The Golden Age of F1: Right here, right now!

@Electric F1: Won't happen, as the FIA is planning a new racing series (currently dubbed "Formula E" or "Formula Electric"). FIA has recently hired the Austrian engineering service AVL to do some calculations for a technical rule set.

 

I could live with closed cockpits. Electric engines/engines without noise will kill it completely and I won't watch.

 

Ya know I think your right as there was so much change and innovation within that time frame.

If that was me the Ferrari crew would be asking themselves "Is that guy REALLY kissing the bodywork, get him another beer stat!!!" lol

 

I only meant that the move to electric would severely affect the show. The covers, meh, we might actually end up with better looking cars because of it. However, despite all the change throughout F1's history that you mention, the internal combustion engine has remained a constant. There are some things that you simply don't change.

Something to consider...

 

Totally disagree with the OP.

I have tried so hard to stay engaged with the F1 season. I WANT to love F1. But man is it difficult.

They showed a "video highlights" reel on Speed for this season. It was BORING.

 

You gotta digout one of those old VHS tapes from the early '80s like I do, mix a strong one and chill!!

 

Agreed. The gumball qualy tires, the toxic fuel blends, 1200hp turbos, V-12s, V-8s, V-10s, etc. Now they focus mostly on aero and reliability.

 

And what's wrong with that?

That they're getting ~800HP from a 2.4L V8 that last thousands of KM's is stunning to me. Even the gearboxes generally last almost forever - Unless they're in Brazil of course.

The wacky rocket fuel was an interesting diversion but I'm a lot happier they're now on standard pump (unleaded!) gas.

They remain the quickest things on 4 wheels round a road course and even HRT is "close" and will hopefully get closer with more experience. As long as that remains the case I'll still follow 'em.

Cheers,
Ian

 

As long as the fight to the WDC WCC is down to the last race between two or three drivers I'm OK. This year reminds me of the MS days of endless victories. Zzzzzz....

IMO points need to go to the bottom of the teams.
We wont give you money untill you get better but you cant get better without money.
Moronic.
A Nascar type points system would be better with points for every lap etc.

And blasphemy of all blasphemys;
Add weight to the winners car. Not a lot; a couple of kilos per win cumulative.
With no testing the WDC is determined on a drawing board before the season starts.

 

Dont get me wrong, I'm still mad about f1 and consider it the top category. I just miss the performance gains on the mechanical side. Yes it's an amazing engineering achievement to get engines spinning at 18,000 that last 3-4 races. But it's alot sexier when that engineering is channeled into producing more power instead.

I'd prefer if they homologated the aero and left the mechanicals free.

 

While I agree the no testing rule is stupid F1 is, at it's heart, an engineering exercise. I do a better job than you, I win. Now you want to penalize me for doing a better job?

RB dominated all season - I honestly don't have a problem with that same as when Michael did all the winning - All part of the game.

No, no, and thrice no!

Cheers,
Ian

 

If you were ever around a turbo car those were fairly quiet, I loved them.

I don't know if having an enclosed cockpit would make anyone 'anonymous', we all know who Derek Bell/Al Holbert/Klaus Ludwig/Vic Elford are.
To enclose the cockpit just takes away part of what F1 is, and I think you end up with a different series. Racing is a dangerous sport, there is no evidence to suggest that if Whelden's cockpit was enclosed he would have lived, that enclosed canopy may have sheared off or shattered and sliced his head clean off.

You simply never know what will happen in an accident, I don't think there has been a death in F1 since 1994, those cars and circuits are sooo much safer than they used to be.

 

I don't have a problem with testing - having OPEN testing. Having the FIA organize the testing. Having it a few times at different circuits and inviting ALL teams.
It is an expensive sport, but I just don't think it's good for the sport when the 'rich' teams get all the testing and the 'poor' teams have to do with less - PLUS they get bounced out after Q1 and don't get any more track time.
You can say 'too bad for the poor teams', but they will never get any better, do we really want that as a sport? I don't.

 

+1

I've been banging on about this forever - Let 'em test on the Monday following the race. Minimal cost increase as they're already there etc etc. Not all races could do it [Monaco for example] but most could.

What they don't want is a return to the dedicated test teams of a few years back - The big guys had not one but two test teams running pretty much all the time. Crazy expensive.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Really? I'd wager that about half a dozen of the current crop (other than the active champions) will even be remembered 20 years from now.

 

You can bet your bottom deutsche mark that if/when electric vehicles succeed gasoline cars as mainstream transport, that Formula E (or whatever they call it) will take over as the premier racing league. It won't matter how exactly it was derived - it could be an evolution of F1, or a consolidation of F1 and FE, or something different... but it will be where the money is.

 

I don't see how battery technology will make it possible any time soon. Unless they have several 30 minute sprints, spread several hours apart to allow for recharging...

 

But there hasn't really been the opportunity to change the engine away from combustion until the last few years... even now, it's not feasible, but it could/would be in the next 10 years. I will bet that in 20 years, F1 (or whatever the top series is) won't be using gas engines at all.

They have made radical changes to the formula over the years, always followed by predictions of the demise of F1. The only thing that moving away from ICE's would change is the sound. People don't watch for the sound... they watch to see close racing and the on and off track battle between the various teams. If that part is equal or better to now, it will be proven that all the whining about ICE's going away was just blustering

As for cockpit covers - I bet the cars would look badass with cockpit covers!
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It would be possible right now - either sufficiently sized batteries to last the race (would be big and heavy) or swappable batteries if they want to add to the show (a-la refueling).

It would also be a phenomenal driver for battery technology. There was an article in PopSci the other week about a R&D outfit in CA (IIRC) that had come up with a way to chemically etch/perforate battery components that, in theory and testing, had produced a 10x improvement in battery capacity and charge/discharge capacity. That is the sort of area F1 would be magnificent exploring - it would be a whole new arms race in the sport.

 

Ask someone who grew up following the sport in the 50s and they'll say the 50s was the golden age.....aske someone who grew up in the 60s and they'll say the same and so on and so forth...the golden age is as subjective as picking the top 10 drivers of all time. It's F1 and in this kid's eyes (well, I grew up in the 60s) the sport will always be, good times or bad, good racing or bad, good circuits or bad, golden. I love the sport.

 

Not necessarily disagreeing with you there.

My OP point was that I honestly believe in 10 years from now we'll all be lamenting how good F1 was TODAY.

I realize today's F1 is not as good as it was in the past (comparing to "my" golden age of 75-85) but I seriously think it is ways better than it used to be (as in e.g. 95 to 2005) and more importantly it is better than what's coming down the pipe.

I bet in 10 years we'll be all saying "Geez, remember 2011 when there was a F1, when the cars had real fuel powered engines, when you could see the drivers, when the wheels were exposed and when they were still racing in good old Europe? Remember those days?".

All that will be lost within ten years.

And if I'm wrong, I'll be all the happier for it.

 

Formula One's problem is that it's a busienss instead of a sport. Look at ALMS / LMS - that is a sport ( still ) there is money in it, but not like F-1.

Ferrari, and Mclaren etc... will always want to race, and there are plenty of private teams that would like a look in to F-1 if the cost was not so high, and participation limited.

if you let the technology free, who knows what technology could be discovered and or refined? especially stuff that could be translated to regular road cars & computing etc... today F-1 serves its own needs and that is why its so boring. The first 5 - 10 races this year were interesting but then it was just BORING.

I'll keep watching becuase I have always done so, but I really wish F-1 was the real pinnacle of racing...

One of the USP's of F-1 has always been Technological innovation.... it is so stagnant today it boring & contrived.

I know a 2.4 L V-8 revving to 18k is exciting... but imagine what they would be doing today? 25K RPM? seamless infinite transmissions? flexible memory wings - active aero, hybrid power, hydrogen power, better tyres, higher performance fuel, advanced nano ceramics for engines and brakes, etc... its the stuff we cant imagine that F-1 used to innovate with... remember ground effects? carbon fiber? back in the 70's nobody ever heard of the stuff out side the experimental military Aerospace world.... today you can buy carbon sunglasses, tables, etc.... Bring that kind of stuff back, alow the teams freedom. You may have less actual teams but the ones that are running will have the best of the best.

 

Don't see it happening in my lifetime but who knows.

BTW: the red bull concept F1 car you posted looks absolutely badass. So much better than today's ugly cars.

 

Not trying to be cute, Don't really have a side to take on your argument, but as a data point I really don't know who any of those men are. I have heard of Derek Bell. Have no ideas what series he has raced. I have not heard of any of the other men.

This coming from someone whose awareness of worldwide motorsports started only 13 years ago.

 

The closed cockpit racer pic made me ponder whether or not red bull's colors and general livery layout will be as iconic as JPS and Martini liveries in Motorsports.... I think so.