Driver adjustable bodywork!

snowy

Champion Elect
Another turd in the swimming pool:

Driver adjustable bodywork
From 2011, adjustable bodywork may be activated by the driver at any time prior to the start of the race and, for the sole purpose of improving overtaking opportunities during the race, after the driver has completed two laps. The driver may only activate the adjustable bodywork in the race when he has been notified via the control electronics that it is enabled. It will only be enabled if the driver is less than one second behind another at any of the pre-determined positions around each circuit. The system will be disabled the first time the driver uses the brakes after the system has been activated. The FIA may, after consulting all the competitors, adjust the time proximity in order to ensure the purpose of the adjustable bodywork is met.

http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/wmsc/2010/Pages/wmsc_230610.aspx
 
I just got to that bit after commenting on the others.

I can't believe they're going ahead with this absurd idea.

A sad day for F1 when it comes to introducing artificial concepts such as this.
 
Another idiotic idea from the buffoons at the FIA :givemestrength: .

I can well imagine a never-ending stream of protests alleging that a team has "activated their bodywork" outside the intended parameters. How will they police this ridiculous idea?

If they keep coming up with this type of nonsense, I will tune out Formula 1 for good, which would be a shame, since I have been following it since 1964!
 
This must surely be one of their stalking horse ideas so that they can slip some other rule through on the quiet. They can already adjust the front wings, not that it made any tangible difference, or if it has it's never mentioned.
 
It's a recipe for disaster.

What happens if the electronics stop working in 1 or more cars?

What happens when there are 3 or more cars in a row separated by 1 second or less?

How are they going to measure the time gap between every car continuously?
 
All excellent, valid points. It's just these kind of glaring problems that make me more convinced that it's not an entirely serious proposal.
 
Another glaring problem with this would be on the last lap.

The following driver is just going to wait until the last straight on the last lap before utilising this device and will then pass the guy in front and win the race.

How is that fair?
 
I find this whole idea absolutely ridiculous, the McLaren f-duct is such a simple, innovative and elegant solution to a problem, and instead it is replaced by some artificial wing adjust, with non too clear rules about it use, and the potential to go horribly wrong.
 
Putting aside the safety aspects, which I'm not qualified to comment on, driver-adjustable bodywork seems to me like a perfectly good and sensible idea. It's also as old as the hills - when the first wings appeared on F1 cars it wasn't long before basic hydraulic systems were being used to tilt the rear wings up for the corners and down on the straights. I heard Jacky Ickx tell a story once about testing the Ferrari at Monza, and causing a riot among top brass on the pitwall as he came down the main straight with the lever in the wrong position, and the wing down like a sail! That's the kind of driver error that would really spice things up!

But the time and gap limits are crazy and unnecessary. In fact, I'm willing to bet that the final regulations don't include that text in its current form. It used to be that computer games were based on reality; now the reverse seems to apply.
 
I agree.

I have no problem with drivers adjusting wings using levers, or electronic actuators as it is these days.
But this whole nonsense about when and where they can and can't use it is just silly.

Besides, KERS is coming back next year so presumably the driver in front will just deploy KERS (assuming they have it) when the driver behind activates their rear wing so it will be status quo.

But then of course the driver behind will still have their KERS to deploy later in the lap and will get back in front.

But wait, the driver who has just been passed will now be able to activate their rear wing and as the driver in front has already used KERS, they will get re-passed.

It's going to be like something out of Wacky Races LOL

Good luck on counting the number of overtakes next year ;)
 
LOL

I'd love to see a return to Monza slipstreaming battles, with five cars abreast on the last lap, but it isn't going to happen, is it?

Just how adjustable is the bodywork going to be? Is there a limit of degrees of wing angle? If there isn't, we're going to see some pretty big disparities between leading and chasing cars at high speed aren't we?
 
Galahad said:
Just how adjustable is the bodywork going to be? Is there a limit of degrees of wing angle? If there isn't, we're going to see some pretty big disparities between leading and chasing cars at high speed aren't we?
I expect that will be ambiguously defined in the 2011 Technical Regulations with just enough vaguely worded paragraphs to allow the designers to take advantage of any unintentional loopholes ;)
 
It's all going to be a pile of puke wrapped up in a bundle of sick, dumped on a pile of festering fæces.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against the promotion of overtaking, just the Bahrain induced, cocain fuelled, hysterical Playstation mentalness of it all.
 
I don't want to dismiss this out of hand but it does seem a bit artificial to say only the car trying to overtake can get the advantage of the adjustable wing. Maybe they should give the driver of the car being overtaken a big bag of rotten fruit the sling at the other car as it comes past, or maybe a smokescreen or oil slick button (or maybe Rubens can fling his steering wheel at them).

More of a concern is a driver careering towards a corner at the end of the straight with his wing stuck in the down position not able to slow sufficiently to get round the corner. Wasn't safety one of the reasons why adjustable wings were banned in the first place. F1 cars are prototypes and, as we all know, are likely to go wrong.
 
Not to mention the cost.

Why not just remove the rev limiter to promote overtaking?

Or is that too cheap and simple?

One thing that doesn't seem to have been picked up on is there was a suggestion that the teams will have to start paying for all the timing data they currently receive for free.
I read about this last week some time.

Who wants to bet that this proposal is tied up with that?
 
The drivers aren't happy about it.

Which begs the question, how can FOTA be so far removed from the drivers?

Formula 1 drivers have expressed major reservations about the introduction of moveable rear wings next season - suggesting it could make the racing false and, more seriously, lead to safety worries.
[...]
Mark Webber said: "It is good for the PlayStation I think, but I don't know how well it is going to work in F1.
[...]
He added: "Overtaking moves should be about pressurising, being skillful, and tactical. Yes we want to see more overtaking, of course we do, we know that, but we also need to keep the element of skill involved in overtaking and not just hitting buttons, like KERS, like adjustable rear wings.

"We need to get the balance right in having skillful races between each other, and not an IRL [IndyCar] race where you pass each other four times per lap and everyone gets bored of that."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84716
 
I think Bullfrog's right, it's the usual smokescreen to pass another rule as a concession. I still cling to that little piece of sanity, anyway.
 
Aldo Costa is not particularly gripped by the movable wing and also suggests the rule is removable:

We will have the introduction of the new adjustable rear wing. I have the same mixed feeling like Mr Sauber. It is a completely new element. We have not tested it. We have studied very, very little about it. We are going with it next year, so we will see after a few races. Anyway it is a movable option, so the FIA and the teams can always decide to stop it in case it is not good enough or not good for some reason.
 
Now for some good news.

He admitted the moveable rear wing was developed due to "fan-based pressure" to improve the spectacle of overtaking, but said it is not certain the innovation will actually debut.

"I think we have got to do a little bit more work on deployment and the sporting regulations that accompany it, and if we get that right we'll give it a go," said Whitmarsh. "If detracts or isn't right, it's easy to take it off. But let's have a look at it; it's a bit of an experiment."

Moveable rear wing idea could be ditched
 
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