How many times have we heard that Formula 1 is the pinnacle of auto racing? Or that F1 cars are the most technologically advanced race cars in the world?
It's no longer true, actually. In recent years the sport's governing body, the FIA, has put the brakes on development in an effort to reduce costs.
As a result, many creative engineers have grown frustrated, and all F1 cars are now virtually identical – only those with a highly trained eye will notice differences.
Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer at Red Bull Racing and the genius behind the RB8, recently vented his anger in regards to the tighter restrictions.
He understands that, without the latest bans, drivers would have to endure more than 10 lateral Gs in corners and cars would top 400 km/h on every straight. With such conditions, no current track would be able to host a Grand Prix.
Back in the late '70s and early '80s, F1 teams could basically do whatever they wanted, and engineers let their imaginations run wild, which produced the most remarkable cars and the most unbridled technologies ever. We witnessed the arrival of radial tires, turbocharged engines, active suspensions, the six-wheel Tyrrell, the dual-chassis Lotus, the Brabham ''fan car,'' etc. Sadly, all of this is now banned.
These days, brilliant engineers are forced to spend long days working on the tiniest changes, like moving the trailing edge of a rear wing end plate by one millimetre. This solution might improve lap times by just 0.01%, but it seems to justify the money spent.
Did you say ''extreme fine-tuning?'' There is really no other way to describe the work of F1 engineers at the moment. And no matter how slight the upgrade, you can count on the FIA to rein it in or scrap it altogether.
It's like asking a Nobel physics prize winner to spend all of their time solving high school math problems. What a waste!
Fortunately, the return of turbocharged engines in 2014 should help quench our thirst (and theirs) for creative innovation.
It's no longer true, actually. In recent years the sport's governing body, the FIA, has put the brakes on development in an effort to reduce costs.
As a result, many creative engineers have grown frustrated, and all F1 cars are now virtually identical – only those with a highly trained eye will notice differences.
Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer at Red Bull Racing and the genius behind the RB8, recently vented his anger in regards to the tighter restrictions.
He understands that, without the latest bans, drivers would have to endure more than 10 lateral Gs in corners and cars would top 400 km/h on every straight. With such conditions, no current track would be able to host a Grand Prix.
Back in the late '70s and early '80s, F1 teams could basically do whatever they wanted, and engineers let their imaginations run wild, which produced the most remarkable cars and the most unbridled technologies ever. We witnessed the arrival of radial tires, turbocharged engines, active suspensions, the six-wheel Tyrrell, the dual-chassis Lotus, the Brabham ''fan car,'' etc. Sadly, all of this is now banned.
These days, brilliant engineers are forced to spend long days working on the tiniest changes, like moving the trailing edge of a rear wing end plate by one millimetre. This solution might improve lap times by just 0.01%, but it seems to justify the money spent.
Did you say ''extreme fine-tuning?'' There is really no other way to describe the work of F1 engineers at the moment. And no matter how slight the upgrade, you can count on the FIA to rein it in or scrap it altogether.
It's like asking a Nobel physics prize winner to spend all of their time solving high school math problems. What a waste!
Fortunately, the return of turbocharged engines in 2014 should help quench our thirst (and theirs) for creative innovation.
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| Photo: Philippe Champoux |