F1 F1 - 2013

Finally, something in F-1 that I can understand!

 

How I should have spent my summer vacation!

 

I've some big logo project before with the boys but nothing like that. I'm even sure I have enough. Certainly not all the red ones.:eek6:

 

Bernie Ecclestone proposes chassis share to reduce costs | City & Business | Finance | Daily Express

 

F1 seems intent on moving away from it's core values and into a spec series....F1 used to be about innovation and new ideas, every year it gets more and more restrictive to the point where there is simply no room for real innovation - and if someone did come up with something that was somehow within the rules, it would be either copied to every team immediately, or banned. Spec series.

Really unfortunate.

In the past I've thought despite all the criticism that Bernie had been a positive force to keep F1 moving forward, now I think his version of F1 may have run it's course.

Of course, if his hand chosen replacement will simply follow the same blueprint as what he's already laid down, then you might as well have everyone driving the same chassis and engines, just like CART and INDY did, and look how well that served them.

 

There are successful spec racing series:
NASCAR, Australian V8 Supercars, Moto3, and Moto2

MotoGP is ahead of F1 with their CRT bikes.

Racing is a business. The purists (like me) detest this fact, but we have to deal with it. If they don't make money there will be NO racing. The cost has to be controlled and "the show" has got to fill the grandstands and command a big TV fee.

In the old days with who knows how many car manufacturers (100+?) in the world racing could be the innovation driver. Today with maybe a dozen manufacturers racing - less than half that in F1 - and an ultra competitive retail car market failure is not acceptable. So innovation is negotiated and tied to retail sales.

 

Sorry, but I disagree that F1 is promoting car sales of anything but maybe Ferrari and McLaren........and that's what, 5000 a year total?

I agree that costs must be controlled and that there are successful spec series, but the point of F1 was to be the pinacle of engineering - not a spec series, and while it is in some very small ways the top of the heap, very few of those designs are applicable to today's automotive needs.

 

Did you read the Honda statement about rejoining F1?

Why they have an energy recovery system now?

The rationale for going to the V6 turbo?

Rhetorical Questions - Manufacturers want to make it relevant to their road cars. ie Negotiated Innovation applicable to (future) retail sales.

 

Non of the cars in NASCAR relate to the road going counter parts but people support their brand. I started watching F1 back in the 80s because Honda was in it and had bought a CRX Si.

I love the innovation that is suppose to be F1. But it is lacking now. I find it interesting that when someones comes up with something the others look at and figure out what it will take to do it too (if they can). Then if they don't like the result they complain and say it violates some rule. gone are the days of just going and getting it done.

They keep talking about budget caps but it never happens. Mostly because the cap is for just about everything. Make the cap for just the car development and loosen up the rules. I read some where that a certain alloy was band in the early 90s for engines because it was too expensive but buy the end of the decade it was being use in road cars.

I think the tech has gotten so good that they need to have the strict rules and play artificial games (tires) to level the field and present a challenge. I don't think we will ever see the old days of "do what ever it takes". But doing anything with in so many dollars might work.

 

You know, I've mentioned streaming sites before, that pop up for races and then leave. But there's one that seems fairly stable and has a chance of hanging around for a bit.

It streams several channels, including Sky's dedicated formula one Channel, which shows classic Races as well as new. So If anyone's interested they Can watch that iF it sounds good, but I do Recommend muting thE chat channEl. It can be Tiresome, Very.

The dot is before the last two letters.

Wasn't sure about linking directly, hence the bold letters. Use at your own risk, etc. I'm on a Mac with Safari, and it seems to work fine, no warnings or such.

 

Yeah, that's the one

I wasn't sure you'd be cool with the direct link

I gotta say, the Sky F1 channel is addicting, and cost me a lot of work yesterday.

 

Nice long article by Emerson Fittipaldi, reminiscing about Monaco, and Montjuic, 1975. Worth a read.

McLaren Formula 1 - The Art of Driving

 

The pres of my company is flying out to see the race this weekend... guess it's good to be the king :ihih: