The latest Monaco Grand Prix featured just one overtake in 78 laps, which occurred during the opening lap when Mick Schumacher barged past his teammate Nikita Mazepin. Other position changes during the competition were either due to pit stop strategies or retirements. This raised several questions about the circuit’s layout and the race’s attractivity.
This isn’t the first processional race hosted by the 93-year-old street track. As Formula One cars have become wider and faster in recent years, overtaking has almost become impossible in Monte Carlo’s narrow streets.
The Circuit Hasn’t Changed Much Over The Years
The layout of the Monaco circuit has evolved since its inauguration due to the development of the principality’s harbor area but has remained largely unchanged since the minor alterations to the Swimming Pool section due to safety reasons in 2003.
This recurring issue with the track has forced Formula One’s managing director of motorsports, Ross Brawn, to consider changing the layout in order to improve overtaking and the overall attractiveness of the Monaco Grand Prix.
F1 Has the Tools to Alter the Monaco Grand Prix Circuit
Ross Brawn shared with reporters that this won’t be the first time someone has taken a look at changing the circuit but that up to now no one has managed to come up with a viable solution. However, he expressed his optimism on finding a solution, as he believes the F1 has the necessary tools to conduct the required overtaking simulations to determine which alterations can be done and which are putting the drivers at risk.
At just 0.81 square miles, Monaco is the second smallest country in the world, after Vatican City, meaning that it’s difficult for the event’s organizers to extend the track beyond its current layout or make drastic alterations.
Changing the layout of the Monaco Grand Prix is pretty challenging but Formula One is prepared to put in the effort because the race is iconic to the franchise despite the track’s limitations.
The Mayo Clinic in Florida Finds A Helpful Way to Use Self-Driving Cars
According to NAVYA, the future is both autonomous and electric. This is what the French company’s self-driving vehicles are all about. It’s clear that using electric propulsion reduces CO2 emissions and it’s also believed that autonomous driving should reduce traffic congestion. It could also be an innovative way to have more efficient public transportation.
How Do The Self-Driving Vehicles Work
Navya’s vehicles are considered to be at Level 4 capability as they operate in self-driving mode within a limited area, known as geo-fencing. The French company says its vehicles have been designed for “last mile” travel, i.e. the final leg of a trip. This is typically between a transport hub and the final destination – for example, between a public bus/train station and a rider’s home. One service is already up and running in Paris between the Réseau Express Régional train station and Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Navya’s Autonom Cab is also being used in trials at the University of Michigan and in Las Vegas. There are many similar trials all over the globe, which will likely be turned into actual services eventually – or even in the near future.
Great for Moving Medical Supplies
At the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, four self-driving NAVYA shuttles are being used to move medical supplies from a drive-through testing site to a nearby laboratory. Jane Hata, director of clinical microbiology laboratory at the Mayo Clinic says that using self-driving vehicles to transport the specimens is an “absolutely brilliant” idea.
Because there is already an established route for transit with very little traffic, this is the perfect test bed for using autonomous vehicles for such purposes.
There is no doubt that NAVYA is already making an international impact and its cross-cutting team of professionals is looking forward to making that impact even bigger. The company is offering new mobility solutions that are more intelligent and more fluid.