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Drivers assigned randomly to teams/cars for each race weekend
You're all harking back to the past, unfortunately the engine manufacturers and eco-worries won't allow that to happen.
What I think F1 needs is the following:
Allow refuelling so the cars can run light all race, also reintroduces the strategy element.
Keep the fuel flow limit so that the engineers work on improving the efficiency of the hybrid unit, run it flat out all race. This can be raised to get more power and lowered to rein the engines in if they get too quick.
Bigger wheels and tyres, 16-17" would fit the cars well.
Reduce the wing sizes to miniscule levels, something like they use at Monza. That way they are used to tune the handling balance only.
Allow a bit of ground effect to generate the cornering speeds.
Wider track on the suspension, with the wider tyres mechanical grip would be
better.
Get rid of DRS, it's artificial and rarely adds anything.
Allow free choice on tyres but limit them to only having 4 options: one that will last all race, two that will need to be changed mid-race (one harder, one softer) and a banzai soft option that would last 10-15 laps. They're allowed only two compounds for the weekend and have to use both in the race unless they go for the all-race option. Possibly give all teams the one control option for qualifying to even things up.
On the political side:
Redistribution of the funds for competing.
Move back towards classic circuits that reward driver skill and promote overtaking opportunities.
Reduce the influence certain teams have over the rules.
Doubt most of it will happen but you can hope!
Allow refuelling so the cars can run light all race, also reintroduces the strategy element.
But don't make it mandatory. If you're on the tyres that'll go a full race distace, you don't want to stop for fuel.
I've never been a fan of F1 as a fuel consumption event.
F1 has always been a fuel consumption event, it's just we know more about it now as we are privy to so much more information that in the past. The size of the engine and the fuel tank doesn't change that.
The idea is to get to the checkered flag as fast as possible, brimming the tank and going flat out is not the fastest way as the heavy fuel makes you slow at the start, wears your tyres more etc. This was true in the 70s, 80s and 90s. But back then without telemetry and radios we just saw excitement as one car closed in on another and tried to pass, we were blissfully unaware that the speed differential was due to someone trying to save fuel. Now we have the same dynamic but a comentator who understands what's happening, pit radio so we hear the driver being told to save fuel etc. The end result is the same, driver closes/pulls away but it seems more benign once we know its about fuel saving.
Refueling doesn't change this, the less fuel you use the longer you are stationary in the pits, the less you wear out your tyres etc.
Whether you like it or not going racing will always be about managing fuel unless you make the fuel a lesser element of the total weight of the car. But heavier cars wouldn't be fast and F1 needs to be the fastest or it's not F1.
It's basically a catch 22 where the thing that made the pinacle of motorsport exciting has been engineered out by the reletless technological improvement. But this cannot be unlearned and going back to the past will not make the future more exciting.
IMO, F1 needs to take the shackels off a bit, allow more inventive solutions, be nearer the edge, faster. The issue with that is cost and safety and they are (rightly) paranoid about killing drivers. But I feel safety has advanced suffiecntly to allow cars to go faster due to more powerful engines and more efficent aero. Cost is harder to police but more scope in the rules would mean someone with a idea could make a leap rather than just working within very tight margins trying to outspend everyone on CFD and wind tunnel analysis of every minutiae of every surface.
So stop tinkering round the edges with re-fueling and tyre compounds as they will make f all difference. Do 2 things...
a) Allow ground effect areo by getting the front wing closer to the ground and shape the floor.
b) Allow more powerful engines
Done.
But don't make it mandatory. If you're on the tyres that'll go a full race distance, you don't want to stop for fuel.
That'll be up to how big they design the fuel tanks, a compromise on car design balanced against strategy flexibility. Guarantee everyone will go for a smaller tank. Possibly make it so that while the car is stationary you can either fuel it or change tyres, not both at the same time. Same as they do at Le Mans.
So stop tinkering round the edges with re-fueling and tyre compounds as they will make f all difference. Do 2 things...
a) Allow ground effect aero by getting the front wing closer to the ground and shape the floor.
b) Allow more powerful enginesDone.
Also known as Can-Am 🙂
Refueling gets banned to encourage closer racing and "spice it up".
Then refuelling comes back to encourage closer racing and "spice it up"
Whats wrong with F1 is that it disappeared so far up its own whatoosie its become a shadow of its former self. Reliability, even with the new hybrid engines is so high the lower teams cant hope to get a good payday. The idea of the drivers hitting ideal delta times because the tyres are made of cheese are a joke. The cars need more power, and the tools to lay that down on the track. If it means stock bodywork then so be it.
Decrease the technical regs, stop knee jerk reactions to clever engineering (mass damper anyone?), revert back to pushing the technology so if its a 65 lap race the engine will pop on lap 66.
And whilst we're at it bring back the fag money and decent liveries.
Humph! makes me sound like an old man.
The fat controller wants more money
wants more money, wants more money
The fat controller wants more money, wants more money
all day long
F1 drivers/team owners go wah wah wah.
Wah wah wah. Wah wah wah.
The F1 drivers/team owners go wah wah wah. Wah wah wah.
all day long
The re-fuelling rig goes on and off
on and off, , on and off
The re-fuelling rig goes on and off, on and off
all day long
The TV audience switches off
Truly an entertainment industry in trouble {shakes head}{rolls eyes}
lets get rid of ol squinty eyes and get someone who has some fresh ideas. The current lot dont know their arse from their elbow. It clearly shows they havent got a clue and are miles away from anything that attracts new fans. When squinty says he doesnt care about getting younger fans it says it all.
No fans no money no show.
For each Championship point a driver has, he must eat a square of Ex-Lax before the race. You could have bogs at the pits, perhaps with those short doors so you can see the drivers faces while they're having a 'pit stop'.
1000!
(bhp)
Refueling cars in 3s now that sounds safe.....
[quote=sobriety ]
Allow refuelling so the cars can run light all race, also reintroduces the strategy element.
But don't make it mandatory. If you're on the tyres that'll go a full race distace, you don't want to stop for fuel.
Except the weight makes so much difference to the performance that if refuelling is allowed, the optimum strategy will never be to avoid pitting, even if you're not allowed to change tyres. Hence allowing refuelling will always rule out the option of having tyres which will go the full race distance (wasn't there a season where refuelling was allowed but tyre changes weren't and they still pitted for fuel?) Unless you have the rule suggested above that you can't fuel and change tyres at the same time - though it would have to be that you weren't allowed to do both in the same pitstop, otherwise doing both would clearly be the best strategy.
To be honest, the option of tyres which go the full distance wouldn't make any sense anyway if there was the option of different faster tyres - would only have to be 0.5s a lap advantage to make pitting for tyres worth it, which is less than the typical difference between the current compounds.
F1 has always been a fuel consumption event...
I think fuel consumption has often been a factor but it hasn't dictated the race unless refuelling has been allowed. You used to just make sure the tank was big enough to last any race then put as much fuel in as you thought would take to reach the finish - refuelling takes it from being a setup issue with performance ramifications to being THE crucial tactical decision. Don't like it, not interested.
Also known as Can-Am
Can-Am died long before true ground effects emerged. [/pedant]
F1 Strategy Group looking to reverse overtaking gimmicks [url= http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/05/new-ideas-for-f1-2017-to-undo-much-of-overtaking-groups-work/ ]James Allen on F1[/url]
I probably have a bit of a controversial opinion but I actually like the way that it's easier to overtake in F1 these days! I found it frustrating when the aero design was so far advanced that it meant that if a driver got close to the car in front they would lose speed because of the turbulence and not be able to pass. Oh well!
CHeaper than I thought...Unless he knows bonuses drive/motivate him
I'd rather see the overtaking on the track, not in the pitlane. It's meant to be motor racing, not bloody chess.
I do like the idea of the ex-lax though. That one has mileage...imagine, driver comes into the pits, exits the car and runs to the karzy, whilst holding stomach and assumes the position. Meanwhile, two mechanics stand by to remove soiled shreddies and refit new shreddies, while the lollipop man waits for a signal that the driver has satisfactorily completed the required paperwork. Once the lollipop is raised, the driver now sprints back into the car and drives off.
I can imagine the post race podium might be a bit of a mess though.
It's in line with Vettel and Alonso which seems about right - the big three tied into the three big teams (Well, RB seem to be self destructing right now...)
PJM1974 - and a whole different penalty for an "unsafe release"...
Yes but Alonso's is a combination of compo for embarrasement/danger money 😆
Lewis [s]couldnt[/s]agrees new deal with [s]ferrari[/s]Mercedes for 3 years, lets see how long his "happy face" stays around for.
For everyone whining about the state of F1 - this is your best chance to have your say:
I think I was wrong about the new McLaren livery - it looks great out on track. The nearly black seems to look more menacing than the gloss black of the Lotus.
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http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/?attachment_id=298776
Agreed, it looks great! 🙂
Wow that GPDA questionnaire was a pile of turd, the problem with F1 is that it isn't really the top formula - There is better technology and racing in far more categories at present, if anything F1 just seems a little lost. I did enjoy the sponsorship questions and being able to reel off 'baccy companies as being the most memorable though.
Some great points being made by Christian Horner about the F1 Strategy Group here: [url= http://www.pitpass.com/53926/Strategy-Group-not-fit-for-purpose ]Pipass[/url]. Basically, no point in giving the turkeys a deciding vote on whether or not to have Christmas! 🙂
Big question now is can McLaren find a seat for Vandoorne or will JB get the bump. Best driver GP2 has seen since LH. When I watched Lewis in GP2 I was always impressed by his raw speed and overtaking ability. With Vandoorne he seems to have lighting pace but also fantastic mindset, he seems to get absolutely everything out of the car while keeping his head, reminds me of Alonso.
I'm looking forward to seeing him soon then! 🙂
I dont understand why they dont have a 3rd driver series with reserve / rookies driving. They leave gp2 and sit in the garages " learning via fp1" It doesnt even have to be at every race maybe a handful to provide more of a " show" of talent. They could get familiar with the procedures and car and have a mini rookie series. Would keep the current drivers on their toes!
I just wish McLaren spent some time and effort into actually making a car for Alonso that worked. JB will always find fault and a reason for a lackluster drive, but Alonso deserves a car.
Horner being the biggest hypocrite in a sport full of them, when Red Bull were in their pomp he was very dismissive of people saying that the rules need to change to make it fairer, now when his team is running a dog he wants the rules to change.
Wasnt the reason the way F1 is ruled now is because Ferrari had a veto on all rules by the FIA unless they can say it was for safety grounds, so this group was then setup after Max Mosely got booted out...back then they said it was the best thing since sliced bread for the sport, but as stated above, turkeys will never vote for christmas.
personally i think this is Horners last year at RBR, perhaps taking up a learning role next to bernie in prep for bernies departure, hence all his shouting about where the sport needs to go and how it should get there....
funny, i used to want to root for a rainy GP, but now its so sanitised even when it rains, they fling out the safety car at any point , drs is turned off, drivers cant lap any faster that XYZ time to get to the pits so it all becomes a stalemate, unless someone risks staying out, and they can either be hero or zero within a few laps of safety car....
According to the beeb Vettel wants more fear in F1. Judging by the beeb's second story a few old diggers around the circuit should do that. 😕
Does nobody check this stuff?
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Not the best layout there, but he does have a point, compared to WEC and WTCC F1 just seems a bit, well, safe.
It's a combination of dull as dishwater tracks and the drivers having to conserve fuel, and more importantly tyres, meaning that they rarely really push the cars hard. Whereas WEC and WTCC are on the limit more or less every lap.
Also, look at some of the circuits WTCC and WEC race at, Le Mans, Spa (ok so F1 goes there), Nordschelife, Bathhurst (IIRC); tracks where if you make a mistake you don't just trundle off into acres of run-off, you're in a wall/gravel trap/cliff. F1 cars are, imo, safe enough for those tracks, the only injuries in recent years have been from freak impacts to drivers heads.
Bring back penatlies in terms of dnfing for making mistakes.
wow that boy can drive !
As much as I've enjoyed watching Kimi in the past, I think this should be his last year in F1. Get Bottas or Hulk into that 2nd Ferrari - they need two drivers pushing to the limit, not just a single leader.
And hard luck on Jenson - that yellow flag really screwed his lap up.
Cara looked absolutely smashed when she was interviewed
Who's Cara?
that mclaren is a right dog!
rickyardo ?
wonder if vettel can crack britney 🙄
Crap.
stupid mercedes
Well that's ballsed it up for Hamilton - big mistake