Tommy Cookers wrote: ↑06 Jan 2019, 12:31
henry wrote: ↑05 Jan 2019, 17:54
Track-time efficiency is all that matters in a racing series. Any other efficiencies are a means to an end.
my point was that fuel burning is prevented from fairly competing for track-time efficiency (by the fuel-rate limit)
no previous fuel quantity rules have ever limited fuel rate
the logic of a fuel quantity limit is that the designer chooses his fuel spend at rates he feels is best for track-time efficiency
the rules give an unfair benefit to the electrical side and this is now increased
when I predicted this years ago some denied this and said 'the K only recovers waste (kinetic) energy'
now they say ' it's the rules !'
OK I think I see your point now.
I think the fuel rate rule is there to limit maximum power. In the same way that max power was restricted in the past by capacity limits, rev limits or boost limits. I don’t have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the rules but I think the last time a fuel quantity restriction was applied it was in conjunction with a boost limit.
If the fuel rate limit were removed, leaving only a race quantity limit, I can see that they might, during the race, to choose to burn extra fuel at the beginning of straights and that this might be overall more efficient than burning at other points and storing the energy for the same use.
What would then happpen in qualifying is open to question. With no fuel quantity restriction I guess they might continue to use fuel inefficient electrical routes as well as more powerful, and not necessarily efficient, modes in direct fuel usage. Result much higher power outputs, higher speeds and an even bigger lap time discrepancy between qualifying and race lap times.
So there might be a better demonstration of fuel efficiency in the race but there’d need to be a new constraint on qualifying and who knows what engineering discipline that might favour.
Fortune favours the prepared; she has no favourites and takes no sides.
Truth is confirmed by inspection and delay; falsehood by haste and uncertainty : Tacitus