Re: The 2010 season
DOF_power said:
McZiderRed said:
[quote="DOF_power":2dldf2xj]I don't care about passing HRTs, Lotuses or Virgins endless amounts of time.
I want overtaking in the front of the field in the dry without any driver mistakes involved.
Yes, a noble ambition.
What are your thoughts on how this could be achieved?
1] Active aero (via sensors and movable wings front and rear and ground effects controlled via active suspensions) and AWD with active differentials that create an "active slipstream" scenario akin to before wings when the car behind got less lift/ more grip and less drag.
The car behind will get an (unbeatable) advantage just like in old days.
2] Ban blocking/defensive maneuvers.
Drivers should not block, but re-pass.
3] Eliminate corners and chicanes on all the tracks.
4] Give the engines (a lot) more torque to improve their driveability.[/quote:2dldf2xj]
1 - How is the active element to be utilised? By driver input, or according to where the car is on the track? Either way, I have massive reservations about a cars' defined behaviour and attitude relative to the track being allowed to alter more than the confines of it's 'natural' suspension allow. The degree of error, whether human or mechanical is simply too great.
2 - I have no problem with this, however I feel that the prevalence of blocking is directly proportional to the the difficulty of overtaking. For example, NASCAR - Since it is recognised that being overtaken is not the end of your race, and you can re-take the position a few laps later, then blocking rarely occurs. By increasing the mechanical ability of an F1 car to overtake (and be definition re-take), I strongly believe that blocking will decrease.
3 - This requires further explanation. There are some corners and sequences that create overtaking (Eau Rouge, the Adelaide hairpin at Magny Cours, the Montreal hairpin, the last few corners at Turkey), and some that reduce it (any turn at Barcelona, the added Bahrain section, the latest, open version of St Devote).
4 - This may be a valid point, I'm not fully up to speed on the benefits/disadvantages of higher torque, so this could be a good idea. Unfortunately the FIA don't want anything other than a standard engine. I would however increase the minimum mass of an F1 car. Consider the power/weight ratios from the past - I think I'm right in saying that the Cosworth DFV produced around 500-540 Bhp, and the car mass was around 540Kg. Since then, power has increased to upto 700, 750, 800 Bhp, and yet the mass of the car has gone up by very little. As brakes, aerodynamics and suspensions have become more efficient and consistent, the braking zone has been dramatically reduced. Increasing the mass of the car will increase this braking zone, and create more opportunities.
I understand your desire to see slip-streaming battles, for lap after lap, but without going back to wingless cars on high speed circuits (and their inherent dangers) this isn't going to happen. There is also the difference in culture and attitudes. As you have posted yourself elsewhere, F1 long ago went down the road of business over sport, and winning is now everything (as much as we the fans disagree with this attitude, it's there). I would suggest that even if you took the wings off, and let them race around the Monza of the 60's and early 70's, that as soon as one driver decided "There's no point in overtaking now, I'll sit in second and wait until coming out of the Parabolica on the last lap, and then slipstream" they would all do it, and the overtaking would decrease once more.
smilie.
i'm not aware of any 300km dead straight circuits in the world then again i'm not convinced watching a drag race of that length would be my idea of fun 
