busch Light Clash At The Coliseum Was Awkward And Underwhelming
I wouldn’t be surprised if rapper Ice Cube didn’t include “It Was a Good Day” in his set because it simply wasn’t a good day. NASCAR’s widely-hyped exhibition adventure to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum took place today. Joey Logano won the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum after...
Apr 29, 2025
Kitty Brunell Was The First Woman To Win A British RAC Rally
Kitty Brunell Was The First Woman To Win A British RAC Rally
In 1933, 22-year-old Kitty Brunell won a Royal Automobile Club rally at Hastings in England behind the wheel of a four-seater AC Ace sports car. With that victory, Brunell became the first — and only — woman to ever win a RAC rally. Soon after, though, Brunell’s name faded...
Apr 29, 2025
This Weekend's Kyalami 9 Hour Only Had 13 Cars
This Weekend's Kyalami 9 Hour Only Had 13 Cars
The final international motorsport championship of 2021 was decided yesterday in South Africa. The 2021 Kyalami 9 Hour was initially scheduled to take place on December 4th, 2021 but was postponed due to The 2021 Intercontinental GT Challenge’s final round was rescheduled to February 5th, 2022. Timur Boguslavskiy, Jules...
Apr 29, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved