Marcus Wandt took the FIA flag with him into space

During this weekend’s British Grand Prix, the FIA had the honor of welcoming Marcus Wandt, an astronaut from the European Space Agency (ESA), who brought an FIA flag to the International Space Station (ISS) to mark the 120th anniversary of the Federation. A unique parallel between motor racing and space.

The former fighter driver boarded the ISS on January 18, 2024, as part of the Muninn mission. There, he carried out nearly 20 European experiments and spent over 100 hours on scientific and technological demonstrations, including the Surface Avatar experiment, where he controlled a team of robots on Earth from space.

After meeting the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem and attending a qualifying session, Marcus wanted to share his feelings about the sport, but also the similarities between a driver and an astronaut.

A dream come true

Marcus Wandt described his experience as the realization of a long-standing dream. Just the fact of climbing into this rocket, lying down or leaning back and looking at the countdown, which I had seen several times in the simulator, was incredible,” he told the FIA. “I have flown a lot of fighter jets during my career, but the acceleration here, it starts right away and keeps increasing. Your brain screams. It’s so fast. It’s more than 27,000 kilometers per hour. It’s amazing, but so much fun. I highly recommend the trip.”

During his three weeks on board the ISS, Marcus completed 288 orbits around the Earth. Although confined in appearance, he describes living conditions rather similar to those on Earth. “For me, the different modules of the ISS are varied enough to make it a small world. Thus, after a week or two, I really started to feel at home,” he explained. “There is also excellent collaboration on board the station and with the ground teams, as in a mission like this, most of the mission participants are on the ground. The teamwork was really enjoyable and very effective. Living and working there was very joyful,” he said.

A collaboration between teammates that is reminiscent of the collaboration between teams and drivers on the track in Formula 1.

Similar experiences

If astronaut Marcus Wandt chose to bring the FIA flag with him, it was primarily to highlight the involvement of the International Automobile Federation in technological innovation, science, and engineering. A mission he is entrusted with at the ESA. For him, innovation in both fields is based on the ability to push boundaries while respecting strict safety guidelines.

According to Marcus, there are many parallels between motorsport and space exploration. In addition to the attraction to innovation, the Swede highlights the importance of team cohesion. « There is also a very important team aspect. Whether it’s a driver or an astronaut, the person performing the actions is supported by a much larger team. You have someone performing the actions, but everyone behind them makes it possible and ensures that innovation happens,” he recalled. He also emphasized the importance of the man-machine interface in both fields. Pilots and astronauts must understand and optimize the systems they use, while providing constant feedback to engineering teams.”

For Marcus Wandt, this shared passion for innovation allows to reach new levels of knowledge and to create new things. He appreciates this similarity, both in the space community and in Formula 1, where enthusiasts work together to achieve common goals and push the boundaries of technology and knowledge.