F1 - What should the rules be?

[Iciclehead]

Gentlemen, it was suggested in the German F1 forum that we need a rules rethink in F1, and am starting this thread to have the discussion.

My thoughts:

1. I believe that F1 ought to have some relationship to normal cars, not in the sense that they should look like passenger sedans, but rather that they only use technologies that have some plausible likelihood of being in our motoring over time.

2. Aero is the most egregious area where current F1 thinking is wrong as over the past few years, most of the winning cars have won by having some sort of aero advantage (blown diffusers, now the front/rear suspension linkage, historically ground effects etc). I would propose that we have a limited plan (as in shadow area of the car) with a fully flat floor and allow only very tiny wings, just enough to trim the car so it doesn't try to fly. Raise the minimum ride height to something around the ride height of our beloved Porsches. Limit the wetted (as in total surface area of the vehicle) so as to minimize extraneous protrusions and nonsense.

3. Materials. Limit the materials to steel, aluminium, titanium, carbon fibre, ceramics.

4. Engines. Turf the idiotic energy recovery systems or downplay them significantly. I like the standard engine management system. Go back to displacement based engine rules. Cars must be able to start themselves, unaided by external devices. Must use pump gas.

5. Raise weight limits by 100kg or more, partly to eliminate the nuttiness around design and midget drivers.

6. Tires. No tire warmers, but unlimited tires, get some competition back and let them change to their hearts content.

7. 4 guys over the pit wall. No power or air tools allowed. Fuel if you want, but only at the rate of a good Shell station gas pump.

8. Transmissions. I could go either way on flappy paddle shifters, but my vote would be for shifters closer to street cars, get the drivers more engaged in driving and less in computer games.

9. No telemetry. Downloads of data allowed at pit stops. Radio communication to driver is OK.

Thoughts? Improvements?

Dennis

[herr_oberst]

16 or 18 inch wheels, and tires with a minimum sidewall height so that they don't get the "o" ring look...

Refueling allowed like Indy cars or Nascar cars do it - gravity only, not pressurized.

(As for maximum number of pit crew over the wall, well I have to admit, I like the modern F1 pitstops... I say keep that as is!)

[scottmandue]

F1 is supposed to be the ultimate form of automobile racing.

So if I were king.

1. Keep in place all existing safety requirements.
2. Car must fit in a box = height, width, length.
3. Unlimited tires (always hated that rule)
4. Unlimited stationary aerodynamics.
5. Specify engine displacement and induction (forced or not) but otherwise unlimited (but no electric motors, hybrid, ERS, whatever only internal combustion motivated).
6. No refueling.


Done

[Flieger]

I agree that F1 is meant to be the pinnacle of racing.

1. Safety regs- crash tests, belts, helmets, etc.
2. Minimum driver weight rule. Drivers lighter than this must carry ballast in their car in a specific spot at a height that does not give them an advantage.
3. Length, width, height rules.
4. No suspension or aerodynamics can be controlled by a computer. Passive movable aero OK as long as it passes structural integrity tests (flexing ok, breaking not). No ABS, no traction control, no stability control, etc.
4. Total race fuel limit, varied to keep the cars to a speed where the safety equipment can still do its job.
5. No fuels any nastier than methanol. Not sure how you'd define a nastiness index but you don't want hypergolic rocket fuel or hydrazine in the pit lane.
6. All tracks lined with spike strips so no one can go off without a flat tire.

Everything else free. Engine type, size, charging, tires, suspension, aero.

[lane912]

2 classes, limited and unlimited
each team competes in each class

I like the no refueling rule-

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by Iciclehead

1. I believe that F1 ought to have some relationship to normal cars, not in the sense that they should look like passenger sedans, but rather that they only use technologies that have some plausible likelihood of being in our motoring over time.

2. Aero is the most egregious area where current F1 thinking is wrong as over the past few years, most of the winning cars have won by having some sort of aero advantage (blown diffusers, now the front/rear suspension linkage, historically ground effects etc). I would propose that we have a limited plan (as in shadow area of the car) with a fully flat floor and allow only very tiny wings, just enough to trim the car so it doesn't try to fly. Raise the minimum ride height to something around the ride height of our beloved Porsches. Limit the wetted (as in total surface area of the vehicle) so as to minimize extraneous protrusions and nonsense.

3. Materials. Limit the materials to steel, aluminium, titanium, carbon fibre, ceramics.

4. Engines. Turf the idiotic energy recovery systems or downplay them significantly. I like the standard engine management system. Go back to displacement based engine rules. Cars must be able to start themselves, unaided by external devices. Must use pump gas.

5. Raise weight limits by 100kg or more, partly to eliminate the nuttiness around design and midget drivers.

6. Tires. No tire warmers, but unlimited tires, get some competition back and let them change to their hearts content.

7. 4 guys over the pit wall. No power or air tools allowed. Fuel if you want, but only at the rate of a good Shell station gas pump.

8. Transmissions. I could go either way on flappy paddle shifters, but my vote would be for shifters closer to street cars, get the drivers more engaged in driving and less in computer games.

9. No telemetry. Downloads of data allowed at pit stops. Radio communication to driver is OK.

1. It already exists. It is called NASCAR. F1 is not wanting to appeal to the average Joe. They are wanting to attract the elite.

2-6 & 8. F1 in not the "every man's" sport. It is the pinnacle of racing and is supposed to be using the cutting edge technology that is of interest to the elite and wealthy who will be looking forward to having the technology on their next supercar.

7. No power tools, 4 men? Just go ahead and have a mandatory navigator and no pit crew? Pump gas? Heck, why not require street tires and no rear view mirrors like the good old days?

9. What harm is there in telemetry other than helping the teams protect millions of buck in the machine by seeing a problem before it blows up?

You are asking F1 to be something its not. That would be like saying the NFL should be a no contact sport. You might want to go to the local dirt track in your area. You'll find a lot of what you want...

[URY914]

Driver can not receive data from the pits on the car's performance. They must not be told about brake condition, engine temps, fuel load etc. They can only be told to pit when they need tires.

The drivers should drive and manage the cars also.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Can Am style - as few as possible. Some dimensional limits and safety requirements but otherwise I'd make it anything goes - first one to the finish line wins. I'd also make it so it had to be the same car for the whole season (no aero changes between races). Then mix up the circuits - an oval or two, a couple of street courses, some long endurance races, some short, a hill climb, some hot venues (Dubai?) and some temperate, all weather, maybe even a dirt track thrown in - a real spectrum of possible venues. That way the best "all around" vehicle in theory should prevail for the season.

F1 has way too many rules as it is.

[wdfifteen]

Por_Sha 911 said it. We have tons of limiting classes of racing. I think we need a (mostly) unlimited F1 to encourage innovation. I also think we need something akin to the old (mostly) unlimited Can-Am cars.

[scottmandue]

And it should be broadcast on regular TV!

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

and it should be broadcast on regular tv!

+1000
thank you!

[onewhippedpuppy]

I agree with Jeff, damn near unlimited. F1 used to be a proving ground for many technologies that eventually trickled down to normal cars. They should be the fighter jets of auto racing, the pinnacle of no holds barred performance. They are well into the too many restrictions realm, way too NASCAR. When the pundits are focusing on nuances such as the subtle differences in nose cone shape, they have officially jumped the shark.

[rusnak]

Go back to the old qualifying, not this Q1, Q2, Q3 Euro-trash ****.

I'd say also more freedom on engines, not this freeze. It's a long season, might as well not make it a boring one too. More development during the season, when fans can see the results, not between seasons.

[URY914]

The girls holding the driver's name boards on the grid should be nude.

[rfuerst911sc]

I'd be happy if they would get rid of the current engines that sound like a Japanese sedan with a fart can muffler ! Horrible sounding engines !

[URY914]

13" in wheels?

Come on.

(idea stolen from the pre-race show today)

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by URY914

The girls holding the driver's name boards on the grid should be nude.

And y'all think Nascar is "Crashcar"....not anymore if that happens. Sounds great to me though

[matt f]

I believe the 13" wheels have been standard.
They were testing the 18" wheels.

[bell]

I think of they kept the no refueling and took away the restriction on fuel flow/use it would help fix part of the problem......And could be implemented immediately.......

[Henry Schmidt]

Single plane wings. Frt & Rear
Standard tires with multiple suppliers
RPM limit
Manual transmissions
Fuel stops with max quantity limit
total displacement on engine size but no standard number of cylinders (2.4 ltr, v6, v8, V10s maybe?)
No hybrid requirement
No DRS
No passing boost.