Australian Grand Prix: a brief example of a balance between driver skill and technology .
In F1 there is a need 50 / 50 split between technology and driver skill( the two work as one and both the car and driver are stars on equal footing). The recent Australian Grand Prix showed us a brief excellent example of how exiting racing can be if there is that balance. I must agree that the safety car was on the track too many times (but for track workers safety it’s a true necessity). The very Interesting part of the race was the restarts and which some drivers performed well with cold tires and some drivers performed extremely very poor. In Australia the high tech solutions of the F1 cars could not step in fast enough and the cream of the drivers rose to the top on those restarts. Under current regulations sometime it is difficult to tell who is a top driver and who is aided by computers to make him look like a hero.
The solution is to find a mix of technology and simplicity so we can appreciate both driver’s skills and technological advancement. The following is two simple changes that would reduce the cost of F1 and could give us that balance.
The first technology that needs to be revised (and brings back the simplicity) is the drive by wire to the throttle. A hard cable from the throttle to the butterfly valves has the potential to stop all the excessive driver aides. The true skill is in the driver’s ability to control steering and their feet co-ordination. The true potential of a great car is its ability to give great feedback so the driver senses the infinitesimal changes and the two acts as one.
The second change is the excessive aerodynamic down force. The wind tunnel budgets and the amount of testing have achieved the F1 community the cost effective ratio of an organization as NASA. Wings front and back need to be set to a spec that allows the teams plenty of room for advertising but made very flat with little air disturbance and reduced down force this would bring the mechanical grip to the leading edge of development. The diffuser should be banned and replaced with a spec rear extended bargeboard the same height as the front wings. This would allow for minor contact (with minor damage) and again reduced research cost in the wind tunnel.
These simple changes would reduce the wind tunnel testing cost and reduce the down force. This would still allow for technology growth in engines, braking, transmissions, electronics, and suspensions. It would bring racecar /driver balance to the front of team objectives and still allow for manufactures to develop technology to preserve the high tech image.
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). It's stunning that the front wheels can keep contact with the ground with that shape. Is there something inside the front part that can put a little push here, because judging by the look, it seems all the weight is on the rear. (battery, gas tank...)
