They are on another Planet!!!

[Guest]

The FIA are now pushing through an engine development freeze for 10 years and then say it is to "promote alternative and more environmentally friendly methods of increasing the performance of F1 cars"

What are they hoping to achieve Surely  allowing engine development whilst introducing otehr measures such as reducing the fuel allowance, is the only way to achieve this goal unless they are going to get the pit crews to push the things.  Alternative fuels, compression ingition petrol engines etc. are all under development.  We now have two ton cars with powerful engines of over 3 litres which will still do more than 40 mpg.  Compare that to 10 years ago and think what will be achieved in the next 10 years.

Also what about the fact that F1 attracts manufacturers and sponsors because of the high levels of technology development.  That will go to pot when they are using 10 year old engines.  Imagine your road car having more up to date technology than the F1 cars in the 2017 season

Am I missing an essential point here?  Where has it all gone wrong?

[TrevP]

If this does go through, I bet all the works teams ie ferrari, honda, toyota etc will break away from F1 and start there own series. Which I think could be a good thing what with all the pollitics in F1 at the moment.

[neilwillis]

The thinking behind it is to level the playing field, and give the less affluent teams more of a shout.

[Guest]

QUOTE

The thinking behind it is to level the playing field, and give the less affluent teams more of a shout

Surely this would be better done by limiting aero options, testing etc. rather than by this route.  I can't see the manufacturers wanting to stay in at this rate and I can't see F1 surviving without them as it will become a technology backwater.

[pistonbroke]

Fuel rationing has been tried before and it was crap  

Throughout history the FIA have tried all kinds of engine restrictions to restrict speed (usually in the intersests of safety but now more to reduce runaway costs ) and have they have failed miserably .

The RPM limit was an attempt to stop e.g. Ferrari with an almost limitless budget from employing more and more expensive metals technology to gain a performance advantage , but smaller teams had no chance to keep up .

In my view the answer is to reduce mechanical grip , put a ban on aero and all other driver aids . Ban carbon brakes . Go back to the old gear lever and foot operated cluch .

Then usable power would be limited automatically by driving skill .

But it wont ever happen  

[Guest]

I'm sure discussions will go on and on .... but the real question is "what is f1"... is it a spectator sport, is it a level playing field, is it a technology development exercise?  It can't be all of those at once.

[tex]

the FIA is talking about which catagory of sport? F1 or other disciplines? they already implementing alternative fuels in sports cars... AUDI PEUGEOT etc.. killing the sport there - no one is anywhere near their cars and they dont sound right.. wayyyyyy toooo quiet

[cast iron]

The RPM limit was an attempt to stop e.g. Ferrari with an almost limitless budget from employing more and more expensive metals technology to gain a performance advantage , but smaller teams had no chance to keep up .

Not true as advanced metal matrix components were banned a fair few years before the RPM limit. the RPM trophy went to Renault and the rule was brought in to take away their advantage, you might find a certain red team proposed it    

[neilwillis]

I guess the real issue is that they don't have any real idea of a direction for the sport.   regs are tweaked here and there to try and achieve one aim or another.

The fact is, as long as they keep moving the goal posts, there will have to be expenditure to deal with it.   Sponsors will have to fork up cash, and the winners will get some good publicity.

Like it or not, F1 is a huge circus, and right now, no matter what they do, it'll still be a pretty huge white elephant.

For the purist, it'll never live up to expectations.   For the punter, it'll be glamourous, technically unfathomable, and it'll be providing column inches in the papers, web space on tinternet, and TV companies will want to air it.

Some day they'll say aero development will be frozen, and let the engine techies have a play again.  

Right now, as long as the UK remains a big influence, it can't be all bad.   Hamilton will give a lot of people a lot of pleasure, and a lot of UK engineering businesses will pick up a few crumbs from the trough.   My missus works for a company that make a few F1 bits and pieces, so we get to have a curry on a Friday night.    Cheers Bernie

[Blatman]

Usual FIA non thinking. It doesn't matter what new rule they come up with, the teams with the most money *will* do the most developement to get the most from the technology allowed by the new rules. The only way to limit the spiralling costs is to limit developement, IE, no engine tests, no aero tests, no wind tunnels etc etc, and that won't happen. The FIA have have sadly lost the plot if they really believe that reducing engine size or fiddling with the fuel or "simply" reducing aero will make any odds at all to developement costs. For example "simply" reducing aero will just give those teams with wind tunnels an advantage compared to those who have to hire them. Developement costs will be large and ongoing no matter what the rules say. The FIA should stop being embarrassed about it and instead focus on the sport and what the fans want. Cheaper tickets mostly, I suspect...

[neilwillis]

Why not just cap the team budgets then?

[Blatman]

Why not just cap the team budgets then?

Difficult if not impossible to police effectively.

[Pembroke Pat]

Restricting the use of tunnels will only mean more use of a development of computational fluid dynamics.   Then you can't prove how much testing is being completed.

[CedricTheBrave]

If I understand this correctly,

Freezing engine development will meen that all the teams who have an already powerfull/flexible engine will be better off than all the teams that don't?

so the manufacturers who now sell customer engines ie the boys in red will which is powerful and flexible will benefit? and possible sign more up in the near future?

or am I barking up the wrong mulberry bush?

[robthehungrymonkey]

The whole point of F1 is that it is the pinnacle. The fastest cars, driven by the fastest drivers.

If they keep diluting this, then it will loose interest.

If they freeze engine development for 10 years where would that leave it as the "pinnacle" there are bound to be race series' around that have a lighter more powerful engine by then. Will sports cars prototypes be quicker? Probably.

We might as well give up and watch GP2 or touring cars.