Ran into it on YouTube. Anyone have comments or other information or experience in this? (38) Why F1 Pistons Cost £50,000! - YouTube
I am not buying the guys math. Piston speeds are significantly higher than 10 m/s think in terms of at least 17 m/s for a 35mm crank @15,000rpm. In the past BMW with the V-10 had up to 27m/s speeds. I was told by Mercedes F1 in 2014 that their F1 crankshaft takes about 120 hours of machining time. Figure $120 per hour machine center that is $14,440 in machining time, not including material/handling costs etc. A crank is significantly more complex to machine than a piston. https://www.racecar-engineering.com/articles/f1/inside-an-f1-engine/
I thought I read somewhere last year that the top teams were now 3D printing (laser sintering) their pistons as they could make them stronger, lighter, and integrate better cooling.
These are the new steel pistons which are lighter than the forged aluminum pistons racing people have been using since 1920s. While lighter, some (most??) of this is lost as they hold oil longer in the pores which is why they cool better. With the fuel flow limits, it is not clear if this ends up as an advantage--certainly Ferrari thinks so.
I just had a thought. If the piston has to be at, or near, temp to move in the cylinder, than the poor engine builder had to assemble the motor when it is uncomfortably hot. For me, that would take some of the fun out of the job.