F1 new engine rules - and other F1 (bad) stuff

[Harrison]

The restrictions to the F1 rules they keep adding are starting to get silly that is for sure. And suggesting a move to 1.6 Turbo engines is just silly. As you say, they could instead all just get in a Fiesta and race those! It has amazed me however how much performance they can get out of the current 2.4 V8s though. I still want to see a return to V10 and V12 3 and 3.5 litre engines. Imagine what they could get out of those these days considering what they get from much smaller engines.

Formula One is meant to be the best of the best and should be unrestricted in terms of car design. All they should place on the restrictions is an engine size and aspiration and then let the teams get on with it. We would see some amazing cars produced again that would continue to invent new technologies to help the wider commercial car world.

I realise the reason for the restrictions is team budgets, with smaller teams unable to afford to match and keep up with the bigger teams. For this reason why don't they introduce a 2 tier scoring system the same as other racing classes. So the smaller slower teams can score point relevant to each other and win constructors points within their own group? There was also the worry that left unchecked the big teams like Ferrari and McLaren would be the only ones left with their huge budgets compared to others and F1 would collapse, and for that reason I can understand some of the restrictions, but things can be taken way too far and I think it is heading that way.

I'm also have mixed feelings about the DRS system this year. Yes, it gives more overtaking chances, but it leaves the driving being overtaken as a sitting duck with no way of defending or keeping their position in the race. It's an artificial system and one I think is unfair. KERS is a better idea because it can be used any time over the whole distance of a lap, so all drivers are equal in choosing when to use it and so I think that is a fairer system. Although Red Bull specifically seem to find it very hard to get KERS working.

[Tiago]

also,
i dont see why a budget for a 1.6 turbo should be much less then a non-turbo V12. They have to make miracles to put a 1.6 turbo with a lot of power.
Everytime they reduce performance teams develop new stuff as a contermesure. They keep spending anyway. If you remove some aerodynamics from cars, temas will invent other system to compensate, they will spent less in one thing but more in other.
they should allow more power, no restrictions, and make nice concitions to call other big teams to Formula1 like Porsche, Lamborghini, Masserati, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Lola, Dodge, etc... come on, why try to give silly rules for low teams when you can bring really good teams into F1 ??

[Harrison]

It is very true that there is a huge industry of car manufacturers that are not represented in F1 at all any longer. Peugeot used to do pretty will in F1 years ago, but pulled out some years back, and I'm not sure it was anything to do with money, but more about the politics. The fact they still race in other areas of motorsport proves this.

Did Lola try to get into F1 a few years ago but lost all sponsorship before the first race even began? Or was it a different American team? I remember a team entering F1 one year, even bringing their cars and drivers to the first race, but never leaving the garage because they lost all money and had to pull out and go home.

I think its harder for US based can makers to enter F1 because to be honest the US doesn't know how to do racing properly. Ovals are not real racing, they are just slip streaming events. And when Indy car has a street race you can easily see none of the drivers know how to race on a track with bends that don't all go the same way. Their racing car tech also seems a long way behind F1s.

It would however be great to see some of the other truly historic companies in F1. Porsche, Masserati, Alfa Romeo etc would be brilliant. Maybe even the Bentley and Bugatti names.

[Tiago]

Peugeot as i remember was a engine supplier for McLaren, but look at Le Mans, they know how to do a team.
Some with Porsche, if they wanted... Porsche had great engines (Mclaren), it would be the best think it could happend to F1 if they form a Team.
Lamborghini to, they here in F1 with a engine with W12 arquitecture.... they didnt achive anything but...
and dont forget one of the most important brands in F1 history...Ford, they still have an impressive number of wins in engines, they also could form an oficial team

[Harrison]

Wasn't it Cosworth rather than Ford though? Different companies. And they are still making and developing engines for F1.

[Tiago]

It was Ford and Ford Cosworth.

Ford only has 7 races, but Ford Cosworth has 567 races with +/- 176 wins Ferrai should have more now with Schummy years, around 216