Originally Posted by A_Harman
Originally Posted by 555
Originally Posted by A_Harman
Originally Posted by 555
Long post that rambles, you've been warned!
The engine is what makes the boring sound. I understand F1 making what seems like illogical changes(it is F1 after all) but why the V6? Might as well make it a four cylinder, I think it would sound better. Supposedly the reason was so that consumers could relate to the powerplant since 1.6 liter turbos and hybrids are on offer from various manufacturers(but not in combination and they are four cylinders). In F1, when the regulations get really strict in one aspect, another area gets exploited(i.e. Mercedes wheel spacer). The sound is a vital aspect that excites the die hard fan and those who may have no knowledge of internal combustion. I'm hoping to try and make it to the F1 race in Montreal and see if it's any better in person.
Tony George did a nice job sending people straight to NASCAR including some drivers. This definitely boosted viewership and attendance for NASCAR and I wonder how much that contributed to NASCAR becoming top heavy. Keeping the top 25 spots for IRL drivers in the Indy 500 was to put it gently"unwise".
At COTA do they race the identical course as F1?
For the record, I like Indycar too.
When they were developing the 1.6L turbo hybrid formula, the FIA originally wanted 4 cylinder engines, but when Bernie Ecclestone heard the test engines, he demanded at least 6 cylinders so the sound would be more interesting. F1 is not necessarily supposed to be relevant to the road cars that peasants such as you and I can buy. The purpose of the hybrid formula is to show governments around the world that racing can be "green". And the combined powerplants are ungodly expensive.
F1 is never(never say never)relevant to road cars, I get all that, just pointing out what F.I.A. say and what they do is different. Which is similar to the method of operation of those topics banned from discussion here.
Do you really feel hybrids were introduced to please governments or a P.R. move? Made the cars really quick in a manner that is debatable if more displacement could achieve. F1 wants to be the fastest open wheel racing and claim to be the most technologically advanced.
It's either six of one, or a half-dozen of the other to say the FIA mandated hybrid race cars to please governments or to have good public relations. I remember an editorial from many years ago in Race Engine Technology magazine advocating a fuel-efficiency formula for F1, and how it would improve the image of the sport worldwide. So that point of view was out there.
The hybrid F1 cars were actually slower than the cars they replaced, and did not begin setting all-time lap records until larger tires and wider tracks were allowed. The problem is that the hybrid cars were much heavier because of all the extra hardware, so despite the fact they made more combined power from the gas+electric systems, they were slower. But it is impressive that they can go faster over whole race distances while burning
about 30% less fuel, and the combined efficiency of the powerplants is 50%, which is quite a milestone. The engineer in me appreciates that, but the race fan in me doesn't see improvement in the excitement or spectacle of the events. Part of the reason I watch F1 is appreciation of the technology. But at the same time, I think it would be relatively easy and cheaper to build non-hybrid cars that are faster by allowing them to carry 30% more fuel, and allowing a lower minimum weight.
Going to be a jerk here and not research before I speak and go by my memory(hopefully I will at least be entertaining).
Don't wings get narrower every season? Doesn't every team come in at minimum weight and wish the minimum was less? There are so many changes every season and during the season that I think(it's been known to happen) correlating one change to slower or quicker lap times is challenging. So I've contradicted myself here because, by my own admission my positives about hybrid setups being faster could be attributed to a myriad of other changes.
Maybe the F.I.A. used the hybrid thing as another way to set all the teams back a bit to try and even the playing field and sell it as a public relations move not only as a "we care about fuel consumption" but that F1 is cutting edge technology. Hypothetical: Some market research team performed a survey of 2,000 people and concludes that the word "hybrid" denotes something advanced in a positive manner.
I do remember the days where you could hear V8s, V10s, and V12s during an F1 race, and it was glorious! And how could I forget the flat(can't recall if it was a boxer)10 cylinder Subaru engine.
