http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=34089 Does anyone really care how green F1 is? I know I don't. The last thing I think about when watching a race how the cars will help the environment in the future. I really don't care about the amount of CO2 the cars spew into the atmosphere during a race....besides the amounts of fuel used to transport all the equipment and people is hugely more of a pollutant than the cars themselves. Nor do I really car how relevant the technology developed for the cars is to what I drive on the street. I watch the races because I love the cars, the speed, the technical aspect, and because I enjoy it. I don't watch hoping that new barge board will someday better my street car because it's not realistic. When will they just get back to racing? All I care about is the racing and it seems like that takes a back seat to whatever else Max and Bernie can think up at the present time. Mark
Maybe they should develop an engine that runs on compressed air. Then every lap there can be a pit stop. And the race length will be 6 laps.
It's annoying how Max is making cars the big villain in global warming. The fact is that cars and trucks worldwide contribute only 15% of man-made CO2. Power plants contribute 40% (http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=20&article_id=5198). Wouldn't it be more effective to go after these few, large, stationary plants and focus research on making them more efficient rather than concentrating on the millions of automobiles? And why should F1 be forced into the position of global R&D lab for green technology? F1 is a sport and is about the pursuit of speed. Sometimes the R&D translates into production car benefits (engine management electronics and semiautomatic gearboxes) and sometimes it doesn't (space age aerodynamics and exotic metals). If some sort of hybrid technology will definitely make the cars faster then you can bet it will find its way into the sport. I just don't think it should be artificially forced in.
You seem to be suggesting that nothing but cars are the subject of the move towards 'greening' the planet. That's far from being the case. You suggest power plants should be targeted - that is already happening. Pretty much everything we do is being looked at and ways of making all our activities more eco friendly are being explored. It's a fallacy to imagine that cars are being particularly singled out.
It is an image thing, setting the standards. F1 is viewed by many, in the long run this will pay off for the sport. Remember some years ago when races were run short because of gas crunch?
It's BS, eyewash and public relations, at least as far as F1 is concerned.....For instance, how is night racing (with lights! lights! using up all that extra fossil fuel!) greener than day racing? Just more jerking off from Mad Max. Max and Bernie should look around....what happened to Champ Car could happen to them...and they don't have anybody to "merge" with. Jack.
This is exactly what I mean. They are "going green" only for image. There is nothing green about lugging hundreds of tons of gear all over the globe for racing. Racing was never meant to be PC, why start now. And I'm not against evolution, but the evolution of racing cars is to go faster, not save the planet. If it doesn't make the cars handle better, stop shorter, accelerate harder, or save the life of the pilot, it doesn't belong on the track. Mark
Well said. Exactly the point I was trying to make. I probably should't try to write when I'm hung over...
Perhaps because in the not too distant future there will be two choices, do it greener or stop doing it!
IMO if F1 is seen to be doing something towards becoming greener with hope they should leave the engines to keep screaming. Otherwise I will probably stop taking interest..
Do F1 cars themselves really cause that much damage to the environment? The amount of CO2 they produce on the limited number of days they run each year is insignificant. Besides, considering the weather you have in Scotland, wouldn't you welcome a warm up of a few degrees?
Ah, he's not imposing the extra tax on fuel for another six months, I can run the Ferrari for one more summer.
John, it gets warmer but wetter and the way it's going here the horse will be traded in for a boat.. I believe nature will do what it pleases, I have no doubt to some degree humans are affecting it but to what degree IMO no one really really knows. I hear so many conflicting results. The powers that be that use it as a excuse to tax.. really winds me up.
wow.....I can't believe how narrow minded some of you are..... F1 going green isn't going to stop the hole in the ozone, it's about pushing the technology not hugging the trees.........figuring out which would be best, solar, hybrid, ethanol, hydrogen, etc.......and which would yeild the greatest benefits/hazards,potential. if a Coca Cola powered engine produced similar horsepower/torque to the current engines all while shooting Febreeze out of the exhaust, than I'm all for it............. personally, I'm looking forward to seeing some new technology being pushed to the limits!!!!
+1, but you are wasting your time here ... this lot still walk a little hunched over with their hands dragging on the ground The future is simply do everything more efficiently, even our leasure pursuits, and why not for Pete's sake. Pete
Tell that to Bentley, Jaguar, Lotus and Aston Martin ... ... seemed to do alright at Le Mans , and Lotus once was dominant when green. Pete
I remember an idea that was being kicked around a year ago about future engine rules and fuel consumption that (at the time) really had nothing to do with fuel type. Max said something to the effect: All engine types (turbo v6, v8, v10, v12) would be allowed, however, all fuel loads would be the same. The effect being that the most fuel-conservative team would (potentially) win. Expand this idea to incorporate different fuel types and we've got a winning formula (all types of engine noises, fuel types, fuel strategies & technological break-throughs...) ... wonder why that idea died?...
