What if F1 had Standard Chassis

[I Rosputnik]

Here's something to toss up and think about... A what if, if you please...

If F1 switched to standard chassis like Indy Car has, but allows teams to develop their own engines and aero kits to save costs, do you think this would go down well with the teams and the fans?

2012 Indy Car idea just to give you an idea.

[Malfunction Junction]

[Dead-Eye]

Considering how well it's going down with Indycar fans (all three of them that are left), I doubt it.

[Peter Mallett]

In answer to the question: It would lose all of its teams.

I'm currently seeing a sort of FPA on steroids. Not good.

[Marbot]

F1 chassis are pretty much spec anyway. The devil is in the detail, as Martin Whitmarsh will no doubt tell you at great length. Unfortunately these 'details' often require an entirely new chassis to be built in order to incorporate them!

Standard chassis? Yes, why not. Not all will agree though. But if you knew just how much energy a wind tunnel took out of the local power supply, you might then think otherwise. That is the part of the sport that definitely is not green!

[pannenmann]

That whole fan incorporanting thing certainly is a great desperate idea. I volunteer to design the new Ferrari car!

[Knowlesy]

No thanks. It has ruined American Open Wheel and would ruin F1.

Keep the windtunnels switched on.

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by Marbot

F1 chassis are pretty much spec anyway. The devil is in the detail, as Martin Whitmarsh will no doubt tell you at great length. Unfortunately these 'details' often require an entirely new chassis to be built in order to incorporate them!!

That's a good argument for opening up the regs.

Originally Posted by Marbot

But if you knew just how much energy a wind tunnel took out of the local power supply, you might then think otherwise. That is the part of the sport that definitely is not green!

I don't care.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Keep the windtunnels switched on.

And to hell with the planet!

And I don't think that it was particularly one make chassis that ruined open wheel racing in America. Politics was more to blame I think. Which seems to be doing its damndest to ruin F1.

[Mekola]

We need the opposite: that other formulae (specially IndyCars) had the possibility to choice at least between two different chassis designs. The spec-mania has taken over almost all the formula spectre.

[Spritle]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

I don't care.

I don't care even more!

Green racing...green F1 with teams flying in jets all over the planet...

Watch the sport of kings if the lack of greeness in motorsport bothers you.

Saving money...new or modified regs every season requiring tons of research and cash...not to mention new races even further away...F1 saving money...that's even funnier...

[davyboy]

'Double diffuser', 'F-duct', 'Blown exhaust'... all socially useless developments that have cost millions have done little to improve the spectacle and are understood by nobody outside of us anoraks !

If F1 had a standard car it would save a fortune in wasteful development - but to do that, its not the chassis that needs to be standard, its the aero envelope in which its contained. In the interests of common sense, I would provide all teams with a standard aero package and free up the non-aero development. Granted, there'd be plenty of aerodynamicists on the dole and more than one wind tunnel on eBay, but what the hell.

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by davyboy

'Double diffuser', 'F-duct', 'Blown exhaust'... all socially useless developments that have cost millions have done little to improve the spectacle and are understood by nobody outside of us anoraks !

Hurray! Let's target everything at the lowest common denominator.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

I don't care.

Me neither, but that's the problem, apparently.

[Knowlesy]

Originally Posted by Marbot

And to hell with the planet!

And I don't think that it was particularly one make chassis that ruined open wheel racing in America. Politics was more to blame I think. Which seems to be doing its damndest to ruin F1.

Politics initially yes, but it was still a spectacle. Well CART at least.

Look at the golden era of any series and you will see that multiple manufacturers of engines, tyres and chassis are at the core. It brings fierce competition and big name drivers into the mix.

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

Hurray! Let's target everything at the lowest common denominator.

[ralf fan]

No thanks.

[ASCII Man]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

Hurray! Let's target everything at the lowest common denominator.

It's already going in that direction.
Just look at the "going green" obsession in motorsports these days, just to satisfy the treehugging idiots.

Doesn't even have to make sense, like a 747 blowing more fuel during takeoff than an entire season of F1 racing, F1 clearly is the one that has to make the effort to those hippie lunatics.

Whups, sorry for the rant.


About the matter of a spec F1 chassis, **** off.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by ASCII Man

It's already going in that direction.
Just look at the "going green" obsession in motorsports these days, just to satisfy the treehugging idiots.

Maybe you're right. But maybe a few people in Pakistan right now would disagree with you there, and maybe the dullest July on record in the UK is merely coincidence. Maybe there isn't actually a greater concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere at present? Maybe it's just that more cows are farting more? Maybe.

By the way, I like trees, but I'm no "treehugging idiot"'.

Originally Posted by ASCII Man

Doesn't even have to make sense, like a 747 blowing more fuel during takeoff than an entire season of F1 racing, F1 clearly is the one that has to make the effort to those hippie lunatics.

747's don't have to justify their existence quite so much as F1 does.

And "hippie lunatics" are not the only people that some effort has to be made for.

Originally Posted by ASCII Man

Whups, sorry for the rant.

No prob.

Originally Posted by ASCII Man

About the matter of a spec F1 chassis, **** off.

Don't they all look the same anyway these days?

[Belatti]

dont like the idea

I like to think F1 is an engineering competition, not just drivers

[Nicholosophy]

Originally Posted by Belatti

dont like the idea

I like to think F1 is an engineering competition, not just drivers

And I like to think Pamela Anderson's rack and pinion came standard...

If you think about where the development is in a Formula 1 car, it's the aero. The monocoque, suspension, air intakes and the like are pretty much standard. It's the skin that wraps around all of that which the most of the development goes on.

Looking at the images in the article on the IndyCar situation, it would be highly feasible to develop a cost effective monocoque that could then have any number of aerodynamic packages put onto it.

The time and money spent on ensuring that the monocoque was going to pass impact tests and the like could be spent elsewhere. Teams would be know in advance what they have to work with and could design a car around the monocoque, which is already done now.

[ptclaus98]

I'd still watch because it's racing.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by ptclaus98

I'd still watch because it's racing.

There seems to be some difficulty with that at the moment. On both political and technical levels.

[Belatti]

Originally Posted by NickoGP

If you think about where the development is in a Formula 1 car, it's the aero. The monocoque, suspension, air intakes and the like are pretty much standard. It's the skin that wraps around all of that which the most of the development goes on.

Cant share you opinion. Check Indy: all teams have the same aero package and there are 3-4 secs from top to bottom. You cant say that those secs are 100% driving (except Milka )

In F1 as in every race car, suspension tunning and geometries evolves race after race and the understanding of the tyre and the track is fundamental there.

Air intakes are far from being standard as they are part of the aerodynamics. If you dont believe it, just watch close pics of the Red Bull air intakes and internals and compare them to the ones like McLaren, Ferrari or Mercedes...

An egnineering competition is what makes possible to drivers like Barrichello or Webber to win several races and drivers like Alonso in 2009 or Schumacher in 2005 not to score a single win.

[jab]

I agree there does need to be some standardisation, but not a total standard chassis. That would be too far. The cars at least need to look different from a head-on angle. But other than that, I'd in favour of standard front and rear wings, a standard rear end and heavier restrictions in other parts in order to help overtaking and bring costs down