Shockingly - overtaking is the major area! (guess it's not just me) http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80536
More passing: - prohibit most aero surfaces (no wings, no diffuser, flat underbody) - prohibit carbon brakes, steel only - add a couple passing zones to each track (hair pin turn and/or superwide chicane) - abolish the FIA penalties for causing accidents - reversed grid Improve the show: - abolish the FIA penalties for causing accidents - reversed grid instead of qualifying - random sprinklers
Steel brakes are less efficient, therefore the braking distances increase. That stretches the window of opportunity to pass under braking.
Carbon fibre brakes are just unreal technology; unfortunately lke Andreas said, they don't help overtaking...(hey - we agree on something!)
-Coin toss 15 mins before race for both. Race direction also. -Rev limit : 29,500. Higher, if attrition remains less than 15% due to engine failure ( a return to the former F1 wildcard, reliability) -Cloud seeding. -Nerf bars. -LeMans start minimum 4 times a year. -Side by side start following safety car. Safety car may pull off at any time anywhere around track. -Nitrous. -
Actually steel brakes now brake as well as carbon, but they are heavier which could mean traction issues on bumpy circuits. But Tifosi is right that these cars now brake way too quickly making it very difficult for the passing driver to take a chance. Removing the rev limit would definitely help as we would have more break downs, which means less predictability ... Anyway if you really want to get back to real racing ... simply ban sponsorship. As soon as the corporate pressure is removed from the poor driver, he can go real racing again instead of ensuring he gets the minimum TV coverage. He also will be able to spend more time thinking about being a race driver instead of practicing speeches, etc. Pete
I really don't know why the FIA is taking so long to implement this. It's the cheapest, easiest way to improve the show and the overtaking chances, not spending on some KERS bull$hit..
I like your ideas, especially the ban on wings and underbody surfaces that create downforce, but the brake idea is misplaced. Steel brakes would be just as good at stopping the car, but heavier. Consider that a brake is nothing more than a device for slowing the rotation of the wheel. The wheel can only be retarded by as much as the friction between the tyre and the road will allow. A steel brake, properly designed, will retard the rotation of the wheel to the point of locking the wheel, at which point the brake is doing all it can. Carbon brakes do not reduce braking distances per se, they reduce the weight penalty and the aero penalty of using steel brakes. And rotational inertia, of course. I agree with a rule requiring steel brakes, but it's a cost issue more than a performance issue. Banning carbon brakes won't significantly affect braking distances.
+1 But it would do a lot to stop wasting a heck of a lot of energy and time making the stupid things. It would though slow the cars because of the unsprung weight and affect on acceleration and braking into bumpy corners ... if there is such a thing on these modern sterile tracks. Pete ps: Oh and the reverse grid is a pathetic idea. We don't make the fastest Olypmian sprinters start last just to make it more exciting at the finish line ... guys F1 is supposed to be RACE and a sport, not a TV show. Please stop thinking like Bernie!
Ever seen GP2? The sunday race start is the top 8 from the saturday race reversed. It's massively entertaining IMO. GP2 is in my opinion better to watch than F1. -FIA needs to write their rules clearly, this way double deck diffusers wouldn't be here and we'd have seen more overtaking this season. - Sprinklers is a good idea, but the only thing we're going to get if ones favourite driver is the first to be hit by said sprinklers, a **** storm will start with the FIA being accused of favouritism, once again. It won't happen.
Thought about this the other night. Not that this is at all feasible due to economics, but I think the FIA should go back to racing on a true road courses, and steer away from these custom made Formula 1 tracks. All these new tracks are too perfect. A true road course is full of bumps, humps, dips, ect. These new courses have put a huge onus on aero grip over mechanical grip. If there were some more 'bumpy' ole school tracks perhaps then there would be some aero grip sacrificed for some more mechanical grip, hence less 'fouled' air, hence more overtaking....... .......Basically bring back the Nordschleife ;-)
Never enough gimmicks I say. Let's stop just putting lipstick on this pig and change the cars and the courses to allow racing.
You know, that is an exceptional idea. I absolutely love the idea of seeing the cars scream by with rev limits in the clouds. It would make things a lot more interesting, and it's been too long since we've seen a car pulling off the track with the engine on fire... All the best, Andrew.
Noticed the lack of smiley on my original post? I wasn't kidding. Why the obsession with carbon brakes? They're now so standard on street cars, that I don't think going back to steel discs is taking away from the exotic of a F1 car. F1 lost a lot of its exotic appeal when the electronic aids were banned that brought Mansell the title and today's road going Ferraris have more electronic wizardry than their F1 counterparts. But that's the compromise made to make the racing factor more important again. Similar considerations would lead to the ban of carbon brakes and aeros. The show element would definitely increase. Along with the fatalities. There is a reason the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio are no more and F1 no longer drives on the original Spa and Nordschleife. Tilke tracks might be boring (not in Turkey), but they're engineered with safety in mind. Which is ok. But now they need some tweaking to make the show and racing element better again.
I'm going to be one of these guys who says it was better way back when... They need to open up the rules, have more interesting cars so the designers can build a car that will pass each other... low drag, instant on downforce, high rev multi cylinder engines... etc. All these rules changes just go to make F-1 dumbed down, and turns it into a spec series. As for un interesting tracks, I think you could make the old Nurburgring safe with todays communication and safety techniques.... Its just that the folks of F-1 have been focused on making as much money as possible rather than a good SPORT not a show... Shows make money, sports entertain.
+1. I'll never watch a reverse grid F1 race. Defeats the purpose. You don't need to reverse the grid to get action, you need drivers that are free to race and have the balls ... sponsorship and Bernies stupid rules/point system have killed that. Pete
