Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team __________________________________________________
Formula One fans may argue that the thrill of racing comes down to driver politics . However , there ’ s more to it than the push for first place . After all , a good race is orchestrated by the harmony between driver and car – the real work is down to the complexity of the parts hammered to the chassis . For Graham , who serves as the Director of Technical Operations in Applied Science , a detail that is often taken for granted is the fact that every idea must be manufactured . “ What ’ s often overlooked ,” he further explains , “ is the machine behind the design . In fact , it ’ s more than that . It ’ s the speed at which we need to work to establish each component and get it on the car in time for the next race .” Gordon concurs . The Composite Manufacturing & Quality Director emphasizes Graham ’ s point by outlining the agility of the company ’ s operations . His primary task is a daily check of the team ’ s progress and development . “ From the chassis to the gearbox , the whole process must keep moving .
“ All through the winter period , we ’ re working on the car ,” he says , adding that work here begins in the wind tunnel . “ The aero packages are tested for aerodynamics on our computer software , then they get validated on the model in the wind tunnel . Once we ’ ve achieved good performances from the part , it gets released into the design world ,” explains Gordon .
“ The designers then look at making the part into a real structure according to how it interfaces with the rest of the car . They design the parts , release the designs , and then determine those that need manufacturing and those that need to be purchased . Obviously , the parts that are manufactured fall into my world of composites .
“ We start by making the shapes and patterns , as well as tooling molds , and fixtures ,” he continues . “ Alongside that work , we start to manufacture the parts and we ’ ll go through each of the areas . We use the cleanroom where
Graham Miller
Director of Technical Operations in Applied Science
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