Purist vs Spectacle?

[i70q7m7ghw]

For me I want to see F1 technology heading in a direction that's relevant for the future.

Rather than mandating smaller engines etc. in the name of "green" technology, a limit on fuel should simply be imposed. Say to the teams, here's all the fuel for the weekend, do what ever you like with your engine, but if you run out of fuel your finished. The engine freeze for me killed a big part of F1.

KERS is way to restricted. Developent should be opened up, at the moment everyone has built a system that works to the regulations, and that's it, there's no development.

TYRE WAR! A tyre war would produce a genuine version of what we are seeing this year. If two tyre manufacturers were competing they would be constantly pushing to create the next best compound, something right on the limit of performance. It's probably the reason Michelin got it wrong at Indy in 2005, but they should never have been ejected from the sport for that. This year Pirelli are artificially creating tyres that are unpredictable, they aren't developing a compound that's useful anywhere, they've engineered it to have high deg, a small operating window etc. It's fake!

[feni_remmen]

Those who want DRS

Am I right that DRS is an aid for the driver that helps overtaking? Traction control also helps the driver, yet one is banned because it is a driver aid and the other is not banned even though it is also a driver aid.

What I don't get is why people want to ban one thing so it is more about driver skill but sanction another thing because it removes driver skill from the equation (DRS).

I am against DRS and traction control. Professional race car drivers should not need such things.

While on this one, I'm most likely in a distinct minority, I do believe the cars should be running 6 speed H-pattern gearboxes. No offense, but shifting gears is a skill, and drivers should be forced to operate a foot clutch pedal, as well as have to manually change gears with a stick shift. I think things would get a lot more interesting out there.

Drivers should absolutely be forced to use H-Pattern gearboxes. It's stupid that when they banned "all driver aids" in 1994, they chose not to ban the most significant one of all... Don't get me wrong, I love the gearbox technology that has evolved in the past 20 years, but for quite a while now I have felt that drivers should be forced to do more in that department. I doubt that F1 is making much development in this area and I would imagine that the regulations regarding this area limit what progress can be made. And I think reverting to an H-Pattern would probably have the some effect similar to DRS in terms of producing some overtaking, however the perception of the fans would be that the overtakes occurred because of a natural event rather than an artificial manipulation...

[Cam]

While we can argue what a purist may or may not be in it's strictest sense, one thing in recent F1 is for sure...there's no great 'wow' moments. Nothing that gets the motoring world excited, the fans scrambling and nothing that allows the average man to dream that he too, one day, may have that in his his car.

This year, the wow moment was Mcarlen not having a stepped nose.
wow

Or the RB8 with it mythical nose slot.
wow

Yes, there has been technical advancements, such as wheel nuts, floors, some kind of inner tubing that's not driver moveable - but where's the wow? Where's the front page story of every major motoring publication lauding the brilliance of engineering. Those days have gone, as is the real spectacle. The spectacle of crazy wings, 6 wheels, fans, the list goes on....

F1 is now a spec series for all intents and purposes with regs so tight even engines, tyres and components essentially performs the same way (well, maybe not the tyres). I'm sure the reasons given over the years preventing the radical cars from appearing on the grid sounded great at the time, but the real spectacle has gone.

Would fixing this and appending it, draw more crowds?

[Slife]

Yes, there has been technical advancements, such as wheel nuts, floors, some kind of inner tubing that's not driver moveable - but where's the wow? Where's the front page story of every major motoring publication lauding the brilliance of engineering. Those days have gone, as is the real spectacle. The spectacle of crazy wings, 6 wheels, fans, the list goes on....

F1 is now a spec series for all intents and purposes with regs so tight even engines, tyres and components essentially performs the same way (well, maybe not the tyres). I'm sure the reasons given over the years preventing the radical cars from appearing on the grid sounded great at the time, but the real spectacle has gone.

Would fixing this and appending it, draw more crowds?

I think I would be right in saying most of the advancements in the last few years was really just optimizing the car within the rules. Why would you build a double diffuser IRL when you can just build a larger diffuser ?

[Cam]

yes, that's how it seems. I may be wrong and have missed a major development though, so happy to be corrected.

Every major development I can recall, has been banned. The Lotus braking system comes to mind as something that was new for this year and was a wonderful example of a true breakthrough for a car. Everything else has kind of been refinements hasn't it. Just tweaks or plays on existing tech.

Not sure how they can ever dig themselves out the corner their reg'd themselves into - or even if they care.

Really, really, interested in what the GP1 could be. If they think, listen and take all the best bits they'll have a show for all seasons and all tastes. With the current generation so fundamentally not loyal to any brand and fickle, they'll be easily won across and if the hard fans, like me, move too, F1 could be in trouble. Who knows, is all speculation.