Can F1 cars be zapped?

[Kyalami]

I have just finished reading a new book which claims that F1 cars can, or at least will soon be able to be targeted by electronic signals that will allow someone to get into the ECU's and affect the performance. The concept is pretty scary because anyone who has the equipment could then use it to affect the results of a race. I know that the book is just a novel (its called Zapped by Alan Wilson), but there is a lot of technical background that suggests that the concept may be feasible.

Its also a pretty good read because its all about Grand Prix and some of the inside stories are interesting, to say the least.

[Storm]

I am sure the technology to do things remotely to a car (or its ECU) exists (and was used a few seasons back aswell after reading the telemetry - some changes to the car were done etc).. But it being used against other cars? well possible, not very probable though since the teams would be aware of what can/cannot be done and will obviously take steps to make sure they have a "secure" way of talking to the car (and the pit-to-car transmissions are banned since then)

[Koz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mMEQm46loE

[dj_bytedisaster]

Of course you could nuke a car's electronics with an EM pulse. The problem is, it would kill all other electronic equipment in the vicinity, too (other cars, phones, radio equipment etc)

[Prisoner Monkeys]

I remember there being a fringe conspiracy theory in 2007 that claimed the FIA had used a directed EMP device to shut down Lewis Hamilton's gearbox in Brazil, thereby preventing McLaren from winning the 2007 titles after the spy controversy.

[Kyalami]

Take a look at this news report from FOX NEWS in the USA, This came over the air this morning. New Years Eve.

COPS CAN USE RADIO WAVES TO BRING YOUR CAR TO A HALT

FOX NEWS
By Peter Braun
Published December 31, 2013
Digital Trends

Finding a safe way to stop fleeing cars has been a difficult problem for law enforcement for a long time. Police have tried everything from spike strips to PIT maneuvers to bring fleeing villains to a halt. Now, however, a British company has a slightly more high tech idea: radio waves.

The company, known as E2V is working on a system called RF-Safe Stop that projects radio pulses which overwhelm and shutdown engine electronics. The system is in essence a small radar transmitter that uses specific radio frequencies to create an effect similar to an electromagnetic pulse.

The BBC reports that in testing the system has been able to shut down slow moving cars and motorcycles at a range of up to 50 meters. It may not be a flying car, but still I am pretty sure this is the 17th sign that we are in fact living in the future.

There may be one or two problems with that future, though. For starters, the system doesn’t bring a car immediately to a halt, as the car will coast from whatever speed it’s disabled by the RF-Safe Stop.

The bigger problem is that the system interferes with ALL electronics – that means, cell phones, navigation, oh and the electronics controlling the brakes and, you know, the drive by wire steering systems that are becoming increasingly common. That could create some safety issues.

On the reverse side of things, any car made before about 1980 might be immune to this thing, because of their analog construction. Unless of course that car was made by the British or the Italians, in which case I am assuming the electrical systems would cut out just from idea of being near the thing.

Still, even with those disadvantages, there are some reasons to be optimistic about this technology. All of the alternatives have their own problems. Spike strips can stop motorcycles, but in doing so they also tend to stop the hearts of the people colliding with them.

The PIT maneuver generally works. But it can have unpredictable, and, shall we say, ‘unsafe’ results. A quick YouTube search yields a lot of videos showing cars getting stopped with the PIT flipping over and catching fire.

That makes for good episodes of “World’s Wildest Police Videos” but helps to explain why most departments don’t use it anymore.

And the RF-Safe Stop is a far cry safer than what we used to consider the future of law enforcement. In the 1950s, the Texas Rangers thought it would be pretty neat to mount a gun in the hood of its cars that you could fire with an arcade style pistol grip, presumably while shouting “Pow-Pow! Yeehaw!”

So with those as our other options, I am definitely willing to give E2V a shot at figuring this thing out. And, apparently, so are the British Police and the Ministry of Defense. I look forward to bringing you more details.

[D-Type]

A few years ago there were allegations that Honda technicians were manipulating the engine's performance remotely.

[driveace]

Thought a few years ago ,a team were trying to get their driver to pit so they could change driver positions,the said driver ignored all radio requests.Then he ignored pit boards,but within 3 laps ,he was out of the race ,many reconned by pit wall electronics ,as was said by guy about Honda controlling engines from pit wall .Odd ?

[dj_bytedisaster]

Thought a few years ago ,a team were trying to get their driver to pit so they could change driver positions,the said driver ignored all radio requests.Then he ignored pit boards,but within 3 laps ,he was out of the race ,many reconned by pit wall electronics ,as was said by guy about Honda controlling engines from pit wall .Odd ?

The only one, who ignored pit boards like that in recent history was Jean Alesi in 1997 and they didn't want him in for changing driver's positions, they wanted him in for refuelling. He also wasn't remotely zapped from pit wall, he simply ran his car dry. Where did you find that story? In the Daily Fail?

[Wasted Talent]

Technology already exists and is effectively already in use in F1 - just an extension of the telemetry systems central to the cars electronic functions - all use the same McLaren developed ECU

There are proposals within the EU for all cars sold in Europe in a few years time to have ECU's that can be controlled remotely, for example so that the Police force can stop ignition and fuel to a particular car used in the course of a crime.

You have been warned...