FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[Matkins]

With traction control long gone, and this years addition of more on-board controls such as; the movable front wing flap and the KERS boost button, surely the sport has very quickly become more complex than ever. Do you think the older guys on the grid will adapt well enough to be competitive with the younger and faster learning drivers?

[texasmr2]

Actually the cars have become LESS complex imo and since when does being older by 1-5yr's mean a driver's cognitive ability to adapt to change mean they will be slower to adapt? Remember the old saying and pardon the pun 'there is no substitute for experience' ?

[McLaren Fan]

I'm sure the older guys will manage just fine. You can't be a professional driver and say you need traction control. Deciding when to use the KERS boost system and adjust the front wing really doesn't sound like rocket science, particularly with several hundred boffins working out the details for them. If anything, I would argue that driving a Formula One car has become slightly easier over the years. The cars now, even with the FIA trying to kerb the influence of aerodynamics etc., have more grip available to them than cars from twenty odd years ago, drivers no longer need to change gear manually, have power steering and the such like available to them, the cars are not turbocharged any longer and engine power has been reduced in recent years, and the sport is safer than ever before.

[7UpJordan]

The cars are more complex in terms of all the onboard electronics and the millions of buttons on the steering wheel. But if you were to drive it just normally without fiddling with buttons etc they're probably easier to drive than say a Turbo era car.

[texasmr2]

The cars are more complex in terms of all the onboard electronics and the millions of buttons on the steering wheel. But if you were to drive it just normally without fiddling with buttons etc they're probably easier to drive than say a Turbo era car.

I disagree as it is apparent that F1 is reverting back to more simplistic way's.

[7UpJordan]

The cars are more complex in terms of all the onboard electronics and the millions of buttons on the steering wheel. But if you were to drive it just normally without fiddling with buttons etc they're probably easier to drive than say a Turbo era car.

I disagree as it is apparent that F1 is reverting back to more simplistic way's.

Ahh I had forgotten about the standardised ECU and the banning of engine brake-mapping from last season. But I would love to see a return of steering wheels with less buttons, a clutch pedal and gearstick. Would a manual transmission be any much less cheaper than the modern day seamless-shift semi-automatic transmission?

[Matkins]

The cars are more complex in terms of all the onboard electronics and the millions of buttons on the steering wheel. But if you were to drive it just normally without fiddling with buttons etc they're probably easier to drive than say a Turbo era car.

I disagree as it is apparent that F1 is reverting back to more simplistic way's.

Ahh I had forgotten about the standardised ECU and the banning of engine brake-mapping from last season. But I would love to see a return of steering wheels with less buttons, a clutch pedal and gearstick. Would a manual transmission be any much less cheaper than the modern day seamless-shift semi-automatic transmission?

Where on earth would you fit a gearstick in a modern F1 car?

Last season we saw Heiki accidentally press his pit limiter mid race. I can imagine drivers accidentally pressing the KERS boost button instead of their pit limiter as they enter the pits. Sounds funny, until it happens.

[texasmr2]

Simple answer hell yah a manual would be cheaper but it seem's .05sec is more important to sponsors than having a great driver, real driver's shift gear's manualy imho.

Where on earth would you fit a gearstick in a modern F1 car?

In the same place it used to be in, thank's 7UpJordan !

DSCF1469.jpg

[Red_Five]

In the same place it used to be in, thank's 7UpJordan !

DSCF1469.jpg

Or in a JPS Lotus even.....

[7UpJordan]

Simple answer hell yah a manual would be cheaper but it seem's .05sec is more important to sponsors than having a great driver, real driver's shift gear's manualy imho.

Where on earth would you fit a gearstick in a modern F1 car?

In the same place it used to be in, thank's 7UpJordan !

DSCF1469.jpg

Ahh I see you've still got the photo of the 1986 Lotus that I took a picture of at last year's Autosport show. That reminds me, I need to upload my photos at some point from last weekend's show as not only did they have Senna's 1985 Lotus but also the Lotus 79.

If teams were to start using gearsticks again they would definately need to widen the cockpits because they would also need to find space for a clutch, unless they use one of those Rally shifters where you push the gear lever up or down to change gear.

[Matkins]

Maybe i'm crazy, but I preffer my chances of being able to drive that 86 Lotus than a modern F1 car. Stick and clutch is what most people are used to.

[Denthúl]

I'm sure the older guys will manage just fine. You can't be a professional driver and say you need traction control. Deciding when to use the KERS boost system and adjust the front wing really doesn't sound like rocket science, particularly with several hundred boffins working out the details for them. If anything, I would argue that driving a Formula One car has become slightly easier over the years. The cars now, even with the FIA trying to kerb the influence of aerodynamics etc., have more grip available to them than cars from twenty odd years ago, drivers no longer need to change gear manually, have power steering and the such like available to them, the cars are not turbocharged any longer and engine power has been reduced in recent years, and the sport is safer than ever before.

I think that even the cars as recently as 1998/1999 would be harder to drive than today's cars, albeit not as hard as those from the '70s with ground effects or the '80s with turbochargers.

On the subject of deciding when to use KERS and front wing adjustments, I still think that the driver will have to be able to apply their own tactical thinking to it. This is where I feel guys like Alonso will be able to gain an advantage earlier on in the season, though by the time everyone gets used to it I think this would be almost negligible.

[cap-dude]

In terms of phiscally driving a car, apparently GP2 cars are much harder to drive. The main difference being that modern F1 cars have hydraulic steering or something advanced like that. So yeah, apparently they are easier to actually drive.

However, to jump in and go, a computer is needed to start the car, the cars have to be kept in certain conditions when they're not being used. Theres numerous buttons and switches you have to pull to start the damn thing. Unlike the old days, when you got in, started the engine, dumped the clutched and went. Modern cars are a lot more complex, seeing as this era is dominated by computers and simulation, rather than oil and spanners engineering.

[racechick]

Nah!! Sort out the men from the boys!!

[Matkins]

In terms of phiscally driving a car, apparently GP2 cars are much harder to drive. The main difference being that modern F1 cars have hydraulic steering or something advanced like that. So yeah, apparently they are easier to actually drive.

Is that true? I thought drivers gave up using power steering when Schumacher proved that its much more beneficial to go without it, it gives the driver a better feeling of the car's responses.

I agree that physically it would make it easier, but great car control requires feedback, and a lot of that comes through an old fashioned steering setup.