Greetings! Any regular F1 enthusiasts out there? I recall bassbrad started a few F1 threads over the past few years.
Thoughts on the '19 season so far?
Thoughts on the '19 season so far?
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F1 / Formula 1 / Formula One -> 2019 season
- Thread starter roller
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Whats up with those weird roll bar/cages. That's not a good look at all in my opinion. I'm more interested in sports car and Indy car stuff in this country
F1 geek here.
Vettel deserved the penalty in Montreal.
Watching Le Mans right now.
Anyone watching Le Mans?
Vettel deserved the penalty in Montreal.
Watching Le Mans right now.
Anyone watching Le Mans?
The halo is for safety to guard against the kind of thing that happened to Justin Wilson at Pocono.
If you like that you're gonna love what IndyCar has in store for 2020.
They have canopy's on Top Fuel dragsters now too, very unappealing look IMO and not statistically safer considering all the other safety features, At least it isn't mandatory at this point. Funny cars just look like a big door wedge with a corporate logo, cant tell a ford from a chevy from a dodge.
When you go that fast weird stuff happens sometimes and all the safety gear in the world wont protect you 100%. Its the risk that comes with the sport. That's why Bobsled racers aren't covered in puffy bubble wrap, Or down hill ski racers.....there are risks to going fast, if its not your cup of tea don't step up to the starting line.
When you go that fast weird stuff happens sometimes and all the safety gear in the world wont protect you 100%. Its the risk that comes with the sport. That's why Bobsled racers aren't covered in puffy bubble wrap, Or down hill ski racers.....there are risks to going fast, if its not your cup of tea don't step up to the starting line.
OK, I see your points. Agree with some.
If the TF canopy isn't mandatory, then why do almost all of them use it?
No driver in any series that mandates the HANS device has died from a basilar skull fracture. Safety technology is improving all the time.
Do you really want to go back to the '70s, '80s '90s etc for any series, safety-wise. I don't like seeing drivers die. I was a wreck the day Dan Wheldon died. And Jules Bianchi.
So I don't think we should be judging the sport by petty aesthetic details so much. Yeah, racecars should look and be awesome and fantastic.
I don't like that the 911R is basically mid-engine now, but I'm still gonna watch the race. And I hate the big square holes in the LMP fenders, but now they don't flip.
If Justin Wilson would still be here today thanks to a goofy flip-flop-lookin' halo, then I am all for it.
Also, Funny Cars were always funny lookin', hence the name.
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Watching Le Mans, yes.
F1's halo would not have saved Justin Wilson as that debris rained down from above... just a freak deal.
Vettel's penalty in Montreal, totally disagree. He did everything he could to save that car, especially in such a tight part of the track. I'm with all the on-air folks on Skye's broadcast team = ridiculous call. Racing is a dangerous sport. That rule needs to be tweaked or only enforced when a driver truly does a dangerous re-entry, which is not what happened last Sunday. Oh well, I guess the wrong guy/team was out front and someone dished out a little payback.
F1's halo would not have saved Justin Wilson as that debris rained down from above... just a freak deal.
Vettel's penalty in Montreal, totally disagree. He did everything he could to save that car, especially in such a tight part of the track. I'm with all the on-air folks on Skye's broadcast team = ridiculous call. Racing is a dangerous sport. That rule needs to be tweaked or only enforced when a driver truly does a dangerous re-entry, which is not what happened last Sunday. Oh well, I guess the wrong guy/team was out front and someone dished out a little payback.
Only 4 or 5 top fuel cars currently use the canopy, Don Garlits had one years ago, he pioneered a lot of innovations in the class, mainly the rear engine car after he cut his car in half along with his right foot using an experimental clutch. He knew it was wonky when he pulled to the line but you know how racers are, they just want to win.
I think the Hans device was a tremendous safeguard and applaud its use by all racing classes. I'm not advocating going back to the old days safety wise but some of this so called safety things like the "halo" look ridiculous, that's what I want is a solid bar right in the middle of my line of sight.....no thanks. The current Indy car design is fine, driver sits low with side protection almost to the top of the helmet plus roll bar, I mean what next? do we take the driver out of the car all together and run by remote because its too dangerous? No one likes to see a driver die, unfortunately I have witnessed this several times, its never a good thing but as a driver you have to understand the risks of going really fast, otherwise don't get in the car, there are no guarantee's at those speeds
I also don't care for the bill board fin on the back of the LMP cars, more signage area but no real advantage aero wise.
When racing becomes basically a spec class I lose interest, People want to see beautiful crazy looking cars that go fast, not generic tubes you cant tell one from the other.
Chris at BSD is an F1 fan. Now that they're running engines smaller than a lot of motorcycles, I've proposed some new, simpler rules for the series to make it worth watching again:
Maximum engine displacement 7 liters (427 ci)
Fuel injected or carbureted, no turbo, blower, or nitrous.
Any chassis of a specified wheelbase.
Maximum tire width 18 inches.
That's pretty much it. Even I would watch that.
BTW, I couldn't get Chris on board with this, but he's switching over to Moto GP anyway.
Maximum engine displacement 7 liters (427 ci)
Fuel injected or carbureted, no turbo, blower, or nitrous.
Any chassis of a specified wheelbase.
Maximum tire width 18 inches.
That's pretty much it. Even I would watch that.
BTW, I couldn't get Chris on board with this, but he's switching over to Moto GP anyway.
Cool!
I respectfully disagree, it would have totally deflected Sage Karem's tire. F1 did halo testing for that very situation.
Nah, man, it was Vettel's own unforced error. He exited the track and reentered all cattywampus, and then flicked it to the right to slam the door on Hamie.Vettel's penalty in Montreal, totally disagree. He did everything he could to save that car, especially in such a tight part of the track. I'm with all the on-air folks on Skye's broadcast team = ridiculous call. Racing is a dangerous sport. That rule needs to be tweaked or only enforced when a driver truly does a dangerous re-entry, which is not what happened last Sunday. Oh well, I guess the wrong guy/team was out front and someone dished out a little payback.
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In the 80s Lancia were getting over 700 hp out of their group B rally car the Delta S4 with a 2 litre 4 cylinder, I don't see the point of 7 litres, likewise the Mercedes 4.2 litre v8 AMG can't keep up with the Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio 2.9 litre V6
Welp... uh... it wasn't Sage Karam's tire that hit Justin Wilson's helmet -- it was Karam's nosecone. IndyCar nosecones are rock-solid and small enough (where Karam's broke off) it could easily fall downward into the hole in F1's halo and strike the top of the driver's helmet.
And you're the only individual I've heard from who's come up with this intentional slamming of the door theory. None of the on-air personalities on Skye's broadcast team even concocted that one. Hahaha... I must admit I'm amused. Hey, it's cool if you're a Hamilton fan... but no need to be delusional and make stuff up that didn't happen.
And you're the only individual I've heard from who's come up with this intentional slamming of the door theory. None of the on-air personalities on Skye's broadcast team even concocted that one. Hahaha... I must admit I'm amused. Hey, it's cool if you're a Hamilton fan... but no need to be delusional and make stuff up that didn't happen.
The ProMod cars we see up in Bakersfield are running 500-700 cubic inches and dual hairdryers, 260mph door cars. I don't care who you are, that's bad ass. Those things are flat out movin on the back half of the track when they hit full boost.
This sounds a bit like the old formula 5000 series from the 70's, those were fun cars to watch. I've heard the drivers love them because you really drive them, they weren't so dependent on aero stuff, plus they sounded great with the normally aspirated chevy motors. Formula 5000 is still really popular in Australia and New Zeland theses days
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
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The F5000/FA cars were a ton of fun to watch in person, for sure. So were Can-Am, Trans-Am, and endurance racing cars back then. But having seen all of those series in the 60s and 70s, F1 under the 3L formula at Watkins Glen was by far the most compelling show IMNSHO. Sam Posey summed up the realities of racing in the F5000 class here: Invalid Link Removed. I went to school with Sam's half brothers and enjoyed a number of races Sam raced in at Lime Rock from the pits and/or paddock. Sam was never quite the same after planting his Can-Am car in a tree in '67, reputedly at around 140MPH. But I still saw him win years later in both Trans-Am and F5000, and actually whipped him at slot car racing on his own track. Good times.
For better or worse the manufacturers uniformly believe that hybrid technology is the driver for road racing. Big ol' American Iron had its run, but FE and sim racing are the future, pretty much. Vintage racing is huge these days and if you want to see 7 liter V-8s have at it, there are plenty of those cars still around.
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We were lucky that my dad would take us to the races when we were kids, we saw the F/5000 , Can Am and Trans Am series of the late 60's and into the 70's. To me those will always be the true racing machines, the stuff out there today is difficult to relate to. These days we attend the Heritage drag racing series and vintage road racing, call it living in the past if you will but these cars will always be the pinnacle of "cool " Still hard to beat the sound of Big Block Detroit iron roaring down the straightaway, what a glorious sound.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,061
- 45,967
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
I have a friend who's a driving instructor and he's even offered me "free" hot laps in one of his '67 Alfas. I still couldn't afford "free", but I really should tag along to one of the vintage races he goes to. Indycar is back at Portland now, I might just pony up for that this year. I attended four races there in the late 90s to mid 00s, the first couple when CART was still in its heyday. The actual racing in Indycar can be pretty danged good, certainly much better than most of the 60s and 70s ones I saw. Can-Am cars could and did win by multiple laps, even. I don't really dig spec racing and DRS, BOP, "Lucky Dogs", and all those other artificial sweeteners. Truly unlimited road racing would be cool, but who could afford it these days?
