FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[EwanM]

'Spec cars could cost F1 its drivers & fans'
Friday 20th February 2009

Sir Frank Williams fears for Formula One's future should the cars continue to become more standardised.


design guru Adrian Newey warned earlier this month that he may quit the sport should cost cutting continue to prompt the introduction of standard parts into F1 and design restrictions.


And with more regulations set to be introduced next season, Sir Frank fears F1 could even lose some of its best drivers as well as its fan-base.


"We still want the very best drivers in the world racing the fastest single-seater cars in an F1 World Championship," he told Autosport.


"If it's to be spec cars, why not just go and buy some IndyCars? Then I think you'd find all the talent and interest would pretty quickly drift away.


"There has to be a greater challenge than that, but nothing like as expensive as it has been. Max (Mosley) was absolutely right in bringing us down from 10 engines a race weekend, to two to one - totally right.


"And everything done on this new drive the teams are all with him. We're all very mindful of having our businesses stay in business. There is some disagreement over the precise menu of changes in some areas, total agreement in others. But please, not spec cars.


"F1 attracts all these extraordinary people because of what it is. It features all these brilliant brains. People such as Ron Dennis, Max (Mosley) himself, Mario Theissen.


"In this building (the Williams factory) there are some very clever people, in all the F1 buildings. It's a fantastic collection of individuals that makes the world go around. I'd hate for that to be shattered.


"Because if the racing, financial and technical challenges aren't there such people will find something else more challenging.


"At the same time, the last people who want to drive themselves out of business are the team principals, so I'm sure it can all be achieved."

http://www.planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3 ... 25,00.html

You can tell that Williams still harbours negative feelings towards the likes of STR and now Force India. It is understandble. Why should he struggle to make ends meat? Im glad USF1 will seemingly build their own car, that's the constructors we need!

[McLaren Fan]

I think Sir Frank Williams' is right to be annoyed. There are a number of ways of cutting costs in Formula One without turning the sport into Indy cars or something.

[burt estep]

sir frank,is quite right-but we do need custermer cars.just as we have cust.- engines.what i would offer is = f-india has the merc. motor/then if they choose to not use their own chassis/they would have to use one other than a mc laren.this is just the sitiu' at str.chassis from one team engine from another.to close a poss: door=if you have a toyota chassis/no factory[toyota team members]would be allowed to [spy] be in the teams factory/pits e.t.c.likewise engine man'u's.seal cust.engines/with no allowed installation help in said chassis=i.e. not their own.w/this the door is open to new teams-w/smaller budgets.and the custermer car Q's are laid to rest.estb. manu's have a outlet for their chassis/research-$$ for them.engine sales=$4the engine manu's.we have now more teams in a viable format to fill out the grid.simple eh? burt estep f1 artist.u.s.a.

[7UpJordan]

Sir Frank is right, teams getting customer cars should get just the chassis and nothing else. The team selling the chassis should also make the cost of the chassis a little more than the total cost it took to make it. Then the selling team can make a nice little profit. When it comes to buying customer cars in preference to building cars, there should always be some disadvantages to every advantage.

[madbrad]

Teams that can't afford or don't have the wherewithal to make their own cars should be allowed to buy chassis from not only the bigger teams, but also from body suppliers like Reynard or Lola. If it is from another team they should have to do their own wind tunnel work and design their own bodywork.
But spec cars belong in formula spec, not formula one. Why not just do away with drivers and send the cars out with remote control? They're the big expense in the team.

[McLaren Fan]

I can live with teams buying some parts for their cars from other teams etc. and a standard engine to some degree. Throughout Formula One there has always been a culture of not doing everything yourself. For instance, some regard the engine as an essential component of the car that should be made in-house, but there are others who feel it's a more minor component that can be bought in from elsewhere. The garagistes' engines of choice of the 1960s and onwards was the Cosworth DFV unit. BRM engines were also fairly popular. So, I would not object to something similar now, whereby if a team wants to it can purchase an standard engine from an independent company like Cosworth.

I also quite like burt's idea of having to buy parts from different teams. There are a couple of reasons for this: first, it means the provider won't be getting extra testing data for free and beyond testing limits; and two, it would mean the buyer would not be able to benefit from testing data as much they would stand to without the rule, given that their parts are coming from different sources; so they would have to do some work themselves.

Where I would start having problems with standardised and bought-in parts would be if it were made compulsory. Although I fully agree with the FIA that Formula One has been living in dreamland and is currently unsustainable and that there should incentives to get new teams into the sport, there also has to be incentives for teams to build their own cars and become involved in innovating designs.

There are questions, though, that need to be answered. How many components should teams simply allowed to buy in? If a team buys in whatever number of parts, should they be allowed to compete in the constructors' title? If not, should a separate title be created for them? If a separate category is created for them, how will prize money etc. be distributed?

[burt estep]

great,post mc laren fan.you are always on the mark- spot on.i will post the senna/lotus painting soon.if at some point you get in touch w/me[directly] i will send you a orig' photo of senna/hand signed by him at montreal.great shot in his mc laren.also have you read my post on the f.i.a. prez? might give tou soom insite into my thoughts of f1 these days. burt.