{"id":7458,"date":"2023-05-18T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/?p=7458&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=7458"},"modified":"2026-03-26T15:09:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T19:09:07","slug":"influence-of-motorsports-on-tech-culture-and-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/on-the-move\/influence-of-motorsports-on-tech-culture-and-society\/","title":{"rendered":"Fast Five: Influence of Motorsports on Tech, Culture, and Society"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-megaphone\">\n<iframe frameBorder=\"0\" height=\"482\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm\/?e=TLFIE5225902639\"\nwidth=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><!-- Megaphone -->\n\n\n<p>Welcome to the first episode of a brand new series we will be bringing you throughout the course of 2023; Eddie&#8217;s Fast Five. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No, this isn&#8217;t the fifth instalment in a blockbuster automotive franchise. Instead, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to re-visit key topics and questions we discussed with our guests over the past year on the Future Car Podcast. This will become an established series, and will be bringing you lots of insights from our guests through 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s re-visit some of these key topics from some highlight episodes \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Mario Andretti&#8217;s induction into the automotive hall of fame<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-right is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" id=\"block-07dcf139-2ac4-499c-b141-37e18e6dd163\">&#8220;<em>Because of the automobile when it was invented is it was invented not to be raced, but to be transportation. But also, but then again, uh, there&#8217;s a sport that&#8217;s connected to it. And to be able to be recognized at that level, even outside of the sport, and to feel that maybe you&#8217;ve contributed<\/em> to some degree as far as creating attention to it. Or maybe being part of the technology that is developed in a racing world where it&#8217;s also then fed down into the production side.&#8221;<\/p>\n<cite>Mario Andretti, Racing Icon and Library of Congress Living Legend<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. How did the rear view mirror become integral to automotive?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>During the Mario Andretti interview, where the discussion moved to the ways motorsport has influenced technology, culture and society as a whole. Mario mentioned tires and engine development as major contributions that motorsport has mode. But we want to re-visit something a little more niche; the rear-view mirror. It was famously used by Ray Harron who attached it to his Marmon Wass in 1911, and he ended up going onto win the first Indy 500. Pretty cool! <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p> Haroon gets a bulk of the acknowledgement when it comes to the rear view mirror, but it was in fact Dorothy Lavette who started using the mirror in her makeup compact to see how close her competitors were to overtaking her. Fast forward to today and the rear-view mirror has evolved from being an option to being something all drivers rely on to stay ahead, but more importantly, to ensure the safety of the other competitors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-right is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-765c4724 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/the-future-car\/mario-andretti-talks-about-future-car-technology-life-lessons-and-future-of-racing\/\">View Mario Andretti&#8217;s full Future Car Podcast here \ud83d\udcda <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Electric Motorsports and the role they play for sustainability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s re-visit another interview. Alejandro Agag is the founder and chairman of Formula E and Extreme &#8211; motorsports for electric cars. We asked him about the role electric motorsports is playing in the 21st century, and how we can take technological advancements and apply them to sustainability. It was an interesting answer to say the least! \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><em>&#8220;It&#8217;s an incredibly important topic. We need to make it fun. motorsport has the power to bring sustainability to a much wider audience. People who don&#8217;t want to watch a documentary, but they want to watch a race. If you take this race like we do Formula E to cities and we showcase electric cars, that is using motorsport as a tool for the climate action.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Alejandro Agag \u2013 Founder &amp; CEO EXTREME E and Founder &amp; Chairman FiA Formula E &amp; E1 Series<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-right is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-765c4724 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/the-future-car\/championing-sustainability-in-motorsport-with-alejandro-agag-part-1\/\">View Alejandro Agag&#8217;s full Future Car Podcast here \ud83d\udcda<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. The 1981 Monza Grand Prix<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a trip into the past. It was September 13th 1981. John Watson&#8217;s Mclaren MP4 span out of control and crashed. This was an era in F1 when safety was a major issue for the sport, so you can imagine it was a surprise when Watson climbed out of the car completely unscathed. Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time, Mclaren first started floating the idea to use carbon fiber, but at the time it was thought to be too ambitious. Skepticism and glancing eyes were cast at Mclaren, mainly from their main rivals in the championship. It was only until the British Grand Prix the following year when the carbon fiber winning car changed skepticism into enthusiasm. Fast forward 43 years, and carbon fiber monocoques are on every single F1 and IndyCar. More importantly, they&#8217;ve proven to reduce weight whilst increasing safety to enable the chassis&#8217; to withstand impact at high speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. The greatest contribution Motorsport has made to the automotive industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Let&#8217;s round this episode off by re-visiting our talk with Mario Andretti. As a living Motorsport legend, we wanted to know what he thought were the greatest contributions made by Motorsports to the automotive industry. Let&#8217;s take a look <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" id=\"block-42223e37-6dd4-46f9-b215-44f54d450b52\"><em>I think it&#8217;s, overall it&#8217;s about determining the safety aspect of the tires. For instance, the most rigorous application of a tire, which is the tire. The most important part on any vehicle, is that there&#8217;s no more rigorous proving ground at the than the racetrack.<\/em>\ufeff<\/p>\n<cite><em>Mario Andretti, Racing Icon and Library of Congress Living L<\/em>egend<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n<div class=\"bio-block row\">\n    <div class=\"col-3 order-first bio-pic\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2023\/03\/Mario-head-shot.jpg\" alt=\"Mario Andretti, Racing Icon and Library of Congress Living Legend\" \/>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"col-9 bio-info\">\n        <div class=\"bio-header\">\n            <h4 class=\"speakerintro\">Mario Andretti, Racing Icon and Library of Congress Living Legend<\/h4>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"bio-biography\">\n            <p>Mario Andretti was named a Library Of Congress Living Legend that has had a great impact on our society, culture, and technology. He was knighted in his native Italy, GQ Magazine named him one of the 25 Coolest Athletes of all time and he was in the first Pixar Cars movie voicing himself. In addition to all that, he is considered by many to be the greatest racecar driver in history as the only one to have won the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500, and the Formula One championship.<\/p>        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"bio-contact\">\n            <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marioandretti.com\/biography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bio-block row\">\n    <div class=\"col-3 order-first bio-pic\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2023\/05\/ALEJANDRO-AGAG-head-shot.jpg\" alt=\"Alejandro Agag \u2013 Founder &amp; CEO EXTREME E and Founder &amp; Chairman FiA Formula E &amp; E1 Series\" \/>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"col-9 bio-info\">\n        <div class=\"bio-header\">\n            <h4 class=\"speakerintro\">Alejandro Agag \u2013 Founder &amp; CEO EXTREME E and Founder &amp; Chairman FiA Formula E &amp; E1 Series<\/h4>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"bio-biography\">\n            <p>Alejandro Agag is a former Spanish Politician, businessman, entrepreneur and visionary; Founder &amp; Chairman of Formula E, Founder &amp; CEO of Extreme E and Founder &amp; Chairman of the new E1 series. Having won a seat in the European Parliament, becoming the youngest Spanish person to ever do so at the age of 28, Alejandro decided to leave the world of politics and move into motorsport. He began Formula E Holdings, winning the tender to promote the new FIA Formula E Championship the fastest-growing category in racing. Other ventures include Extreme E, a brand new electric off-road racing series that highlight the devastating effects climate change is having on our environments and E1, an Electric powerboat series with a boat that will revolutionize marine mobility. Agag also serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of Planet First Partners, an impact investment fund focusing on sustainability transition.<\/p>        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"bio-contact\">\n            <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alejandro-agag-76621360\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Connect wtih Alejandro Agag<\/a><\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bio-block row\">\n    <div class=\"col-3 order-first bio-pic\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2020\/09\/Ed_Bernardon_Color-1-scaled-e1600198438346.jpg\" alt=\"Ed Bernardon, Vice President Strategic Automotive Initiatives \u2013 Host\" \/>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"col-9 bio-info\">\n        <div class=\"bio-header\">\n            <h4 class=\"speakerintro\">Ed Bernardon, Vice President Strategic Automotive Initiatives \u2013 Host<\/h4>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"bio-biography\">\n            <p>Ed is currently VP Strategic Automotive Initiatives at Siemens Digital Industries Software. Responsibilities include strategic planning and business development in areas of design of autonomous\/connected vehicles, lightweight automotive structures and interiors. He is also responsible for Future Car thought leadership which includes hosting the Future Car Podcast and development of cross divisional projects. Previously he was a founding member of VISTAGY that developed light-weight structure and automotive interior design software acquired by Siemens in 2011, he previously directed the Automation and Design Technology Group at MIT Draper Laboratory.\u00a0 Ed holds an M.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT, B.S. in mechanical engineering from Purdue, and MBA from Butler.<\/p>        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"bio-contact\">\n            <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/edward-bernardon-922442\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Connect with Ed Bernardon on LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you like this Podcast, you might also like:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/the-future-car\/our-robotic-future-with-marc-theermann-cso-boston-dynamics-part-1\/\">Our Robotic Future with Marc Theermann CSO Boston Dynamics- Part 1<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/the-future-car\/technology-with-purpose-barbara-humpton-part-1\/\">Technology with Purpose \u2013 Barbara Humpton \u2013 Part 1<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/the-future-car\/bringing-sustainability-and-privacy-to-autonomous-ride-sharing-with-felix-andlauer-part-1\/\">Bringing Sustainability and Privacy to Autonomous Ride-Sharing with Felix Andlauer \u2013 Part1<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the first episode of a brand new series we will be bringing you throughout the course of 2023;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45480,"featured_media":7549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spanish_translation":"","french_translation":"","german_translation":"","italian_translation":"","polish_translation":"","japanese_translation":"","chinese_translation":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,420],"tags":[850,332,821,849,385],"industry":[26],"product":[],"coauthors":[387],"class_list":["post-7458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-on-the-move","category-ed-bernardon","tag-alejandro-agag","tag-electric-vehicles","tag-mario-andretti","tag-motorsports","tag-podcast","industry-automotive-transportation"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2023\/05\/01_Siemens_Graphic_LinkedIn.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45480"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7458"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8875,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7458\/revisions\/8875"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7458"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=7458"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=7458"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=7458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}