2014 F1 Discussion

I don't understand why people are heaping it on the sound of the V6s. Personally, I think they sound better than the V8s (but not as good as the V10s!). Can't get enough of the Merc turbo whistle.

It sounds like DTM or something...not Formula 1.

This is F1...
M. Schumacher Pole in Imola 2003:

Sounds exactly like the 80s turbo era tbh.

V10s where epic but the racing was damn rubbish.

80's turbos sounded crap too LOL. V10 era was hurt by poor decisions in terms of rule making (they forgot about the show because they were concentrating on safety and then eco-friendliness which is understandable).

Back in the v10 era the only thing that had me interested in it was the technical side as that's basically all it was, the sounds you get used to and you define it as normal.

At the end of the day F1 really is about evolution and always has, it's what makes it different from indycar and any other spec series out there, it's never had the best racing even if it has the best drivers.

He is one of the all time greats though, 4 titles puts him equal 3rd, and I honestly think in 20 years time all the top drivers of this generation are going to be considered greats because its soo damn competitive.

But, best f1 driver ever is another story completely, considering his career is only really just starting we will have to wait how he handles diversity first.

But honestly looking at it from a logical point of view this generation is the most competitive in history.

Formula 1 is meant to be the pinnacle of engineering and speed.
Yes it takes some brilliant engineering to develop these cars, but with the rules holding them back, they aren't as exciting or special to watch anymore.
When Schumacher was dominating, even though the racing suffered, I still marvelled at how fast they could make those cars go and how they would be able to push hard when they wanted to.
Now it's all strategy based and more about conservation rather than being the fastest guy out there.
I compare F1 to the 100m at the Olympics. The best of the best going as fast as they can and giving absolutely everything.
It just has lost that edge for me at the moment...

I agree Lee. The drivers now days have to worry too much about conserving tyres or fuel....... Just give them a machine that they can drive as hard as they can for two hours and see who is the best DRIVER not strategist. That's the pit crews Job..

They couldn't go beyond the V10 era in speed because it was approaching the human limit of G force thats why, the V8 era was some of the most stale engineering engine wise since the start of F1 though so thats why im grateful for the new units.

Fuel consumption i think will only be an issue for a season at best, as the engines get more efficient, besides if it makes the racing worse Im hopeful that crap will find its way out.

Watch a Video about Champcar at texas motor speedway in 2003(i think or 4) to see what happens when you go beyond the G force limit, Everyone on track starts to faint it's extremely dangerous.

I agree on the Tyre saving and the DRS, this stuff has no place in racing and is just catering for the lowest common denominator.

I dont like the sound of this... are we going to see anyone flat out aside from in Q3?

Also, worth a read

I'll raise you one:

Those down shifts!

And I'll be the first to grudgingly admit that Vettel is one of the greats. The way he mastered EBD effects (very counter-intuitive) in such short notice is nothing short of astounding. Not a fan of any driver by any means but I'd like to see someone else win.

Also good read Barra, the names they gave the cars were amusing.

I remember that, was a bit earlier, 2001 I think. That was pretty extreme though, 230mph on a banked circuit.
F1 hasn't pushed anywhere near that high. The reason they started to try tone it down was the speeds the cars were capable of in cornering. They were frightened someone would lose it and be killed by flying off the road at such a high speed.
That's why they started requiring circuits to upgrade the run off areas and safety features. They were well within human capability in V10 era, they were just afraid of the consequences of cornering so quickly.

It's not all bad with the new units though, power is estimated to be around 850hp combined with ERS so thats a good 100hp jump.

Toto wolff said top speeds at monza are expected to be 370 which is awfully close to the speed in the V10 era.

Yeah, let's not forget that last year we had 5+ years of engine evolution, and now we have brand new concept. It will only improve over time.

Engine development is frozen as of march 3rd. How can they improve over time? Unless you're talking about the FIA deeming an engine to be sub par in terms of reliability (not performance) then that manufacturer will be allowed to improve their unit with reliability upgrades, of course they can be sneaky and squeeze some extra torque out too.

I didn't know that...

it opens up again at the end of the year, and reliability wavers too.