Motorsport Off Topic Thread

I'll still argue that a closely matched and consistent set of drivers will always result a field where speed difference isn't enough to catapult past another driver. While the F1 cars are overly aero-sensitive, the only option is to dumb down the aero to GP2 level (and GP2 was 10 seconds a lap slower, so would you have to slow the entire support series?).

If you were to stick the current drivers in a field of identical indycars and run them over a season of road courses, I don't think you'd get a very different result, or indeed races.
 
this_is_gav said:
the only option is to dumb down the aero
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No, no, no, no, no. No. Non. Nein. Nai. Nee. Nie. Näo.*

Open up the aero. Open up the engine architecture. Open up the electronics. Hell, open up the tyres as well. Start a ******* arms race. At least then we might actually get something out of this sodding mess before it all implodes....






* - Was all the translations I could think of a) while mildly inebriated and b) having turned 30 recently and almost overnight losing a great deal of brain power :o
 
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JRS said:
No, no, no, no, no. No. Non. Nein. Nai. Nee. Nie. Näo.*

Open up the aero. Open up the engine architecture. Open up the electronics. Hell, open up the tyres as well. Start a ******* arms race. At least then we might actually get something out of this sodding mess before it all implodes....






* - Was all the translations I could think of a) while mildly inebriated and b) having turned 30 recently and almost overnight losing a great deal of brain power :o
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It would be great. Until everyone withdraws due to money and having to spend to keep up/one car/engine becomes dominant. Then you will see cars leading by thirty seconds and lapping up to fourth place.
 
MissChief said:
It would be great. Until everyone withdraws due to money and having to spend to keep up/one car/engine becomes dominant. Then you will see cars leading by thirty seconds and lapping up to fourth place.
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Yeah, 'cause what we have now is sooooooooooooooo much better ;) Might as well try something different!

***edit***

Hey, you never know....it could even make F1 the proper pinnacle of motorsport, rather than the alleged one.
 
DiCe! said:
Bring back max aero ;)
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Yeah, that would be great. Instead of cars getting completely stuck in the wake of the car in front when they are within one second, that will increase to two or maybe three seconds, rendering overtaking completely impossible.

The current rules were brought in to reduce the wake on the cars so that they could get somewhere close to each other. Personally i think the FIA needs to get a big meeting with the major aerodynamicists and come up with ways to reduce the wake on the car while keeping decent downforce levels
 
JRS said:
Bring back ground effect ;)
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Where they not contemplating that or am i going bonkers?!

Either way i doubt it will be of much help as it will just be used in conjunction with current aero.

Cant we just ban Red Bull, the racing is pretty close when you take them out of the equation :p
 
LizardKing said:
i doubt it will be of much help as it will just be used in conjunction with current aero.
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That's the whole point though, it removes almost all of the current aero problems at a single stroke.

Ground effect cars are much less affected by dirty air when following a car through corners. They also have low noses, so don't ride up and get a launch in the event of rear-ending another car*. And as another happy benefit, with all the aero working underneath the car you'll see much simpler and prettier bodywork :)



* - aside from hitting wheel-to-wheel at speed of course...then they fly like Concorde!
 
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JRS said:
Bring back ground effect ;)
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This.

A thousand times this.

I absolutely love the Delta Wing. Partly because its bonkers, and partly because they went "seriously guys, look at what you can do with ground effect used properly, stop fannying about with all those wings and get brave for a moment".

And everyone said no :(.

Flat floors and heavily restricted diffusers is just a complete waste. They could cut the maximum wing angles and areas right down, yet allow full use of the underfloor area for aero and the cars would have the same downforce as now, but much less dependence on clean air.
 
Indy500 said:
..and circuits with less margin for error :) the H&S crowd would go bonkers though so I wouldn't count on it.
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You don't have to bring back the horror days to make more of a deterrent. A few strips of grass or gravel would solve 90% of the problem straight away.
 
Skeeter said:
You don't have to bring back the horror days to make more of a deterrent. A few strips of grass or gravel would solve 90% of the problem straight away.
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This is an FIA grade 1T circuit (it only needs grandstands etc to become grade 1):

23hopif.jpg


So regulations need not hamper an interesting design.
 
Lotus now has just a few days to decide on a replacement driver. It could decide to promote reserve driver Davide Valsecchi to the race seat or swoop for another available driver.
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If they elected to not give Valsecchi the drive, surely it pretty much defeats the purpose of having him as reserve driver?

Call me cynical but I think this is all calculated warfare on both parts. Things haven't been right with Kimi and Lotus for some time, there has been the pay dispute, the announcement to move to Ferrari, the threatening not to drive, bringing it all up in the media, a clear and rather blatant shift in preference to Grosjean, Kimi not letting Grosjean through in the race, the resultant swearing in the radio message.

To me it suggests a massive rift, and I wouldn't be surprised that he has now been paid, and he is now giving a massive middle finger parting shot by basically pulling a sickie for the rest of the season.

As I said, very cynical with perhaps a dose of imagination running off on me, but that's how I see it.
 
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^I think you may be onto something there. It seems to be a convenient way of saving face for the team if Raikkonen decided not to race for the rest of the year. (dressing it up as a medical problem)
 
Kimi is still 3rd in the table, if he missed the two remaining races he's likely to drop to 6th. On the upside he gains another two/three weeks in the healing process and perhaps valuable testing mileage in the new 2014 cars.

It's all upside for Lotus. They've got 4th in the constructors in the bag - they're unlikely to take 26 points out of Ferrari in the remaining two races IMO. Lotus don't have to pay his wages, answer as many awkward questions and have everyone monitoring transcripts of the radio conversations.

As a fan I'd rather see Kimi race, but we can't have everything...
 
tummelv said:
^I think you may be onto something there. It seems to be a convenient way of saving face for the team if Raikkonen decided not to race for the rest of the year. (dressing it up as a medical problem)
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MagicBoy said:
Kimi is still 3rd in the table, if he missed the two remaining races he's likely to drop to 6th. On the upside he gains another two/three weeks in the healing process and perhaps valuable testing mileage in the new 2014 cars.

It's all upside for Lotus. They've got 4th in the constructors in the bag - they're unlikely to take 26 points out of Ferrari in the remaining two races IMO. Lotus don't have to pay his wages, answer as many awkward questions and have everyone monitoring transcripts of the radio conversations.

As a fan I'd rather see Kimi race, but we can't have everything...
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Well that may only be part of it. I guess it depends on how much value him racing now has to them. If the points chase is well and truly dead then maybe not so much, and it will give them a chance to see how good Valsecchi can be. But if they have to pay Kimi for the last two races for essentially sick leave, then that will be a slap in the face for Lotus given his wage bill.

I doubt Kimi cares about his position in the drivers standings to be honest - he can't win it, and it's not like he is a rookie out to prove himself - everyone knows how good he is.
 
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