Is F1 about to get a whole lot slower?

This is all tactical on the FIA's part, as in, "we'll bring in this package of changes unless we get some agreement on a budget capping..."

 

"We had to destroy the village to save it".

 

Because of the safety car and nothing else.

 

F-1 seems hell bent on self-destruction.

 

Steel brakes brake just as well as carbon. They only use carbon for the light weight to save unsprung weight.

A few years ago Williams even used steel brakes because Alex Zanardi liked the pedal feel better ... no difference in braking distance.
Pete
ps: Why do road Ferraris/Porsches have carbon brakes? ... buggered if I know. Marketing I guess ... I wouldn't waste my money with that option if I was going to order one.

 

Err,,,,, NO

You (they really) could save crap-loads (tm) of money by mandating that the aerodynamics of the car as it enters qualifying at the very first race of the year, was the same aerodynamic shape the car uses all year long. No changings wings, diffusers, barge boards,... all year long.

Banning development saves a lot more money than banning innovation!

 

I agree with you, that aerodynamic developments are a huge part of the budget for many teams, and should be frozen during a season.

But the FIA seems to think that standardization of some components is the way to reduce costs. I don't like the idea myself, since it will make F1 more like a specs series in future.


I am wondering why they don't impose a limit on operational cost. Reducing the number of personnel a team can bring to each race, like the number of mechanics during tire stops for example.

 

Freezing aero wouldn't allow to recover from a bad season start. Game over after the first race.

 

Also, that neglects the different configurations the teams run at different tracks. If they weren't allowed to run different configurations at Monza as compared to, for example, Monaco, it would be a disaster. Constraining aero to certain opportunities for update would definitely be cheaper than the current approach. But I for one enjoy seeing and hearing about the continuous development.

 

I don't see covered cockpits or covered wheels nor Diesel motors.

I'm happy.

 

You're happy with spec suspensions and steering racks?

I'm not.





Mark

 

At least they are not killing the spirit of F1.

Once they do any of the three things I mentioned it is over. At that point F1 becomes another lame class within Le Mans racing, yawn.

 

If all those changes are implemented what F1 will have created is a spec series. Why not just hire Ferrari & McLaren to collaborate on a chassis, Ferrari, Mercedes & Renault collaborate on an engine, let teams buy them and then we'll see if Fernando really is the best driver.

Bummer!

 

It is already a spec series in many ways.

 

I kind of agree and kind of disagree. To me, a spec suspension is killing the spirit of F1.


Mark

 

You will if you buy a Ferrari. I believe CCB are standard equipment on all Ferraris now.

 

The FIA should just go back to these wheels - that will soon slow them down....
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Note the Pirelli advertising boards in the background - see nothing much has changed in 90 years!

 

As F1 moves down the path of a spec series, the closer they get to Indy Car. I can't think of a worse series to emulate. How unwise.

-F

 

Ah No.

Virtually all of a cars linear energy is transferred to the brakes as thermal energy. To stop faster you have to absorb more heat and be able to dissipate it faster. Carbon carbon brakes can absorb much more heat and can dissipate it faster. That simple.



credit-delarocha
Carbon brakes represent an advance in brake technology. Carbon has properties that make it highly desirable as an heat absorber.
Its high specific heat reduces brake weight. High thermal conductivity ensures that heat transfer, throughout the disk stack is more uniform and occurs at a faster rate.
Comparation
---------------------Steel---Carbon
Density(lb/in3)______0.283___0.061
Specific heat________0.130___0.310 Btu/lbºF
Thermal Conductivity___24____100 Btu/h.ft2ºF
Temperature Limit ºF__2100___4000
Another aspect to compare is the relative strenght at high temperatures. Although specific strenght (tensile strenght divided by density) is higher for steel, carbon can retain its strenght at high temperature. After 1200 ºF carbon specific strenght exceeds steel.
This property yields a brake heat sink whose operating temperature is limited by the temperature limits of the surrounding structure.


It’s worth noting that there’s a lot more in Kettle Cycles’ SiCCC rotors than just carbon. The acronym used for the name of the rotors hints in a very general sense at the materials used: silicon carbide, ceramic and carbon. Silicone carbide is used to provide the bite. According to Stephens, this is the ingredient that has been missing from previous attempts. A ceramic compound is used to dissipate heat; the company claims that the SiCCC rotors can tolerate significantly more heat than steel rotors and do a better job of dissipating it, too. Finally, high-grade carbon fiber is used to form the rotor’s structure.


Carbon-Carbon Composites - Gary Savage - Google Books

Carbon Fibers, Third Edition, - Google Books

Carbon ceramic brakes vs. conventional steel brakes: Is it worth the money ~ Real Cars Reviews

 

Having such an array of standard parts would ruin the sport. Much of the innovation, building a car that is more than the sum of its parts, etc. would go away. There would be less and less to differentiate the cars, the teams, and their strategy. Things like carbon brakes and carbon fiber materials are huge advancements in automotive technology and are the future, capping that off to technology from half a century ago would be a mistake.

The smaller teams with budget constraints, IMO, should be eliminated. The sport should not suffer as a result of their inability to secure sponsorship or function efficiently. This is not the indy racing league where the everyman should be able to show up with a second mortgage and put a competitive car on the grid. F1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of motorsport.

The solution is allowing teams to field three cars. Instead of having 22 cars on the grid, we could have 24 more competitive cars running and no need for the 107% rule, etc. The big teams would get 50% more ad space on the cars, and access to 50% more talent, one more brand ambassador, sell that much more merch, etc. Also the smaller teams that have drivers bringing money to the table would have one more paying driver.

 

The only road car to my knowledge that uses anything close to F1 brakes is the P1 with it's akebono brakes. These brakes are even better than the carbon ceramics on most high end cars. It's science people.

"Stronger than conventional carbon ceramic, the material dissipates heat more effectively, and can absorb 50 percent more of the energy than the carbon ceramic used in McLaren MP4-12C. This carbon ceramic material is used in a space rocket program because of its advanced heat-resistant qualities."

BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR McLAREN P1?

 

What's the point of insisting that the teams produce their own cars when so many subsystems are of standard spec?

 

I'm good with shared parts/systems other than chassis and engine.

 

F1 died yet again ?
Good news it has more lives than a clowder of cats.