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Post by Carl on Aug 28, 2022 22:54:42 GMT
Mikael, Fascinating and supercool! It's difficult for a layperson to comprehend so many gears in the geartrain. My understanding of trains remains with steam locomotives...  -Carl |
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Post by chrisb on Aug 29, 2022 8:29:06 GMT
thanks Mikael, it really is so advanced isn't it?
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Post by René on Aug 29, 2022 18:52:39 GMT
Beautiful magazines, very cool. Thanks for sharing! |
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Post by mikael on Aug 24, 2023 11:23:38 GMT
Inspired by the pictures of the skimpy tyres of the 1936 Ferrari-Alfa Romeo: 1971 - the first appearance of "slicks" in Formula One:
First race of the 1971 season: the South African Grand Prix - still (weakly) treaded tyres (also for the dry)
Second race of the 1971 season: the Spanish Grand Prix - slick tyres for the first time
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Post by mikael on Aug 24, 2023 19:04:39 GMT
I think we had a discussion on the appearance of the wide racing tyres not so long ago. But actually (and again :-D), it's not surprising that it took so long time to "hit upon" that idea; because according to the simple (empirical) theory that all engineers (still) are taught, the magnitude of the contact surface (i.e., the contact area) has no influence on the "friction force" ("withholding power" in a corner) that "dry friction" (like that due to a tyre) generates. Thus, most likely, racing engineers would have insisted on that "fact" for years. It was thus something that just had to realized by chance (that wide tyres are actually better) ...
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Post by Carl on Aug 24, 2023 22:06:33 GMT
I think we had a discussion on the appearance of the wide racing tyres not so long ago. But actually (and again :-D), it's not surprising that it took so long time to "hit upon" that idea; because according to the simple (empirical) theory that all engineers (still) are taught, the magnitude of the contact surface (i.e., the contact area) has no influence on the "friction force" ("withholding power" in a corner) that "dry friction" (like that due to a tyre) generates. Thus, most likely, racing engineers would have insisted on that "fact" for years. It was thus something that just had to realized by chance (that wide tyres are actually better) ... Thanks Mikael, I try to learn everyday and this explanation of an engineering fallacy contains several days worth of knowledge. Cheers, Carl |
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Post by René on Aug 25, 2023 10:22:36 GMT
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Post by René on Jan 25, 2024 17:42:53 GMT
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Post by René on Feb 12, 2024 10:53:25 GMT
Somewhere close to 2004 size would be ideal I think.  |
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Post by robmarsh on Feb 12, 2024 13:10:10 GMT
175 inches I reckon
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Post by Carl on Feb 12, 2024 17:07:40 GMT
An average of 1.2 inches greater length each year for 80 years... 
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Post by René on Feb 12, 2024 18:50:33 GMT
Fortunately, they are shrinking again since 2022. By the year 2050 we will be back to a reasonable size. |
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Post by robmarsh on Feb 13, 2024 9:47:43 GMT
The growth in size of F1 cars is reflected in road cars. They just keep getting bigger and bigger which seems strange given that extra size means extra fuel and the world is trying to reduce carbon emissions. Are we all just spinning around and actually standing still?
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Post by René on Feb 13, 2024 11:25:25 GMT
The growth in size of F1 cars is reflected in road cars. They just keep getting bigger and bigger which seems strange given that extra size means extra fuel and the world is trying to reduce carbon emissions. Are we all just spinning around and actually standing still? We are Rob. I read that in many major cities, parking rates for SUVs will be doubled or more because of the space they require. It is indeed a strange development and you even see it in electric cars, bigger and bigger. It is understandable that modern cars are larger than cars from, say, 20 or 30 years ago for safety reasons, but this is still a strange and counterproductive trend. |
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Post by mikael on Apr 7, 2024 10:10:29 GMT
An interesting article from mark Hughes on the 2026 regulations, based on drivers' discussions at Suzuka:
So the combustion engine/electric motor power balance is going to be essentially 50/50 (very close to it, at least). Of course the regulations are in line with what is technologically possible (and in line with "the spirit of the times"); still I think the cars are becoming far too advanced. They are becoming like fighter jets - maybe even more advanced than those, considering - as we have talked about earlier - that each team handles each Grand Prix like a space mission.
I didn't see the TV-discussion; but apparently, drivers like Verstappen would rather like to keep the cars light and simple ...
And on a personal note, I simply don't (still yet) understand why the F1 cars have to be hybrid. The more electric power the less interesting I find it all. (Just to think, from 2026 contemporary F1 will be just as much Formula E as it will be classical F1 ...)
Consider, for example, a brand new Porsche 911 - a car made for car- and driving-enthusiasts. It is still powered by a combustion engine - 100 % - and you can still get the classical H-type gearshift. In this light, I just cannot understand why Formula One cannot - via regulations - remain a classical driver's sport and mainly mechanical rather than electric/electronic (i.e., keep it (relatively) simple!) ...
It's easy (and free) to dream; still I think F1 should be "stuff of dreams". Five years have passed now; still I think Gordon Murray's V12 powered "super car" (with a Brabham 1978-type fan!) would be a wonderful blueprint for what F1 should be like. Because this is encompasses everything that car enthusiasts dream about - and it's certainly not electric power!
Thinking about road relevance (and the green transition) ... of course F1 could help improving battery technology. But as road cars apparently are going to be all-electric (for the majority of them), the engine/motor control aspect is already no longer of "road relevance". To choose the road of all-combustion engine power with development "green fuels" instead - and concentrating on that, rather than on engine/motor switching control technology - could possibly be very useful.
(Sorry for the long ramble ...)
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