New regs for 2011

[Andy B]

Well here's a little bundle of changes for the engineers to get their teeth into!!

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84691

Movable aero dynamic devices how will the punter know when its being used?

[John S]

OMG the 107% rule is back, looks like some of the budget back marker teams may
 go to the wall if they can't get up to speed.    & 

 Now just what on earth is the point of that when they, the FIA, encouraged low cost teams? 

[Jericoke]

It's a generous 107% though.  The top Q1 times aren't normally as good as the top Q3 times.  In practical terms, probably closer to a 110% rule.

Still good to see that just showing up isn't enough to run in Formula One.

[John S]

It's a generous 107% though.  The top Q1 times aren't normally as good as the top Q3 times.  In practical terms, probably closer to a 110% rule.

Still good to see that just showing up isn't enough to run in Formula One.

Yeah you're right Jeri, I failed to notice it is the Q1 fastest time they are using. I still think it is too early to introduce the rule though, especially as there is another new team due to be on the grid for the first time next year.

[David]

No mention of the lower profile tyres and larger wheels there. Wonder is that forgot about?

[Alianora La Canta]

The full technical regulations are coming soon, but I wouldn't expect a new wheel size. That was Michelin's desire, not Pirelli's.

[Jericoke]

It's a generous 107% though.  The top Q1 times aren't normally as good as the top Q3 times.  In practical terms, probably closer to a 110% rule.

Still good to see that just showing up isn't enough to run in Formula One.

Yeah you're right Jeri, I failed to notice it is the Q1 fastest time they are using. I still think it is too early to introduce the rule though, especially as there is another new team due to be on the grid for the first time next year.

Perhaps a sort of 'buddy' system could be implemented for new/weak teams, whereby established/good teams are encouraged to help out in certain technical areas.  A loan of personnel, equipment or even wind tunnel time.  Maybe points earned by the 'mentee' team could also be applied to the WCC for the 'mentor' team?

At the end of the day though, F1 needs to mean something, and if a car isn't worthy of F1, it shouldn't be on the track.  Stewart and Toyota might not've been the best teams when they started up, but they weren't embarassingly slow.

[John S]

At the end of the day though, F1 needs to mean something, and if a car isn't worthy of F1, it shouldn't be on the track.  Stewart and Toyota might not've been the best teams when they started up, but they weren't embarassingly slow.

But they weren't low cost teams, encouraged onto the grid by an FIA that now wishes to heap the pressure on for not being able to keep up with more established teams set up from a legacy of much bigger budgets.

   

[Jericoke]

At the end of the day though, F1 needs to mean something, and if a car isn't worthy of F1, it shouldn't be on the track.  Stewart and Toyota might not've been the best teams when they started up, but they weren't embarassingly slow.

But they weren't low cost teams, encouraged onto the grid by an FIA that now wishes to heap the pressure on for not being able to keep up with more established teams set up from a legacy of much bigger budgets.

   

It's true, when Toyota's car was embarassingly slow, they could afford to take a year off to get it right.

[SennaMan]

looks like the 'F duct' and similar are now banned too

...interesting the 107% Qualifying rule has been reintroduced - shape up or ship out!

       

[lkjohnson1950]

This will be a nightmare to police. I predict a season of regulatory wrangling over what's legal for whom to adjust when.

Lonny

[Alianora La Canta]

I think there will be relatively little trouble policing the technologies - because the combination of the restrictions, the inability to switch back to normal mode after the pass is made unless re-passed and the fact KERS can be initated at any time, combine to make those relying on adjustable wings less capable of overtaking, not more so. The technology will be abandoned in 2012 or 2013 once teams realise it does more harm than good - much as KERS was in 2009 (and yes, KERS will get binned not long after the adjustables for the same reason).

[lkjohnson1950]

Normally you are a veritable Karnak Alia but wasn't McLaren rather fond of their KERS?

Lonny

[Alianora La Canta]

McLaren got away with it because they could chuck an absolute fortune at it and didn't mind having a dreadful half-season before they developed what was effectively a B-spec car with modified everything. Neither are possible now. Even then there were races when KERS didn't work out for them (the three races from Europe to Italy) and Kovalainen never fully mastered it. Everyone else who tried it never got it working well enough for the advantages to consistently outweigh the disadvantages.

By the way, I've never come across the term "Karnak" - please could you tell me what it is?

[lkjohnson1950]

Back in the dark ages of television, a man named Johnny Carson hosted a late night talk show called The Tonight Show. He had a number of skits he performed on a regular basis, including one called Karnak the Magnificent, who was a psychic. He would hold an envelope with a question sealed inside to his forehead and give the answer. Then he would open the envelope and read the question. Most of them were groaners, but occasionally he got off a really funny one. I meant that you are good at predicting the course F1 will follow most of the time.



These are rather dated, so you may not "get" them, but you see what I mean.

Lonny