By their very nature, cars are pretty inefficient beasts, constantly losing energy as the engine heats up and each time you brake. But what if you could capture all of that lost energy, and recycle it to make your car more powerful?

Well, that's exactly what Formula 1 race cars do. And in the video above extreme engineer Jimmy de Ville and UK science presenter Greg Foot (yes, the guy who biopsied his own leg to taste human flesh) demonstrate just how much energy the world's top race cars are able to save - all through the power of explosives.

It's pretty cool to visualise how much of an extra boost this recycled power gives Formula 1 drivers, but it's even crazier to think about just how much energy our regular cars lose each time we drive. Check out the video above to get excited about the future of automobiles, and, seriously, don't try this at home. 

This story was sponsored by Honda Racing F1.