Is this the end of F1?

We've debated this before - 'Fuel flow rate' is the ONLY sensible way to do it!

Now, I agree that beyond that restriction, they should be allowed to do WTF they want, but they want to 'restrict costs' and that type of open formula would be horrendously expensive.

Let them use as much as they want, however they want, but **** can the 100kg limit IMO.

Cheers,
Ian

 

I would be OK with all this.
However fuel consumption (or carbon emission to the greens) MUST be addressed.
Note No cars ran out of fuel yet there was still racing going on.
This with 30% less quantity.
They all played to the same rules but some did better just like every year.

 

Except they'd be slower than an F3 car......

 

Finally, a positive answer. Thanks Andreas. I enjoyed the first race of this season more than any time in the last 5-7 years.

My biggest disappointment was that Kobacrashi took out Massa at the first turn. Second would be that the only real passing was done by Bottas. But from that I am happy that Williams may very well be one of the front runners this season and that the old Massa may be back.

Looking forward to the next race.

 

X amount of fuel at what temp?

 

Can't agree with any of your negativity. Wings keep the cars from being airplanes. The term is "downforce".

 

100 kg is not temperature dependent. The volume of 100 kg fuel is temperature dependent, and is up to the teams to calculate and accomodate.

Flow rate allows an energy limit, same as limiting restrictor plates (NASCAR), throttle body/air inlet (LeMans), fuel injector size, etc. etc. Flow rate actually is LESS restrictive, as it allows the engineers more flexibility - it's not an RPM limit, or an air limit, it must be engineered in conjunction with boost and electric energy calculations. An engine manufacturer that can make more power at a leaner air/fuel ratio on the same max fuel flow rate gets to use more power. The driver gets to use the travel of the throttle pedal in any event.

It's cutting edge engineering, where efficiency has to be balanced against power at split second point in time events, not just averaged over 2 hours. I think it's brilliant - and as we've seen in pre-season and this race, it's a true engineering challenge that IS separating the men from the boys. It's fantastic!

 

Besides the cars being horrifically ugly and sounding miserable, they just don't "race" anymore. With hugely limited fuel and intentionally failing tires, no one can go balls out.

I'd be fine with a limited fuel supply, but I'd like to see refueling return and the teams be permitted to power the cars however they want. Screw "going green," F1 cars are supposed to be mean. They're supposed to be wild and impractical. They're supposed to sound like the drivers are open the gates to hell when they blast down the straights. They're supposed to be anything but tame...like the current crop of cars.


Mark

 

my biggest gripe is the sound: seemed to me like a bunch of very well-muffled Hyundai's circulating, pretty much like a ph-rt in a gale

 

We don't, the formula does.

 

The fans don't have to give a hoot, but the engineers need solid rules. Without the rules there would be no formula 1.

 

I guess it depends on what you mean by 'crap'.... Jimmy was awesome, and pretty much either broke down or won - By a huge margin - a couple of cars on the lead lap was typical back then. Is that what you want to return to?

Cheers,
Ian

 

We wouldn't be discussing this if Red Bull had heeded the warning from the stewards mid race.

 

F1 has been an engineering exercise for a long long long time. If you hate it so much why do you even bother to watch?

 

Really? Why is that?

 

Sooooo....the more rules the better, right?

 

That's the whole point of formula 1, an engineering exercise. Otherwise there is zero interest from the car manufacturers. They play the game because it gives them an outlet for developing new technology and developing engineers. If you have an irrelevant tech spec like NASCAR, then you have no Mercedes, Renault, Mclaren, Honda, Williams or Ferrari. Honda is coming back precisely because the tech is now relevant to road cars again, where the v10's and, to a lesser degree, the v8's weren't.

I stayed up until 4am watching the race and thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven't stayed up to watch a season opener in years, and it's precisely because I wanted to see how the teams solved the engineering challenges and how the drivers handled it.