New rules fail to address the lack of overtaking
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New rules fail to address the lack of overtaking |
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The core problem that the new F1 rules and points systems totally fails to address is the extreme difficulty of passing on today's tracks and with today's cars. This has reduced 'racing' to endless follow-me-rounds, broken only by the rare passing opportunity resulting from major driver error or equipment failure. I recognize that restoring passing to F1 competition is a difficult proposition, but if we are to have real and exciting racing this must be done. Certain steps would be easy, such as imposing severe penalties for blocking overtaking cars, whether at the start or on the fly. Others, for example track modifications to ease passing, are also possible, and although these might be costly, they are easily affordable in the context of today's F1 budgets exceeding $100M per team. Another whole topic regarding the rules changes is the stupidity of prohibiting modern traction, stability control, and related systems. While the goals of testing the drivers' native expertise and reducing F1 vehicle costs are understandable, they fail to test the driver in a real and modern vehicle environment and obviously have failed to reign in costs. What's more, prohibiting modern vehicle technology in F1 will eventually result in an embarrassing situation - the fastest modern street cars will be able to outrun the F1 racers. (Don't laugh - we are already seeing this situation in production road cars such as supercharged Mercedes sedans that easily outrun and outbrake most 'sports cars.' Before long they may outhandle them as well.) - Franz B (Reference Heretic 5-18 - Is it fair, are they shaping and is it over?) The Heretic replies: Franz, Valid points. If we have a look at why overtaking is so difficult, I guess it boils down to a handful of basic facts: When the airflow over the car provides most of the traction and grip turbulence makes overtaking hard if not impossible. On a track that only has grip on the racing line overtaking a car that is pretty evenly matched is impossible. Circuit design has not kept up with technology. The formula has evolved into a constructor’s competition not a driver competition. None of this counters your thinking, which I believe is extremely valid. Today’s driver spends the entire race making sure that he does not make a mistake. An inspired drive is only seen on a wet circuit. Perfection, driving like a machine, is what is required. Flair is helpful but more likely to result in retirement. Driving an F1 car is like flying the space shuttle, driver skill is only relied on when something goes wrong and even then he can only help a little. Michael Schumacher in a Minardi would just be another Minardi driver. Taking into account where the sport is going, I am not sure that technology will ever allow the best drivers to win again. The way they now get to the top is to show what they can do in a formula where they can make a difference and hope like hell that they will get the breaks. How many talented drivers never even got a chance to show what they are made of? This need for consistent perfection on the driver’s part contributes a lot to the processional race we mostly see today. So let us assume that most of the reason why races are won is because the driver was in the best car for that particular circuit and the driver did not make many mistakes. A constructors’ championship. We can only judge the driver against his team-mate, comparing him with a driver in another team is hardly valid. In many ways, F1 was the forefront of development. Many of the developments once only available in a F1 car are now freely available in the family sedan. Restrict development in F1 cars and you may well be right that the family sedan will overtake it. While there is so much money involved and so much money at stake the evolution of the cars cannot be halted and I do not believe it should. But that means that it is probably more expensive for the teams the more the formula is restricted. ABS brakes are outlawed. Does that mean that teams are not constantly working on finding ways of eliminating brake lockup? Of course not. Is this development cheaper than ABS? Unlikely. The rule around the fuelling system is just as stupid. How many races have been spoilt because the fuelling rigs fail all the time? If they want to restrict the cost, if they want to bring driver skill back into the sport then it would be better to upgrade formula Ford. Let the drivers draw the cars before the race and close racing is virtually guaranteed (although Formula Ford may be exciting for the drivers it is pretty boring to watch). Throwing the formula wide open, on the other hand, will increase cost and make it more dangerous for drivers and spectators. Cars are optimised to the point that there is only one best racing line. Regardless of what is done on circuit design this will always be true. If there is only one racing line it also follows that there will only be one clean line. As leading cars are not expected to move over, overtaking must be on the dirty bits. Why not sweep the track before every race and outlaw tyres that leave marbles behind? In other words acknowledge that it is already hard to move off the optimum line and go faster than the car in front of you and try to avoid making it even harder. Specifying that the tyre compounds may not litter is not holding development back – it will merely steer it in another direction. A least it is development that could possibly improve the family car. Given a clean track there are already many corners on the average circuit that will make a difference. Changing the apex of a corner may not necessarily always be optimum but doing it to overtake means that you can either overtake under brakes into the corner or set it up so that you can maximise exit speed. This is only possible if there is no substantial variance in grip across the track. At present the variance is so big that it is suicidal to leave the racing line. Acknowledge that turbulence, not aerodynamics, is spoiling overtaking. Do not limit wing size. Do not limit number of elements. Go to the root of the problem and limit turbulence. Find a way of measuring it and restrict how much it affects the following car. The rule book gets bigger and bigger and is constantly forcing cars to conform to silly rules that are eventually bent if not broken in essence. This results in even more rules that are even more complex and with more loopholes. Grooves in tyres is but one example. When will they learn that this is the frontier of automobile development and to restrict that is to restrict the sport. Technology should not be restricted and cannot be manipulated to bring a consistent outcome over even one season -- it is moving too fast. Rules can only be made to outlaw what has been developed not what is about to be developed. The way the FIA is going at present is like navigating a fast moving car by looking out the back windscreen. They may have made the sport more exciting with some of their rules but most are too little too late and always focused on the method of design rather than the desired effect. Back to Top |
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