Racing or Technology

It was one hell of a build up, 4 World Champions, Schumachers come-back, new teams...   

The end result was... disappointing.


F1 ZZZZZZzzzzzzz

Mercedes GP CEO Nick Fry - "The most important people are the customers - they are the people who pay to come to races, or watch it on television. We are beholden on them to put on a good show and we should see what we should do." 

Michael Schumacher - "Overtaking is basically impossible..."

Lewis Hamilton - "It definitely didn't make the racing more exciting in terms of overtaking. I wasn't able to follow in the first third of the circuit."

 

At the start of 2009 the FIA revamped the F1 technical regulations, eliminating most of the aero influencing add-ons, and changing the wing dimensions for all cars. The end result was a set of cars that moved around, oversteered, and that could follow each other closer than F1 cars had for a long time. The cars made for some, dare I say it, good racing. Unfortunately for racing fans the FIA deemed Brawn GPs rear diffuser to be legal, even though it was against the "spirit of the regulations". In typical F1 fashion this meant that everybody had to have the same diffusers on their cars and before we knew it the cars were generating more downforce than they had before the FIAs aero cut.

The FIA and the teams have now decided that these twin rear diffusers will be banned from next season. The cars also seem to have sprouted previously banned barge boards, the most intricate front and rear wings you have ever seen, and elaborate engine covers and scoops influencing the flow of air to the rear wing. F1 has always been about pushing the technical envelope, developing new ways of going faster, changing gear quicker, accelerating away from the start line better, going round corners and stopping more effectively, using technology to be the fastest. Aerodynamics, launch control, semi automatic then basically automatic gearboxes, traction control, carbon brakes, super sticky tyres, race cars controlled by lap top programmers as much as set up by chassis engineers are the F1 norm.

At one time the powers that be in F1 didn't care how many people watched the result of all this development, but this has changed in recent years. F1 teams, sponsors and manufacturers now need exposure to as many people as possible to make the huge costs involved worth while.


Here is my conundrum...

Can F1 continue to have a fairly relaxed set of technical regulations, allowing the teams to continue to push the envelope while also producing a "show" that people actually want to watch? All this technology means the drivers do less, drive very high speed but also very efficient race cars, but they don't even change gear! If F1 really do care about the show they need to balance the aero and technical evolution with a set of regulations producing cars that can race close together and overtake, and stop the teams from adding aero pieces that effect this balance. But is the tightness of regulation and organisational control needed to ensure this works contrary to what F1 is all about?


All regulation changes need a settling in period, and the latest race format in F1 is no different. Let's get one thing clear, the lack of refuelling and the qualifying format and tyre regulations did not make for a classic opener to the season (leader 2 seconds up after 1 lap!!), which is just what the world wanted, and what F1 needed!

To me it's not the lack of refuelling that's the problem; it is the inability of the cars to drive close together and race that needs addressing. But then something's never change.


Another COT... ish...

Australia, and the V8 Supercars, the last remaining home for rear wheel drive / big engined touring car racing, are soon to announce a totally new car package. The theory is that the "Car of the Future" (COF), will be a generic purpose built rear wheel drive race car, and not based on production car shells.

Touring car racing in Australia has always been about Ford vs. Holden, production based RWD sedans with V8 engines going head to head around Bathurst. Changing this format is a big deal. The idea is that the new regulations will allow other manufacturers to enter the series, but to me surely the point is to allow Ford and Holden to stay in the series, and to allow the series to maintain a V8 RWD base.

Let me explain. Falcons and Commodores are not selling in Australia. Ford and GM are not as financially stable as years past. What are the chances of the Australian arms of Ford and GM being allowed to develop their own RWD replacements, independent of the rest of the world? There is a chance that the next generation Falcon and Commodore will be based on "world" platforms, which may bring front wheel drive to Australian sedans. In reality we have no idea if this is correct but if I was the V8 Supercar organisers this is what I would fear. There is nothing worse for touring cars than front wheel drive.

So how do you ensure a future for your RWD, V8, production sedan based championship under threat from front wheel drive road cars? You develop a standardised, specifically developed RWD race car, and let the manufacturers clothe the cars in their own bodywork, and fit their own V8.


We will find the details out just after the Australian GP. I get the feeling that the V8 Supercar race and the following announcement will be more exciting than the headlining GP!