Journals

Post #1 - August 12th

I enjoy talking to people. I haven't gone a day without sending a text or a video to someone in years. I also enjoy learning new things. I love the feeling of understanding a topic to the point where I can explain it to someone! That being said, I like researching topics that I'm interested in! I like being surrounded by people who share my passion for researching, even if we aren't looking into the same topics. Bouncing ideas off of other people fulfills my need for conversation but I'm also pushed to focus as I'd be surrounded by good, smart vibes. That being said, I am part of a research class at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where I am doing a partner study. We are creating a hypothetical mission rover design. I also spend a lot of my time talking and hanging out with friends.

My favorite sport to watch is Formula 1, as one can see through my website. I love the drama of the sport along with the different components that make a winning driver or a winning team. My favorite driver at the moment is Lewis Hamilton. He demonstrates a good social personality and driving skills. He also displays strong professionalism and has many fancy outfits! My favorite sport to play is volleyball as I play with my friends. I’ve been on the school team for the past few years and I’ve really enjoyed that. I also played basketball for a few years along with softball and soccer.

One other fact about me is that I love reading. I don’t know if there’s a specific name for the genre of “teenagers traveling, completing quests, and committing crimes in a way that real teenagers definitely wouldn’t” but, I enjoy those types of books. I loved Percy Jackson and the Olympians growing up. Fun fact: I share a birthday with Percy! My favorite books series at the moment has got to be either the Six of Crows duology or The Naturals series. I still have to finish the Naturals but it's so good that it’s already at the top of my list. Hopefully I can finish the series sometime soon!

Post #2 - August 19th

   I’ve always had a good relationship with school as a whole. From good grades to great reliable friends, there hasn’t been anything I’ve had to worry about. I’ve grown to learn that I don’t have to be completely independent in school. I know I can ask teachers, fellow classmates and upperclassmen any questions, even if the answer is pretty obvious. I think my favorite school year that I’ve had was either 8th grade or freshmen year. Those were the years fresh out of COVID, where I was having a huge character development arc. I was learning to enjoy life and what comes with it. I picked out the right friends during this time and most of them are still close to me.

    I’ve had a lot of good memories in history classes. Over the past 3 years, I’ve loved Mr. Kauffmann and Mrs. McPherson’s classes. They were very funny people who could joke and teach at the same time. Another thing I’ve loved is the volleyball team. Genuinely speaking, I don’t really care that much about winning games. I mostly enjoy playing with my friends. The volleyball community has such a strong, comfortable community. Even when we play other teams, we are all kind and respectful to each other.

    Honestly, my biggest motivation for school is my family, then my friends. My parents worked very hard to get to America and give me the grand life that I’ve had. I want to make them proud and work hard. I also work hard because all my friends work hard. I want to stay in the same classes as them, and be able to joke around with them on things we relate to. These people are role models and people I look up to, even if they’re physically shorter than me.

I love and dislike many things about school. I love hanging out with my friends and learning but I dislike dramatic, fake people who only care about a college application or what will make them look better. Those types of people are tiring and I tend to avoid them as much as I can. Speaking of friends, that’s how I learned of  E=mc2. I’ve heard that it’s a fun class and a good learning experience. I hope to do good research in this program!

Post #3 - August 26th

  A while ago, I watched the biographical movie, Gran Turismo. This movie followed Jann Mardenborough, an endurance racer. This meant that his races had many drivers for long periods of time. I loved the movie so much that I wanted to invest more into motorsports. At the time, I didn’t know anything about motorsports with the exception of the Cars movies and the name Formula 1. So, I went on a deep dive, I scoured the internet about the sport. I learned the driver’s names and the drama that occurred behind the scenes. As I watched the races today, I questioned the different techniclites that lead to failures during races. I wondered why regulations were so important to the sport and this year, through this research, I intend to gain a deeper understanding of the engineering of Formula 1 cars.

I honestly don’t know much about the cars’ designs. I know that cars are updated throughout the season and that the designs of cars are specified for the driver, whether it’s the seat design or the balance of weight. I also have a low understanding of the different names of the different parts of the car. While these are all at a minimum I intend to delve deeper. A few questions I have right now are: How come some cars are faster on curves or straights while others aren’t? How does the Drag Reduction System work? How does weight affect the speed of a car on straights versus turns? What are ways a car can be altered to fit a driver’s driving style? How do aerodynamics positively and negatively affect a car?

As for professionals in the subject, I wanted to speak to the engineering teachers, Mr. Freeman and Mr. Corbet. I also want to speak to Mr. Ford, the upcoming AP Physics teacher. I also will be contacting Formula 1 teams in hopes that they possibly have a person working in engineering design that could help me out. It will be nice to communicate with others about this topic!

Post #4 - September 16th

       I am looking to investigate a Formula 1 car analysis where I deduct different engineering designs while keeping rules/limits and circumstances into consideration.

  I think I know that teams with economically higher stances than other teams tend to fare better than others. I think I know that some cars are designed to work better on some circuits and not others. I believe that each section of the car may be extremely expensive. For example, a steering wheel might coast around $20,000. I think I know that past accidents on a race track can affect the following racing decisions for a car’s design. I’ve also heard that aerodynamic flows alter based on where a driver is on a track. I think I know the basic vocabulary for the sections of the car but, I need to look more on diagrams. I also have heard of different design decisions such as a wooden plank on the bottom of a car or a lack of air conditioning. I believe I know how the Drag Reduction System works. I also believe that driver’s porpoising is a large issue that can be solved through engineering design but it may also have to do with downforce and circuit conditions. I also think that there were more wheel compounds than just the modern-day five (hards, mediums, softs, inters, wets).

  I know I know that the fastest recorded speed is around 310 km per hour. I know that teams change different parts of their cars to adjust for each grand prix’s circuit. I know that different drivers like to have specific adjustments to their car, such as Max Verstappen’s front - heavy balance. I also know that car regulations are determined by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile). For example, in 2026, car regulations are changing. This includes switching to eco-friendly fuel and bringing the volume and mass limits to lesser values. When things like this happen, teams have to work hard years ahead of time to make sure their car fits regulation. Also, on the topic of limits, cars and drivers must be weighed after the race to make sure the ending statistics align with the rules as being overweight or underweight can lead to advantages over other drivers. Not following these rules leads to disqualification, for example, George Russell in the July 2024 Belgian Grand Prix lost his first place positioning because his ending fuel amounts weren’t what they were supposed to be and it tipped his car’s weight in a way that it wasn’t supposed to go. I also know that the halo is a relatively new feature which was created for safety purposes. These are things that I know but I need to look into more.

Post #5 - September 23th

• I don’t know all the basic vocabulary for the parts of a Formula 1 car.

• I don’t know how the weather affects the materials of the vehicles.

• I don’t know the extent to which crashes are taken care of. 

• I don’t know the extent of the differences between old designs vs. modern day designs.

• I don’t know how much the halo has assisted in car incidents.

• I don’t know if the FIA is directly involved in car manufacturing.

• I don’t know exactly how much the core components of the car cost.

• I don’t know all the specifications a driver can make to a car.

• I don’t know exactly how a pit stop works.

• I don’t know the different types of engineers that work on the car.

I have determined that, from my list of 10 “don’t knows”, I need to know the different parts of a Formula 1 car. This is important for a variety of reasons, most importantly, to make further research easier. By knowing the basic components of a Formula 1 car, I could potentially create a basic 3D model of the car and I could look into specific parts of the car with knowledge of the parts surrounding it. I’d also be able to have easier contact with specialists in the field of motorsport engineering. Being able to describe the standard parts of the car would overall help me understand what each part does and how it affects the part’s surrounding it. If I want to analyze the most important factors of the cars this year, I have to understand the basic components of the car first!

Post #6 - September 30th

I am turning my “don’t know” of “I don’t know all the basic vocabulary for the parts of a Formula 1 car,” to the question: What is the basic vocabulary for the fundamental parts of a Formula 1 car? With the use of the following diagram, I will define some of the basic words needed for this subject.

Post #8 - October 23th

The “Need to know” that I’ve chosen for this period of time is, “What is the extent of the differences between old designs vs. modern day designs of Formula 1 cars?” I believe this falls into the Comprehension category of the HOTQs. This is because a couple of the questions starters in that category are, “How would you compare…?  Contrast…?” and “What can you say about…?” These are starters that heavily relate to the essential question at hand. I can look into the designs of early Formula 1 cars in the 1950s and compare them to the designs of modern day cards. I could look at Ferrari specifically as they are the oldest Formula 1 team. I’ll be able to look into safety changes, weight requirements and overall aerodynamic changes. As for my sub-questions:

1. How would you compare the safety regulations of an early Formula 1 car design in comparison to the safety regulations of a modern-day Formula 1 car design? - Comprehension - Comparing and contrasting the cars will make the differences between the cars very visible and obvious.

2. What can you say about how a change of social and physical environment changed the components of a Formula 1 car? - Knowledge - Taking in the historical events and technological advancements into consideration allows a viewing on how Formula 1 has changed with society.

3. How would you classify the material changes between the older Formula 1 cars and the newer Formula 1 car? - Analysis - I’d be able to understand how different materials affect the car and how different materials change over time. 

I think the best sub-question I’ve created to aid with my “Need to Know” is “How would you compare the safety regulations of an early Formula 1 car in comparison to the safety regulations of a modern-day Formula 1 car?” This will help me attempt to answer “What is the extent of the differences between old designs vs. modern day designs?” This is because the safety changes between the models of the cars have varied and have been debated often throughout time.

Sources to be used:

Duxbury, Anna. “History of safety devices in Formula 1: The halo, barriers & more.” Autosport, https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/history-of-safety-devices-in-formula-1-the-halo-barriers-more-4982360/4982360/. Accessed 23 October 2024.

“F1's 70th Anniversary: How have F1 cars changed since 1950?” Autosport, 7 August 2020, https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1s-70th-anniversary-how-have-f1-cars-changed-since-1950-4980423/4980423/. Accessed 23 October 2024.

“1950 vs 2020: Cars, drivers, safety and pit stops – how F1 has changed in 70 years | Formula 1®.” F1, 

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/1950-vs-2020-cars-drivers-safety-and-pitstops-how-f1-

has-changed-in-70-years.62ITx6LlIY3qgzTctXgz1j. Accessed 23 October 2024.

Post #9 - October 30th

My essential question was, “What is the extent of the differences between old designs vs. modern day designs of Formula 1 (F1) cars?” Through thorough research, I gained an understanding that the differences between older cars and newer cars are seen in all categories. For example, the overall design of the cars has changed heavily over time. The first F1 car was created in 1950 by the name, 1950 Alfa Romeo 158. It held high speeds and pushed new limits during its time. In comparison to the 2020 Alfa Romeo C39, there have been many technological advancements. 

One advancement seen through material changes. Cars in the 1950s were made mostly of aluminum while modern-day cars are made with carbon fiber, a stronger and more lightweight material. Another change was in the position of the engine, where older cars had their engines located in the front of the vehicle, new cars have them located in the back. This also means there were significant speed differences, seeing as the 1950 car peaked at 180 mph and the 2020 car at 220 mph.

More changes were seen in parts such as the steering wheel where the older cars were plain aluminum and wood. Modern-day cars have an extensive steering wheel, where many items are located, such as the activation of DRS, speaking to their engineers, or the clutch. On the topic of the clutch, older cars used a 4 speed H-pattern box, this meant drivers switched gears by physically moving the gearshift while driving while also strategically using 3 pedals with their feet. Modern drivers change gears by using gear shifters on the steering wheel.

To answer my sub question, “How would you compare the safety regulations of an early Formula 1 car in comparison to the safety regulations of a modern-day Formula 1 car?” I've seen that cars have gotten more and more safe. This is seen through the differences of helmets where 1950s’ drivers would settle for cloth head covers and a pair of goggles along with a lack of seatbelts, “Better to be thrown out than burnt,” Sterling Ross would say. In the modern day, drivers are equipped with strong helmets with face shields, and tightly secured seatbelts. There was also the incredible creation of the halo in 2018. The halo arced over the driver, it has prevented many, many accidents and serious injuries since its creation.

I think in the future, I want to look at how the cars change but in a shorter span of time. The sources I’ve selected mention how the car changes on a smaller scale. I intend to look into these questions more in the future.

Sources to be cited:

“ANALYSIS: Comparing the key differences between the 2021 and 2022 F1 car 

designs | Formula 1®.” F1, 15 July 2021, 

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/analysis-comparing-the-key-diffe

rences-between-the-2021-and-2022-f1-car.4xYDhtOjDee4cEQ3P4RsK9. 

Accessed 30 October 2024.

“Guide To 2022 F1 Aerodynamics.” Oracle Red Bull Racing, 

https://www.redbullracing.com/int-en/bulls-guide-to-2022-aerodynamics. 

Accessed 30 October 2024.

Post #10 - November 6th

“What is the extent of the differences between old designs vs. modern day designs of Formula 1 (F1) cars?” Using the SPECS, an analytical pneumonic device, I’m going to look through the relevance of my essential question.

Significance/So What? - Why do these essential questions matter?

This question matters because it shows how engineering changes throughout time. Historically speaking, technology seems to advance together. When one part of technology updates, every other part of technology updates with it. The updating and advancements of the F1 cars shows not only the change in history in F1 but, a change in world technology. 

Perspective/Point of View - Who does this affect and how?

This question mostly affects the drivers, people who try to be drivers and viewers. This is because it gives knowledge on how the sport has developed technology wise. Drivers now face challenges that are different from drivers back then. Becoming a driver is harder due to the way the sport has developed and the viewership has increased as well. The change in the program began with the change in the car.

Evidence - How do I know this information is valuable (this is where your citations come in)?

The sources I use are either from official Formula 1 websites or racing-centered websites that I fact checked with other resources and personal knowledge. The information I use is relevant and easy to understand as well. I am able to take the information and adapt its presentation to answer the question I’m answering. Also, my sources get straight to the point and don’t spend time talking about topics not searched for or introduced in the introduction.

Connections - What other subject areas are connected to this?

Engineering design changes are connected to many aspects of engineering. The changes of F1 cars and followed by changes in personal vehicles. This also shows the trend of engineering design as a whole, in all subjects where the materials and design advance with time and more use.

Supposition - What are some assumptions you had that were changed based on your research? 

I thought the cars from the 1950s were safer than they actually were. I was aware that safer practices were implemented in the early 2000s and prior to that, they were a higher risk of death but, I didn’t realize how dangerous it actually was. As in, who thought cloth caps and aluminum bodywork would be a good idea? That person should’ve gotten a job evaluation. I also thought that for drivers, the progression process from beginner to professional would be similar to modern day where growing up rich gave a large advantage. Older drivers came from many different professions unlike modern drivers who trained all their lives.

Overall, my sources for this question were great and I had genuine interest in reading them. They were organized well and gave me information that I was expecting to be given. I was also able to fact check and look more into smaller topics and words that I didn’t understand. This is a good question for the analysis of F1 cars in general because it shows me how they’ve changed, in an important topic.

My November SDA (Self Designed Assignment) is going to be “Inside the Mind of… Biography project.” The project works with the prompt of, “Choose a technology and present to your audience a famous perspective as it relates to your topic. Ex - If your research topic is astronomy - Present the final thoughts of Giordano Bruno as he was being burned at the stake.” I plan on looking inside the mind of Adrian Newey, a current Red Bull engineer and engineering legend. He has many world championships under his belt and is known throughout the motorsport community. I want to look at his perspective as he designed cars in the 1980s to present day and into the next couple years, as regulations for car designs change. He’s an iconic figure I want to look more into.

Post #11 - November 13th

For my SDA, I’m choosing to do the option on the SDA Menu titled:  “Inside the Mind of… Biography project.” The project works with the prompt of, “Choose a technology and present to your audience a famous perspective as it relates to your topic. Ex - If your research topic is astronomy - Present the final thoughts of Giordano Bruno as he was being burned at the stake.” I plan on looking inside the mind of Adrian Newey, a current Red Bull engineer and engineering legend. 

Adrian Newey has worked in Formula 1 for over 44 years. He’s worked for 3 different teams (Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull) as of the present and he is set to start working for Aston Martin in 2025. He has 12 World Constructor’s Championships (Total Team Points) and 13 World Drivers Championships. He is known for being able to adapt his car, regardless of the regulation changes that may be introduced. This goes well with my essential question of “What is the extent of the differences between old designs vs. modern day designs of Formula 1 (F1) cars?” Looking at Adrian Newey shows how engineers changed the cars to fit the time period and regulations. His understanding of aerodynamics has led to him becoming an incredibly successful engineer in the motorsport community.

For my SDA, I intend to use my sources to look into some of the major regulation changes of the last 40 years or so and see them through the eyes of Adrian Newey. I’d like to look at the checkpoints of his career and how the cars have changed with them. I intend to do this from a biographical standpoint. I’ll try to make inferences on what his thought process at the time would've been as well. I feel as though this would be the best way to represent this task because, not only will the reader gain an understanding on how Newey adapted to his environment and created cars but, it would also show a chronological order of many of the social aspects of F1 while being in a format that is easy to organize and read.

For my sources, I will at least be using the cited websites below. In my SDA I intend to at least use this information:

• The size differences of the cars from the late 1900s to present day

• The swift aerodynamic changes that occurred with new regulations 

• Some of the specific regulations that the FIA issued to the cars, such as limited weights of cars and lengths of wings

• The modification of side pods and other parts of the car that would aid in aerodynamics and downforce aspects

While these are topics I intend to touch upon, I’m not only going to use the information above and a deeper dive will occur.

Questions? As of right now, the only questions I have are in the concern of sources. May I use more than the 5 sources that I’ve gathered in the last few posts? Like the one about Adrian Newey that I added below? Thank you!

“1950 vs 2020: Cars, drivers, safety and pit stops – how F1 has changed in 70 years | Formula 1®.” F1, https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/1950-vs-2020-cars-drivers-safety-and-pitstops-how-f1-has-changed-in-70-years.62ITx6LlIY3qgzTctXgz1j. Accessed 23 October 2024.

“ANALYSIS: Comparing the key differences between the 2021 and 2022 F1 car 

designs | Formula 1®.” F1, 15 July 2021, 

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/analysis-comparing-the-key-diffe

rences-between-the-2021-and-2022-f1-car.4xYDhtOjDee4cEQ3P4RsK9. 

Accessed 30 October 2024.

“Guide To 2022 F1 Aerodynamics.” Oracle Red Bull Racing, 

https://www.redbullracing.com/int-en/bulls-guide-to-2022-aerodynamics. 

Accessed 30 October 2024.

“INSIGHT: A closer look at the 12 constructors' title-winning cars Adrian Newey has 

designed | Formula 1®.” F1, 29 September 2023, 

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/insight-a-closer-look-at-the-12-co

nstructors-title-winning-cars-adrian-newey.1QAwEdYMG8hAz76kEHGefF. 

Accessed 13 November 2024.

Post #12 - December 9th

For my SDA, I chose to do  “Inside the Mind of… Biography project.”  This SDA worked with the prompt of “Choose a technology and present to your audience a famous perspective as it relates to your topic. Ex - If your research topic is astronomy - Present the final thoughts of Giodano Bruno as he was being burned at the stake.” I chose to look at Adrian Newey, a renowned engineer with countless mechanical adaptations and championships under his belt.

For this assignment, I didn’t manage my time well and completed it in about 3 days. I feel as though it would've come out better if I spent a bit more working on it. While doing this assignment, I learned a bunch about different adaptations that have been done in the past. It was interesting to see how F1 has changed over the years, from the limits to the adaptations. I also was able to recognize how much I was into the topic. I had to bounce from source to source, tab to tab, and image to image to make my SDA. I felt that I had a lot of dedication in the moment and if I managed my time better, it could’ve come out better.

The most important thing I learned was that all issues are adaptable and the car will always continue to run. I’m pretty proud of my ability to stay organized during the assignment, keeping my tabs and sources grouped and separate. On that note, I need to work more on my time management and communication with my mentor. With the information I’ve learned this month, I can keep in mind that every issue is adaptable in motorsport. My new essential question is, “What are the different specifications a driver can make to a car?”

For the “The Academic Minute,” portion of this journal post, I’m choosing to look at the podcast titled: Jonathan Purtle, New York University – Implementing the 988 Lifeline. The main idea of this podcast was to analyze the usability of the 988 mental health hotline. I think they chose to look into this because the hotline is a fundamental tool that should always be used when needed yet, there is a large amount of people who don’t use it. The tone was very serious, I could feel as though the person reading was rather monotone and reading off a piece of paper. The techniques the narrator used were mostly shown in research. He spoke of a survey he did, read off some information, and did a bit of analyses. The way the recording was done makes me understand how important it is for the 988 Lifeline to be known and to be spread to those who needed it.

Post #13 - January 13th

As our midterm approaches, my partner, Harshetha, and I have decided to focus our midterm on the ideas of safety and accidents. While Harshetha focuses on the medical responses to accidents, I can specify the causes of crashes and the effects these crashes have had on newer safety regulations.

I decided to read Formula One: a ‘crash’ course in motorsports medicine by James Michael Kempema. This article surrounded the idea of safety for the drivers of Formula 1 cars. The article discussed how dangerous the sport is, mentioning the high speeds and open cockpit. It also spoke about how the high forces pushed on the driver made the sport more risky. The increased riskiness adds appeal to the sport but it introduces an increased amount of danger. The article then went into detail about the different devices made to make Formula 1 safer. This includes the Head and Neck Support device and the shape of structures like the Monocoque. The article continued by talking about the materials of the car and the helmet. In this article, I saw talks of medical cars and helicopters as well. These are vehicles that must be on the circuit during an event and provide quick and safe care in destructive situations (Kempema). I found this article using Google Scholar under the search “reasons for f1 car crashes”.

This article is relevant to our research as it focuses on both safety, crashes and Formula 1 vehicles.

While this article was more of an analysis of the safety regulations and adaptations in F1, I found that it took into account many aspects that I didn’t see in my past research on safety. For example, this article discussed the many of the materials of the helmet and the safety advancements made on the circuit. The article also referenced various different crashes from the different time periods of Formula 1 history. I found this interesting and it gave context for many advancements made. These stories could be used in our upcoming podcast.

I learned many new words during this article as well. For example, I didn’t know another word for “Monocoque” was “survival cell” and extrication, which is the act of freeing one from something else(“EXTRICATION Definition & Meaning”). I had full understanding of the other words used in the article.

After listening to a story about whale communication from the episode Animal Minds, from RadioLab. I found that they used a lot of emotion throughout the telling of the story. This includes tones of voices, music, word choice, etc. You could feel the feelings of those telling the story, from fear, to astonishment and amazement to joy and curiosity. They continued the emotions as they diverged from the cute story, to the technical speaking of the interview, where they used humor and engaged voices to make the listener engaged as well. Overall, I enjoyed the podcast. It showed me how emotion plays a role in how one is intrigued in the episode. I think these tactics may be used on our own podcast.

“Animal Minds.” Radiolab, https://radiolab.org/podcast/animal-minds-211125. 

Accessed 13 January 2025.

“EXTRICATION Definition & Meaning.” Dictionary.com, 11 January 2025,

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/extrication. Accessed 13 January 2025.

Kempema, James Michael. “Formula One: a ‘crash’ course in motorsports medicine.” 

PubMed Central, 15 April 2024, 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11029468/. Accessed 13 January 

2025.

Post #14 - January 20th

The article I chose to look at today is titled: DESTINED TO CRASH: FATAL CRASHES IN F1-RACING. This article talked a lot about how drivers died. It went into depth on the different types of injuries they had from head injuries to chest injuries and more. It also talked about how different devices and parts of the cars have adapted throughout time and have made Formula 1 much more safer to the point where the expectation of deaths within one season has gone down tremendously. This article was published by Emilia Lokkila as a Bachelor's Thesis with the Department of History and Ethnology at the University of Jyväskylä.

The author of this article was Emilia Lokkila, a student at the University of Jyväskylä. While I wasn't able to find much about her impact on the field, I was able to gather that she is a college student in Finland and wrote this article for her Bachelor’s.

This article went more in-depth after the reason for the safety regulations in comparison to the article from last week. This article made me think more about why certain regulations had to occur because it talked about how drivers died citing back to their races and their cause of deaths from seat belts to helmets to magnesium fires.

Personally, I think we can use the information from this article to connect how different deaths require different medical assistance. One of the things mentioned in this article was biometric gloves which displayed the health statistics of a driver to those around them. I think this invention could be mentioned in our podcast because it gives a good tie between our subjects. 

Some data points were seen in the fact that 24 out of 52 drivers died from neck and head injuries. The article also went into depth about the trauma related injuries in the complication related injuries surrounding the neck and head. The article also said that of the 52 drivers deaths that were analyzed in this paper, 16 of them were because a driver crashed into a wall. 13 of 52 drivers died by fire and 9 of all the drivers were either crushed by their own car or flew into the air with their car.

One limitation that was personal to me was that this article was clearly translated from Finnish which made some of the words a bit complicated to understand. I also found that this article focused on deaths and the safety regulations that came after that rather than other regulations that came not because of death, but because of concerns that happened during races. 

A large chunk of the article surrounded knowledge I already knew, so there weren't any words that I genuinely didn't know the meaning of.  I found this article using Google Scholar under the search “reasons for f1 car crashes”.

While listening to Relative Genius, I found that the people who were telling the story were very engaged with the mystery. They spoke as though they wanted people to be as engaged as they were. They used pauses in their speech and cleverly analyzed moments that led to more searching. The background music was also very suspenseful. It matched the energy of the part of the story, whether it was faster paced or in minor tones. When it stopped, it forced the reader to listen in to what the speakers were saying. Overall, many background parts of the story contributed to the mystery and storytelling.

Lokkila, Emilia. “DESTINED TO CRASH: FATAL CRASHES IN F1-RACING.” 

University of Jyväskylä, Spring 2024, 

https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/93654/URN%3ANBN%3Afi%3Aj

yu-202402262119.pdf?sequence=1. Accessed 13 January 2025.

Overington, Alex, and Jad Abumrad. “G: Relative Genius.” Radiolab, 28 June 

2019, https://radiolab.org/podcast/g-relative-genius. Accessed 20 January 

2025.

Post #15 - January 27th

The article I chose to look at was titled: Statistical Analysis of the Impact of FIA Regulations on Safety, Racing Dynamics, and Spectacle in Formula 1 by Abdelghani Belgaid. The article questioned how safety regulations affected the amusement that came out of the sport. If more focus was put into keeping the drivers safe, would the exhilaration of risk that comes with this sport be as interesting? The article was published under the College of Computing at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco (Belgaid). As a College of Computing, there is the assumption that they put a lot of value into statistical analysis. This is seen in the article I read because it focused a lot on different statistical terms that weren't comprehensive to me. I believe this college doesn’t intend for the main focus of this study to be Formula 1 but instead, statistical analysis of the given data.

The author I used for this journal seems to have a lot of background in statistics, coding and engineering. As far as I could see, he had only published the article that I read. I believe he's very Incorporated in discussions surrounding engineering and statistical analysis.

This study started off with the hypothesis that increased safety regulations would lower the exhilaration of the spectator sport (Belgaid). It continued to test this by taking the data of the cars’ Weight Percentage Change, Overtakes Growth Rate, Average Overtakes per Race, and Fatalities per Race (Belgaid). He continued by putting the data in Linear Regression models and Q-Q models, neither of which makes much sense to me at this moment. While reading, I found that there was a risk for a limited amount of information gathered. I also found that some data that was prevalent in the past was not as accentuated closer to the present, meaning, there may have been irregularities in terms of those statistics.

My research questions the overall analysis of a Formula 1 Car. Looking into the statistical analysis of different safety regulations shows me how the car has adapted over the years. It allows me to put into perspective how the car has changed and what it means for the sport.

This article looked into a statistical analysis on safety regulations, in which my partner and I are looking into the safety and healthcare of motorsport. This article will help me engage in conversation because I will be able to point out that even though more safety regulations have occurred over the years, the exhilaration of the sport has stayed constant (Belgaid).

I need to look more into Linear Regression Models and Q-Q models in general. I didn’t have the mathematical background to understand the visual data the article was attempting to present to me.

Other questions that came from this article included: How else would safety regulations affect the sport if not the cars’ functions and the viewership? Could the data in this study estimate the probability of certain functions in the upcoming season? What are specific data points that hold a lot of weight in the statistics?

To find this article, I typed in “safety measures taken in formula one” into Google Scholar and found this article.

In the podcast: The Queen of Dying, I found that the research used was very vital to the story. The research the speaker put into the story to clarify her own beliefs led to more questions. She was able to answer her own questions and that led to her digging deeper. She would communicate, read and listen to different sources as a way to understand what she wanted to know. The research she put into the story allowed her to tell a whole journey and connect it to her personal life story. Using real speech from Elisabeth Kübler-Ross made the story more authentic, putting in the research of finding those audio clips made the story more interesting. The speaker was able to make a distinct connection between a person who was known for dying with a death in her own family, speaking of the stages of grief. Overall, the effort put into the research was very obvious and hopefully we can recreate this in our own podcast.

Belgaid, Abdelghani. “[2410.11375] Statistical Analysis of the Impact of FIA 

Regulations on Safety, Racing Dynamics, and Spectacle in Formula 1.” arXiv, 

15 October 2024, https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.11375. Accessed 27 January 

2025.

“The Queen of Dying.” Radiolab, 23 July 2021, 

https://radiolab.org/podcast/queen-dying. Accessed 27 January 2025.

RadioLab Midterm Reflection - February 27th

On February 12, I worked with a partner to make a RadioLab podcast that combined our areas of interest for this class. This is seen as the midterm on my assignments page. Her topic was AI in healthcare and mine is Formula One car analysis. We had to find a common ground in our subjects and meet up to record our podcast. 

In terms of Collaboration & Teamwork, my partner and I worked individually until we had to, which, looking back, wasn’t the best idea. We both focused on our individual parts and didn’t communicate as much as we should have during the first stories. I think we could’ve gone over the rubric together to make sure we were both on the same page from the start to the end.

For our Creative Process, I thought that the podcast would be simpler than it was. I didn’t really think about how I was going to do the music for my section until I did it. I played around a lot with the volume of the music and the different songs but, I didn’t take into account the volume of my voice. I also didn’t put as much effort into listening to my partner’s part because we worked separately rather than as partners. 

For the Research & Preparation, I combined information that I knew from a past SDA, the articles that I’d been reading for the journals in preparation for this midterm and some information I had already known about Formula One safety. One thing that helped me stay on track while collecting my information was how I organized it on my planning document. I linked each driver with a different device and then I set them up in the order I was going to talk about them in. I added a few pre-typed voice lines in my planning doc so it felt more organized when I spoke.

In terms of Technical Skills & Execution, I think I gained the ability to match the vibe of music with the vibe of the words being spoken. This led to what I thought was some good musical execution. What was hard for me was transitioning between each song and each driver. I ended up playing around with different volumes a lot so I can try and get smooth transitions in the music.

For some Challenges, my partner and I struggled with gathering information for our initial idea. This led to us changing our topic a little bit on both sides and doing what felt best for both of us.

For my Growth & Learning, I learned that even though I'm better at speaking off of bullet points rather than a script, I still need to take into account how much I need to practice my recordings. One thing I did like was learning about the individual drivers. My topic is mostly focused on the car itself, so learning about the drivers is interesting for me.

My Proudest Moment was when I was talking about Jules Bianchi's crash. I paused the music in the background to emphasize the point I was speaking on. This felt very theatrical to me and I felt so cool after I did it. I felt like pausing all the background noise forced the listener to pay special attention to what I was saying at the moment.

If We Had More Time, I would have put more effort into the finer, minute details. I also would have gotten someone that wasn't me or my partner to listen to the podcast. Then, I would have taken their input into account. As for Advice for Future Podcasters, I’d tell them to thoroughly go through the rubric and make sure that they and their partner are on the same page. I’d also want to make sure that they have enough time to practice through their recordings.

For my Takeaways & Future Applications, this project will help me a lot on other podcast-based projects that I might do in the future. It also helped me learn more about collaboration and time management. The project also humbled me in my ability to speak on the spot as I didn't do as much practice as I should have. Overall, I found the assignment to be fun and it was nice working with a partner that had a different focus than I did.

Post #16 - March 6th

For our upcoming and final SDA, each member in our class is doing a documentary on an unusual case study in our respective fields. For me, I am doing a case study on the death of Ayrton Senna, a Formula 1 legend. 

On May 1st, 1994, Senna crashed in the San Marino Grand Prix, on the Imola circuit, in Italy. The circumstances were unlike many at this time. The day before, a driver had died on the track for the first time in 12 years. Senna himself was reigning World Drivers Champion, holding 3 to his name. What’s odd is that a world-class driver, who was in the lead of the pack, somehow crashed into a concrete barrier, dying due to the impact.

I find this crash interesting because I’ve heard so much about the man, the myth, the legend, Ayrton Senna. Not only have I heard of his immense driving prowess and his stance as one of the best F1 drivers in history but, I also heard of his drama. From intense rivalries to a concerning relationship with a 15 year-old girl, this man has made history. Learning about what could have possibly taken down this man will let me understand a lot about F1 drivers and their cars.

Some questions I have are: What was the state of the car before the race? Did any engineers notice any issues? What did other drivers have to say? How has this crash impacted modern car construction?

Some of my sources include Senna (2010), a documentary that focuses on the driver and his crash, along with Ayrton Senna, Anatomy of a Crash, an article by Sports History Weekly. While this article is ridden with ads, it provides good speculation as to what the possible cause of the crash was.

“Ayrton Senna, Anatomy of a Crash.” Sports History Weekly, 16 October 2022, 

https://www.sportshistoryweekly.com/stories/ayrton-senna-formula-one-f1-i

mola-italy-san-marino-grand-prix,1117. Accessed 6 March 2025.

IMDb. “Senna (2010).” IMDb, 2010, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424432/. 

Accessed 6 March 2025.

Post #17 - March 13th

In my previous journal, I said that I’d be looking into the death of Ayrton Senna, a Brazilian driver who crashed in an unsteady car in 1994. As I thought about my eventual documentary more, I chose to switch my study to an event called “Spygate” or “Stepneygate” by the Formula 1 community. This event surrounded an engineering espionage controversy surrounding the Ferrari and McLaren teams of the 2007 F1 season. The case ended with multiple reputations trampled and the largest fine in sports history, to this day.

The largest unanswered questions or controversies surround the punishments of those involved. There are also some issues regarding the initial connection between those involved and the events that triggered Nigel Stepney to enact the espionage in the first place.

Many people have different thoughts regarding how the case was resolved and how it occurred in the first place. Some people believe that others were wrongly accused, for example, driver Fernando Alonso may have been wrongly accused in his involvement with the espionage. People on the McLaren team may believe that they did nothing wrong with their actions while people on the Ferrari team may have felt incredibly offended by the incident.

The most surprising detail I’ve uncovered as of late has been the involvement of the drivers. When I read through Trade Secrets and Industrial Espionage in Formula One Motorsports by Shirin Lakhani, I was thoroughly surprised by all the details. I didn’t know that Fernando Alonso and reserve driver Pedro de la Rosa were heavily involved in the court case against McLaren. Alonso’s involvement probably led to his move from the team after that season.

If I could ask any person related to this case about it, I would ask either Trudy Coughlan or the clerk at the print shop that revealed McLaren’s crime. For context, when McLaren received over 700 pages of secret engineering papers, designs and experiments, Trudy Coughlan, wife of Mike Coughlan (chief designer of McLaren and friend of Nigel Stepney), brought it to a copy center in Surrey County, England. The clerk at the time happened to be a Ferrari fan in an area filled with McLaren fans. He noticed the emblems and realised the problem, which led to Ferrari suing McLaren. I would love to hear the perspective of the clerk and about the moment he realised that multi-million dollar teams were committing crimes. I’d also love to hear from Mrs. Coughlan. Not only was she directly apart of the crime but, as the wife of Mr. Coughlan, she would've been on the sidelines during the entire issue, bringing in perspectives never seen anywhere else.

I’m excited to hear more about this case. My new sources are listed below.

Lakhani, Shirin. “TRADE SECRETS AND INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE IN FORMULA

ONE MOTORSPORTS.” Vlex, 22 March 2018, 

https://law-journals-books.vlex.com/vid/trade-secrets-and-industrial-7360498

69. Accessed 13 3 2025.

Collantine, Keith, and RaceFans. “Alonso was wrongly blamed over ‘Spygate’ 

scandal – de la Rosa.” RaceFans, 18 March 2020, 

https://www.racefans.net/2020/03/18/alonso-was-wrongly-blamed-over-spyg

ate-scandal-de-la-rosa/. Accessed 13 March 2025.

Post #18 - March 20th

As stated in my previous journal, I am doing my case study documentary on Spygate, a controversial espionage case in the 2007 season of Formula 1. In looking through the main sections of the documentary, my plan is displayed as seen below:

Introduction: I can introduce the sport of F1 and then look into some suspicious actions in F1. This can include controversy from the beginning to more present days.

Background: For this section, I’m planning on looking into the events that led up to the espionage itself. This means looking into how McLaren and Ferrari had been competing before the event, along with their drivers. I know I’m going to point out the state of the McLaren drivers (one was a rookie and the other was a 2x world champion, both were new to the team).

The Case Itself: This part requires the most storytelling technique. I can see myself going off the Trade Secrets and Industrial Espionage in Formula One Motorsports article for a lot of it because I really enjoyed how he articulated the story.

Analysis: In this section, I’m going to discuss the result of the case and the hint at future controversies.

Conclusion: I will tie everything together by talking about the general world of Formula 1, where the loss of a single piece of paper can destroy your season.

For visuals, I plan on getting videos of cars racing along with images and interviews of the parties involved. Showing pictures of people as I introduce them will be good for the audience to understand the story better.

To keep my audience engaged, I intend on asking questions and waiting a bit to answer them. I also want to tell the story in a way that is heavily engaging, similar to the way a friend tells a story, but I also want to keep it professional.

I think my biggest foreseen issues are going to be finding clips of races from 2007 and the years prior to that. I also am worried about my audio regulation because I know that was an issue in my documentary. I also want to work hard on the way I tell my story.

Overall, there are many aspects of this case and I believe that it has a lot of potential, depending entirely on my execution. Below are some sources I found that give me examples of other F1 speculations.

Collantine, Keith. “The full verdict on the Renault-McLaren spying case.” RaceFans, 7 

December 2007,

https://www.racefans.net/2007/12/07/the-full-verdict-on-the-renault-mclaren

-spying-case/. Accessed 20 March 2025.

Miles, Ben. “The nine greatest F1 controversies.” Goodwood Road & Racing, 

14 September 2020, 

https://www.goodwood.com/grr/f1/the-nine-greatest-f1-controversies/. 

Accessed 20 March 2025.

Post #19 - March 27th

I’ve discovered a lot of surprising parts of this case. I found that the biggest takeaway from the story is the idea that different people can act in desperation. From the initial actions of Nigel Stepney, to the collaboration of Fernando Alonso and the eventual end of Nigel Stepney.

Before I worked on this project, I had a kind of idolization of the sport. It didn't fully occur to me how people could be negatively affected by an executive action, just as Stepney was at Ferrari. It has allowed me to engage in current F1 news in a certain way. The sport is more than just engineering and racing skill. This case expanded that thought.

I need to get my film and pictures organized. I went through YouTube to find clips of races from the 2007 season, which was a bit difficult as the organization didn’t have a YouTube account. I would’ve used F1TV, the official streaming network, but I'd have to pay to get race archives so I chose to go with the youtube route. I need to find more pictures of people and solidify the way I want to talk about the case. I might add voice clips if I can find them regarding different people’s opinions on the matter.

Below is my basic storyboard based on the given suggested template!

Post #20 - April 24th

As the year comes to a close, we are working on our final project, a TedTalk-type presentation for our final symposium. The theme this year is “Pushing Boundaries”. I’m choosing to intertwine the car itself with my favorite driver, Lewis Hamilton. I’m going to talk about the successes of Lewis Hamilton, the state of his car and the crashes of cars in general, showing the shattering of records and the destruction of the car’s limits. Here are my planning documents, my speech and my slideshow.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lGPgr__N5d5-XGNTbIKlagMQH7ruewQMr5HFhvj5mXM/edit?usp=sharing - Speech

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ubCd70Bsrqy5Pn6h66l_opVb5EbsmWcORmaq0XKC5Fk/edit?usp=sharing - Slideshow

Post #21 - May 1st

As I work more towards our end-of-year symposium, I’ve been thinking more about my subject and what I’m learning. I’ve changed my topic slightly, as I’ve been told to focus more on the cars’ innovations rather than a single driver. I’ve chosen to go through the history of Formula 1, looking at the car’s engineering advancements, safety advancements and engineers. I’ve chosen 3 drivers from each of these time periods, all of them representing one of the 3 topics above. I need to fix my introduction to fit my work but, this is what I have now. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lGPgr__N5d5-XGNTbIKlagMQH7ruewQMr5HFhvj5mXM/edit?usp=sharing - Speech

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ubCd70Bsrqy5Pn6h66l_opVb5EbsmWcORmaq0XKC5Fk/edit?usp=sharing - Slideshow

Post #22 - May 8th

I am getting closer and closer to getting my presentation to the best it can be. Taking comments and advice seriously, I believe that I will be able to take my idea and craft it into something well articulated that not only represents my topic but also represents me as a student. After watching Stella’s speech (former EMCer), I have an understanding of the flow that I should have for my speech. 

For the conclusion that I have written for this post, it is structured differently than the other parts that I’ve written, in the sense that it is written  closer to how I’d say it, rather than being written in bullet points. Overall, I’ll continue taking advice and criticisms, along with looking at more ways to progress! 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lGPgr__N5d5-XGNTbIKlagMQH7ruewQMr5HFhvj5mXM/edit?usp=sharing - Speech

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ubCd70Bsrqy5Pn6h66l_opVb5EbsmWcORmaq0XKC5Fk/edit?usp=sharing - Slideshow