How big of an audience is needed? There is already worldwide attention, tons of revenue, sure it's a business- it's got to grow or die, but isn't there the space to remain true to the spirit of innovation and competition? Anyway, it seems it's been like this a long time. True, I can move on. I just like the concept of F1, open development with such a depth of tradition and resources. But life is disillusioning sometimes. Anyway, there is more to lifeJust_a_fan wrote:So, if the key to a bigger audience is things like KERS and DRS then that's how F1 will go. No one is making us watch it - we can choose to watch some other series or even some other sport entirely.
It appears that the main point is the uncertainty of how much downforce you would actually get from the tunnels and the majority of teams does not seem to want to upset the old apple cart.* a front wing of reduced width, down from from 1800mm to 1650mm
* a much shallower rear wing, similar to those used at the high-speed Monza track
* significantly lower noses on the cars to improve safety, although the exact maximum height has still to be determined
* the retention of the moveable rear wing - or drag-reduction system (DRS) - that was introduced this season to make overtaking a little easier
* a restriction on all the extra pieces of bodywork that have sprouted in front of the side pods of the cars
* a restriction on the design of front-wing end plates, to limit the intricate designs seen today
* a plan to increase wheel diameter from 13 inches to 18 inches has been delayed until at least 2014
The cars' drag co-efficient will reduce from existing levels of 0.9Cd to about 0.7Cd, while the FIA's initial hope had been to cut it to 0.5Cd.
The other point is probably that the change to 18" wheels has no advantage for the teams and will only trigger big cost increases. The advantage is primarily for the tyre supplier and that the cars will look better for some people.Sam Michael wrote:So you could predict the downforce you'll get from it, but you could easily achieve double. Whereas if we stay with the current floor, you can be controlled where the downforce and drag are going to be.
I think cost restrains are a pretence. The teams do not want to make radical changes that could end up in a run away situation for one team.dansus wrote:If this is the best answer to the issue of dirty air, then it seems silly not to adopt it. I sense the cost of development being the culprit here.
They might aswell do what they did back in the 50's and revert to F2 rules with the way they're goingjenkF1 wrote:Very upset if this is true and no ground effect. If 5 seconds slower per lap, plus the other 7 seconds or so with full fuel, the cars will be about as fast as F3s at the start of a gp!!!
Actually this is the first GP2 car without having the side skirts. They greatly increased the size of the diffusor and got rid of the side skirts. They have gone with a much more F1-like aero concept, according to Dallara.dansus wrote:Is GP2 running ground effect this year? The racing at Turkey was great, like its was with the MK1 chassis that ran till '07 and had ground effects.
If this is the best answer to the issue of dirty air, then it seems silly not to adopt it. I sense the cost of development being the culprit here.
When the overtaking working group did their wind tunnel tests to develop the 09 rules, they claimed the tests showed better perfomance in the wake of another car by producing a lower percentage of downforce from the floor and more from wings. I know this is the opposite of what we've been fed over the years, but that's what they claimed the windtunnel told them.That's why the original '09 diffusors and the current '11 diffusors are so damned little and the front wings are so huge. Also when running behind another car most of the downforce lost was along the centerline of the car,so that is the reason for the FIA mandated aero neutral center section of the front wing.WhiteBlue wrote:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/formula ... 412925.stm
It looks like the teams do not want the tunnels which were proposed by the expert working group. They propose:
It appears that the main point is the uncertainty of how much downforce you would actually get from the tunnels and the majority of teams does not seem to want to upset the old apple cart.* a front wing of reduced width, down from from 1800mm to 1650mm
* a much shallower rear wing, similar to those used at the high-speed Monza track
* significantly lower noses on the cars to improve safety, although the exact maximum height has still to be determined
* the retention of the moveable rear wing - or drag-reduction system (DRS) - that was introduced this season to make overtaking a little easier
* a restriction on all the extra pieces of bodywork that have sprouted in front of the side pods of the cars
* a restriction on the design of front-wing end plates, to limit the intricate designs seen today
* a plan to increase wheel diameter from 13 inches to 18 inches has been delayed until at least 2014
The cars' drag co-efficient will reduce from existing levels of 0.9Cd to about 0.7Cd, while the FIA's initial hope had been to cut it to 0.5Cd.
The other point is probably that the change to 18" wheels has no advantage for the teams and will only trigger big cost increases. The advantage is primarily for the tyre supplier and that the cars will look better for some people.Sam Michael wrote:So you could predict the downforce you'll get from it, but you could easily achieve double. Whereas if we stay with the current floor, you can be controlled where the downforce and drag are going to be.
I think it is sad that we cannot see a bigger reduction of drag and the associated higher fuel efficiency. I feel that the move would have a genuine chance to cure the old overtaking problem without the use of the artificial DRS. On the other hand it would not be worth a conflict between FiA and FOTA. The best compromise is probably to delay the tunnels by one or two years and keep the DRS in the meantime. It is more important to keep the peace between FiA and FOTA to steer F1 into the next concord agreement without big conflicts. Bernie and CVC will exploit any dis sense between the two bodies. So delay is better than war.