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Post by René on Mar 22, 2021 16:45:59 GMT
Only a couple of days to go...
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Post by robmarsh on Mar 22, 2021 17:07:35 GMT
Getting excited I am
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Post by mikael on Mar 25, 2021 11:11:07 GMT
Not related directly to the upcoming season, but rather to the future ones: it seems that the Formula One cars are not going to become any smaller in the future; quite on the contrary:
But from a positive point of view, the large Grand Prix cars of the 1930's (to stay in that groove, ref. my previous post) were also fascinating, in a sense. And probably, there's no way back to the small nimble cars of, say, the forty years span 1960 - 2000.
P.S. It's interesting to note how modern a car like the 1936 Auto Union was, in so many ways. Note, for example, the short gear-lever, and the gate-type gear-lever box. It's like taken out of a Ferrari of 30 years later!
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Post by René on Mar 25, 2021 13:03:43 GMT
Still an amazing car, even more when you realize it's 85 years old!
Fantastic engineering and ideas and it remains a mystery why this approach (rear engine, Ferrari style gear lever) was not immediately adapted in racing after the war. |
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Post by mikael on Apr 2, 2021 8:13:55 GMT
I think the future (2022) 18'' wheels actually fit the present "lengthy" cars better than the traditional 13'' wheels. They somehow make the cars look better proportioned and more "harmonious". (In other words, in comparison, the 13'' wheels used so far look too small for these large cars.)
(Pictures from Pirelli.)
I think it's a bit like with some traditional sports cars and their modern reincarnations. Take the Alpine A110, for example. The original 60's - 70's version looks great with 13'' wheels - but 13'' wheels would certainly look out of place on the (a good deal larger) 2017 reincarnation (which uses 18'' wheels).
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Post by René on Apr 2, 2021 9:48:50 GMT
I agree Mikael. I wasn't sure at first (you know, tradition..) but it does look better and more modern on these cars and certainly with next year's cars. It might also lure Michelin back into F1...
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Post by charleselan on Apr 2, 2021 11:47:18 GMT
They do look to be a good fit with the current vehicles and of course are more appropriate to the modern cars on the road.
It is a bit of a misnomer that F1 cars have always used 13" rims as this is more a recent thing and brought about by strict regulation on wheel sizes in F1 today. Back in the early 1980's many teams ran with 15" rims and the difference was quite noticeable to the onlooker. Off the top of my head I remember Williams using them on the 1982 FW08 and Ferrari the same year with the 126C2, also in 1980 Ligier tried 15" rims on the front axle which looked amazing as they were beautiful polished alloy but unfortunately they abandoned them as they suffered wheel failures.
I also seem to remember that back in the early 1970's Lotus in particular ran 15" rear wheels on the 1970 & '71/'72 Lotus 72 cars when the low profile slicks and the last treaded Firestone rubber was used. Not completely sure but I believe that the Lotus 49 also ran 15" rims front and back but in 1970 with the 49C configuration they fitted 13" rims on the front axle as on Jochen Rindt's Monaco winning car.
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Post by Carl on Apr 2, 2021 15:50:44 GMT
I agree Mikael. I wasn't sure at first (you know, tradition..) but it does look better and more modern on these cars and certainly with next year's cars. It might also lure Michelin back into F1... I still have a fondness for the mid to late 70s appearance of massive rears having larger aspect ratios
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Post by René on Apr 2, 2021 19:37:07 GMT
I agree Mikael. I wasn't sure at first (you know, tradition..) but it does look better and more modern on these cars and certainly with next year's cars. It might also lure Michelin back into F1... I still have a fondness for the mid to late 70s appearance of massive rears having larger aspect ratios
Oh yes, no argument. Those seventies cars with big fat rear tyres and tiny fronts were the coolest.   |
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Post by charleselan on Apr 6, 2021 12:08:21 GMT
This morning I came across an hilarious headline on one of the motor sport sites in which it is claimed that Tonto apparently threatened both Hamilton & Rosberg with being stood down after their altercations a few seasons ago. Laugh, I nearly fell off my seat when I saw that.
Tonto would no more have stood Hamilton down than he could fly to the moon, king size BS!!
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Post by chrisb on Apr 8, 2021 6:48:32 GMT
yea, he really isn't doing well without Niki is he? actually it does remind me how they did come down on Rosberg, backfired though
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Post by robmarsh on Apr 8, 2021 7:29:26 GMT
Tonto, Horner and Marko-what a trio
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Post by charleselan on Apr 8, 2021 12:06:33 GMT
Absolutely Rob & Chris I completely agree.
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Post by mikael on Apr 25, 2021 9:41:09 GMT
In the news yesterday, there were a discussion about hybrid and plugin hybrid cars. A group of politicians has raised the point of view that these cars should no longer (specifically, from 2022) be considered as "green" - only pure electric cars should. It was pointed out also (by a politician) that the hybrid car is actually just a "stepping stone" in the (desired) transition from all-gasoline (and diesel) cars to all-electric cars.
So I came to think that, in this light, time has already run away from F1's hybrid concept - I really think so. Then, wouldn't the best way for F1 be to simplify the "power unit" and get rid of the electric motor(s)? It would still make sense to continue developing the combustion engine, I think - to make it more efficient.
But F1's hybrid concept has very little appeal to racing fans, and no appeal to "environmentalists" either. So they really should move on, I think. Areas where F1 could make areal contribution (if they have to) would be in obtaining, say, the ultimate power per litre of fuel from a gasoline engine. Getting rid of heavy batteries, they could return to small, nimble racing cars ...
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Post by charleselan on Apr 25, 2021 14:40:40 GMT
In the news yesterday, there were a discussion about hybrid and plugin hybrid cars. A group of politicians has raised the point of view that these cars should no longer (specifically, from 2022) no longer be considered as "green" - only pure electric cars should. It was pointed out also (by a politician) that the hybrid car is actually just a "stepping stone" in the (desired) transition from all-gasoline (and diesel) cars to all-electric cars.
So I came to think that, in this light, time has already run away from F1's hybrid concept - I really think so. Then, wouldn't the best way for F1 be simplify the "power unit" and get rid of the electric motor(s)? It would still make sense to continue developing the combustion engine, I think - to make it more efficient.
But F1's hybrid concept has very little appeal to racing fans, and no appeal to "environmentalists" either. So they really should move on, I think. Areas where F1 could make areal contribution (if they have to) would be in obtaining, say, the ultimate power per litre of fuel for a gasoline engine. Getting rid of heavy batteries, they could return to small, nimble racing cars ...
A very profound and interesting comment Mikael. The ideal scenario would be for a fuel to be developed that could be used with i/c engines and not produce any of the pollutants that harm our planet. Electric is not necessarily pollution free as the batteries are questionable in so many ways. I believe that Porsche have produced a synthetic fuel but the current problem is cost and a limited ability to mass produce it. |
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