Over the years technology has evolved enough that we now live in an era where cars are autonomous. Although it sounds quite futuristic, the technology is already in place in different forms but it will be quite some time before driverless cars are everywhere.
With the UK government hoping to have autonomous cars on the roads by 2021, we will need to adapt to the changes made not only to cars as a whole but also the roads that autonomous cars will be on. There’s a multitude of changes that autonomous cars can bring, including the future of motor racing.
What would an autonomous racing car look like?
There’s no guarantee that the world of racing will move towards driverless cars, but LeaseCar UK have recently redesigned several racing cars to show what they would look like should they end up autonomous. To start with, the racing cars would be much flatter.
A lot of features you would find in a racing car that was driven by a person would be removed. There wouldn’t be a purpose for things such as a seat, steering wheel, windscreen or pedals. Instead the focus would be on speed and ways on how to create the most powerful racing car.
Will autonomous cars be fully accepted in motor racing?
With the likes of Roborace leaving the power of technology to enhance and push cars to the limit in order to reach racing perfection, it’s interesting to see how autonomous racing will grow and develop. That’s not to say that the likes of Formula 1 fans will be entirely thrilled by the idea of driverless cars in the motor racing industry.
One of the reasons why people enjoy Formula 1 is because of the driver and the skills needed to drive the car. The sport itself brings in the crowds and the money, so it’s unlikely that we’re going to see technology replacing the racing driver any time soon.
Can autonomous cars improve car safety?
There’s no denying that more safety measures need to be added to autonomous cars that will be driven on the road, but when it comes to racing, taking the driver out of the car could be seen as a step forward for safety within the sport.
Racing cars are limited to the speeds they can reach when a driver is in the car, but with an autonomous car speeds can be increased. If an autonomous car was to crash on the track, only the car would be damaged with no risk to the person controlling it.
Car technology still has a long way to go before driverless cars are more common than manually driven cars. While autonomous road cars may be beneficial for people to complete everyday errands such as the commute to work, the true benefit of autonomous cars in racing may yet to be seen.
If you have any thoughts on autonomous cars, especially in racing, we would love to hear your thoughts. Join in the conversation using the hashtag #AutonomousRacing.