and it’s exactly that going fast in a corner bit, that the drivers (and myself) are missing in the current situation. I still enjoy the screams of the old v12’s, but engine noise is not a priority for me. I do want to see drivers outperform themselves and eachother, and not BMS-es.
F1 is supposedly the pinnacle of motorsport, it should be a mix of the very best technologically advanced cars and the very best drivers, driving on tracks that challenge both the car and the driver to the limit.
Having drivers lift the throttle in order to coast to generate electricity to charge the batteries is not the pinnacle of motor racing.
That a car runs out of puff 2/3rds of the way down a long straight is not the pinnacle of motor sport.
I understand that F1 needed to produce a set of rules that would show that the sport has green credentials and is aware of the need for the sport to be more environmentally friendly, it also needed to bring in more major car manufacturers who wanted to promote their green credentials.
But the current format is not getting me enthusiastic about it, I understand that returning to the old days of wailing V12’s and thundering V8’s isn’t an option but the current format is a long way off from showing F1 as the pinnacle of motorsport.
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Amidst all the talk of the new rules this year, I am surprised no one has mentioned the absurd cost of the F1 fuel which appears to be about £1,000 per gallon. F1 talks of reducing costs but no one seems to have been sent the message here. Green credentials may be one thing but this seems ludicrous to me.
Mind you, it looks as if the cost of filling ones own car is rapidly following F1’s lead……..
Well said.
My annual f1 subscription was up for renewal last week, but I decided not to renew it. I haven’t watched a full race yet this year, so for now I’m just waiting to see how things play out. And if not, it’ll save me a lot of time.
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You would be amazed what the oilies can do with these fuels at the molecular level……used to know a few of the guys that formulated these fuels. As a motor industry we got caught out by the oil industry in emission/ fuel test programs, until we lured one of their guys over to our side.
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I am full of admiration for the skills that produce these fuels but balk at the ridiculous cost, even if it is for an evolving technology.
It won’t save the planet, it will bankrupt it.
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I think even at those costs its a loss leader and part of the sponsorship deal, shipping barrels of fuel by around the world is very costly and a logistical nightmare. I knew the fuel guy from Mobil before they were taken over by Exxon, he did a couple of seasons with their sponsored team. He said it was great fun, but really gruelling work from week to week, and when the fuel was delayed…..customs etc, a nightmare
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A stat I recollect from several years back was that an F1 race season (then ~16 races?) used-up less fuel than a 747 on a long haul i.e. max fuel load of a 747-8 is ~238k litres. Set against this, we now have 26 cars, of each max race fuel 110L x (say) 24 races = ~68k Ls. (say) Doubling this for practice etc, leaves plenty to spare.
One wonders how much more aviation fuel the F1 circus now consumes given its enhanced global trips.
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F1 has a real problem at the moment and I am hoping that the FIA get a hold of it pronto. The paramount issue to my mind is the absurd danger that has been introduced with this year’s tech rules. It basically means that one driver can find himself accelerating like crazy as the electric boost kicks in whilst at the same time a driver in front finds himself harvesting. The closing speeds are highly dangerous - can you imagine what might happen on a tight circuit like Monaco where there are very few run off areas. This is a frightening risk. Lando recently declared that he sailed past Lewis in a corner completely against his intentions - the electric drive decided to kick in at a very inappropriate moment. No harm came of that incident but young Bearman was not so lucky when he lost control and the impact was suggested at 50G. That’s got to be close to life threatening.
The FIA need to urgently address this chronic failure and in so doing perhaps they can deal with the other issue facing F1 - the battery tech is a disaster for drivers muddled in with tyres designed to wear out and artificially create boring tyre management strategies. Just let the drivers compete for heaven’s sake!
Peter
With aviation fuel apparently now becoming scarce and mightily expensive I wonder if F1 might have to consider abandoning fly away races and just stick to pulling the cars round Europe courtesy of some Shire Horses and a number of carts.
The new regs have turned the drivers into “Car Operators” and are no longer racing drivers. Imho.
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Did the team/pundits et al ever determine whether OB was going too fast in to the braking zone, or was Colapinto (who has form for driving unaware) going '‘slowly’? The closing speed looked horrendous, almost as if OB arrived sans brakes. As you say, the battery deployment and required driving style is far beyond ‘push to pass’ stuff, which is understandable if yet another faux construct!
From BBC. Interesting. Unless you are in a team’s driver programme, I guess.
The cost of climbing the F1 ladder
| Series | Approximate cost per season |
|---|---|
| Karting for eight-year-old | £130,000 |
| Karting for 13-year-old | £220,000-£260,000 |
| F4 | £520,000 |
| Freca | £1m |
| F3 | £1.3m-£1.6m |
| F2 | £2m-£2.3m |
I have a couple of friends who have funded their sons into F3 and I would say those are VERY conservative numbers (assuming you want to be near the sharp end and have a few off’s in the season)
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I could almost upgrade my LP12 for that kind of money. 
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