Formula 1
The Formula 1 race in our Wunderland Monaco is not only a highlight for motorsport fans, but also a technical masterpiece that impresses with its precise controls, innovative technology and detailed staging. The combination of racetrack, magnetic field control and live cameras creates a captivating experience where visitors can experience the excitement and flair of a real Grand Prix up close.
For many people, Monaco symbolises luxurious racing cars and prestigious Formula 1 races. We have captured this fascinating splendour in Miniatur Wunderland and transformed it into one of the most exciting technical projects in our history. For years, we have been intensively developing, programming and researching to create a realistic Formula 1 race on a scale of 1:87. This required us to create a completely new technology that works independently of our existing car system.
The crucial breakthrough came with the Halbach array, a technological innovation that makes it possible to move the racing cars around the 22-metre-long track using a travelling magnetic field. The track consists of 24 specially developed circuit boards, which are divided into tens of thousands of small ‘pixels’. With their precise control, these generate the magnetic fields that drive the tiny racing cars. Thanks to this technology, we can stage breathtaking races in which no two runs are the same. The autonomous control system moves the vehicles individually and choreographs spectacular overtaking manoeuvres. No two races are the same, each driver has their own daily form as they duel with the other drivers on the track. The track is monitored and controlled in real time, which requires 90 drive boards, 90 localisation boards and 980 microcontrollers. The vehicles are precisely localised by 5,700 sensors, and a further 2,800 sensors monitor the track temperature.
To ensure that visitors don't miss any of the action, a total of 29 live cameras are positioned along the track, capturing the most exciting scenes in close-up. Spectators can follow the races on 11 monitors and fully immerse themselves in the thrilling spectacle. An impressive 39 kilometres of cable are used for communication and control. A total of 21 teams with 60 cars compete against each other, while the technology required over 150,000 hours of work and 100,000 lines of programme code. After 11 years of development, the Formula 1 facility in Monaco is an absolute masterpiece that not only thrills motorsport fans, but anyone who is interested in impressive technology and breathtaking races.
