How to Make Formula One Awesome Again...

[vee10]

Don't think there is much wrong myself. There is a large element of rose tinted glasses and nostalgia going on. Every era has had it's issues, either a dominant team, safety or poor circuits. All I would change is.

Fuel limit increased to allow the cars not to be fuel limited and they also maybe able to allow the engines to rev more which would increase the sound.

Equal distribution of payments from Liberty for competing, sponsorship etc is down to the teams to generate what they can.

If you have not been go to a race you need to go and get a first hand view of these incredible cars, the change of direction is worth the admission on it's own. And they do sound much better in the flesh, not very loud but lot's of lovely little details to the engines.

These are the fastest F1 cars ever produced so I would suggest we try and enjoy that fact.

 

[RasmusP]

I guess you also think that diesels are mandatorily more harmful to the environment than petrol because they don't emit smoke right? Not as simple unfortunately. If it was the case then we should just put some filters and we are good to go. (even though diesels emission control are just like that, just adding some chemical reactions to neutralize the smoke)
The way they put the rules is to focus on power efficiency which is the most effective way to reduce the environmental impact from combustion engines, whatever fuel is being used so they are on the right direction imo.
Not to mention the financial side. The fact we can buy cars (prius) which make up their price tag if you run long enough distances is already a good sign of motorsports pushing hybrid technology.

I feared that someone would misunderstand my post like that
What I actually meant: It would be cool to find a solution that's at least somehow okay for the environment while not forcing every team to go full hybrid and disallow refueling and restricting the amount of fuel that much.
You're absolutely right that power efficiency is the best way as it just pulls everything into a "better" direction without the need of rules for the exhaust gases.
Do you have an idea how F1 could be more open for different types of engines while not going full "dirty"? Maybe the fuel limit just needs to be raised or something...
My point in the end was: just make F1 open for whatever the teams come up with to some amount.
Like doing a 6-wheeled car.
I wrote that smoke-relation only to show my point in a simple way. I absolutely DON'T think what you presumed.

I would love to see cost classes in F1, would make for a realistic championship fight from all the teams depending on investment. Privateers will never be able to compete with manufacturers with the amount of (expensive) engineering applied to racing cars nowadays. Would also let the rules be more open as it won't make up for a really small grid due to teams reaching bankruptcy.

With that being said I think rules should be more open for development. I would like to see different approaches to a car like it is (was) on WEC with the completely different hybrid cars. I already loved the rule set of 2017 making the F1 cars again the fastest ever made until a new F1 appears, but if they could do that next step it would be awesome.

I agree and I disagree. For me F1 is THE pinnacle of Motorsports. At least related to the cars. Instead of limiting the costs I think the lower-budget teams should be supported to be at least somehow competitive.
My idea was to make the plans of the car open after the last race of the season so the slower teams can, in theory, copy the cars of the top teams. Maybe for some licensing payment so the top teams have some good thing coming out of that too.

The top teams would have to come up with something new to still be faster than the slower teams while the slower teams can mix the top cars and add their own things on a lower budget basis. In my fantasy that would still mean that more costs = faster car like it is now but if a lower-budget team comes up with something really awesome they would stir up the front!

 

[ronniej]

"How To Make Formula One Awesome Again...."

Not sure this is possible. IMO, what made racing exciting was the rumble of sound, look and smell of smoke, and a possible death or two. None of those really exist anymore.....And the world has drastically changed.

*

 

[F_B]

How to Make Formula One Awesome Again

- reduce the complicated aero thus make overtakes possible again
- no drs, more real overtaking action
- start racing at exciting tracks again which do not look like a parking lot
- make the cars shorter, right now they look like busses
- you shouldn't need a 300 million € budget to be competitive in this series, it's ridiculous. F1 needs an effective cost control and a fair distribution of money (no extras for Ferrari for example)

 

[beedeetwelve]

I've been looking for a clear example of how everyone thinks they have the answer, and how it usually turns out that answer is crap and wouldn't work - and this article delivered. Cheers

 

[MarcG]

Nigel Mansell making a comeback, that'd make it more interesting...

 

[ThatRacingGuy]

Be more like Indycar... period.

 

[Daggerman]

Get rid of all the electrical throttle "nannying". All the teams have traction control via the back door with those electronic start maps they employ. When was the last time you saw a driver light up the rear tyres with blue smoke at a race start?

 

[RichardHessels]

Very simple, bring it back to public TV for free, lower the prices for tickets. So there is much more exposure for companies who want to participate. Put a better controlled price cap on running a team. Make sure the lesser teams get a better share.
F1 just went too far, if you need around a 1000 people working at just 2 cars to be at the front of the grid. The people and drivers want a more simple solution, make 2,5 liter - turbo 6 cylinder 1000HP cars,
With more displacement you need less advanced methods of burning fuel.
So new manufacturers are more capable of producing competitive engine.
All aerodynamics should be part of the body, no extra little winglets. Larger diffusers for a better ground-effect so you are less depended on the clean air for the frontspoiler. In the 80's they could even manage to drive without front spoilers, because there was enough downforce from the overal car.

 

[mopro]

Anything that can guarantee close racing like F2/F3/GT/touring car races, with minimal limitation to team's technology development will do (if that's even possible).
F1 has been and should always be an automotive new tech development center, otherwise it will be just like F2/F3

 

[Stanislav Minakov]

F1 is a top of the mountain of car racing, so we need totally free regulation of which car can you build, but funds to build it must be highly limited. Build whatever you want but for something like $4kk, for example. And just a little help from car manufactures. So it could both engineers and drivers.

 

[Flip-Flop Driver]

Variable geometry is a very nice idea.

And Track Bite.

Braking is what modern F1 is all about. You should not remove that by using steel and removing aero.
More downforce generated by the underfloor could be the answer to the aero problem.

Asphalt run off areas can actually add to the racing by exorting the drivers to take gambles in overtakes like in Spain 2017.

 

[Damage Inc]

I agree about the aero issue, I've been saying that for years. I'm amazed that so many supporting removing downforce on this thread have dislikes. I mean WHO on earth thinks all that downforce is a good thing for close racing? The cars CANNOT follow closely and led to the abominations of KERS and DRS, press a button to overtake...needs zero skill. I completely lost interest in F1 when drivers started to not even bother to defend an overtake because they knew it was pointless and/or there was a DRS zone coming up so would just wait until they had the artificial advantage to easily re pass. Utterly ****ing awful form of motorsport. Drop the aero, let the cars get closer and let them RACE!

I disagree about refuelling, but all this so many litres per lap nonsense should go, just say here's 100 litres, there's the track, start the race and if you run a pace too fast and run out of fuel then that's your problem. No driver aids for fuel consumption, no instructions from the pits on the subject. Drivers to RELEARN that skill.

Brakes....well I think dropping aero will reduce braking distances so no need to fiddle with that beyond maybe dropping the size of the disks or the calipers...something along those lines. It does need to be looked at.

I don't agree with H shift coming back, I do understand the point about driver errors, but that impacts safety too much IMO, especially with closer racing. Imagine someone right up the exhaust of car in prepartion of an overtake and the car in front misses a gear...that's too risky IMO. Remember Webber hitting a car (Valencia I think).

Agree about getting rid of hybrids, it's like giving soldiers bullets made of flowers.....all this bloody hippy save the planet has no place in F1 (we have FE for the fart smelling brigade). I understand why they are in WEC (but it's not looking good there with most LMP1 HYs pulling out). Sound pants too. So yeah bring back open choice v6 turbos, V8s, v10s, v12, if they can make em work then it's all good, and then the cars wouldn't all sound the same.

Sort of agree about sand traps, but It's necessary to have tarmac run off now for safety, We just need track officials to just enforce proper penalties for abuse of track limits, which is something cropping up more and more each year.

 

[jonelsorel]

I've been looking for a clear example of how everyone thinks they have the answer, and how it usually turns out that answer is crap and wouldn't work - and this article delivered. Cheers

Ah, so while you don't even have an opinion on the subject, your only added value here is having a problem with *everyone* esle's. That's a good start, lad! Stay in the bushes and poke sticks.

 

[Mike Kadlcak]

Make F1 like CART 97-99.

Lots of power. Lots of drag. Lots of ground effect. Up-Down sequential gearbox (get that hand off the wheel). One tire compound. Refueling.

Agree... And also remove power steering in F1.

Maybe the leader should actually get a handicap for leading... so his steering would get more heavy each leading lap that would surely bring the field back together.

 

[w1ngs]

Sack FIA

 

[Yapci]

It’s not about making the cars worse, but the competition better.

Just find a way to equal all teams as motoGP, where Zarco with a “haas” can do pole and Marc with a “Mercedes” gets second behind a guy with a “red bull”.

At least it’s entertained. And you have sound, technology, aerodinamics, emotion, and many different options of winning drivers every race.

 

[NtsParadize]

Also, F1 IS about cornering speeds. That's why the audience increased in 2017. F1 evocates the fastest cars around a road course. So stop wanting to slow down the cars for the sake of the spectacle. It was done in 2014 and 2009 (which didn't work because due to the Bridgestone fat slick tyres, the cars had even more grip than in 2008) and it didn't work. People would complain that the cars are not physical enough or that they aren't F1 cars. F1 fans logic: F1 cars slowed down = praises 2004 F1 cars for the cornering speeds. Fastest F1 cars ever = cars are too fast

 

[mopro]

F1 isn't going to stop sucking any time soon, if ever. Just watch IndyCar instead.

Or F2 and F3. Races are intense there

 

[Enthilzha]

Drivers have one qualifying lap each only which is on an empty circuit - balance of risk and reward, no room for errors and some different looking grids...