so the dull-fest seems to have prompted the big wigs to start thinking about bringing back sparking undertrays, louder exhausts, etc etc to give the cars more excitement.
I’ve been watching some of the old races from the late 80s to the early 90s and despite the often poor broadcast quality footage, you get a great sensation of speed from the cars, which all sound fantastic with V12 and V10 engines hitting the heady heights of 12,000rpm.
The problem is that you simply can’t “un-invent” aerodynamics – the reason why the cars looked simpler and less fussy then is because the computing power used to design them as at a premium. Also, the cars then ran a lot of wing compared with today’s designs. As for the return of sparks, this was the result of the undertray of the car bottoming out on the track, which had potentially very dangerous implications for grip.
IHMO the return to turbo engines is a mistake – I feel robbed of spectacle and the fact that there are only three engine suppliers in the sport (one of which has a clear lead) hardly helps to reduce costs. I’d have a different opinion if the F1 engines had to share a block with a production unit perhaps, like the BMW unit of the 1980s.
As for the cars, I’d like to see a cleaner look with an emphasis on mechanical grip. Aesthetically, the Ferrari 640 and McLaren MP4/5 epitomise the sport for me, especially when I see the modern breed of F1 car with an Ann Summers nosecone.
