F1 - NO new engines until 2017?

[styla21]

In the statement it was also announced that as part of the planned ten-year engine freeze, only engines that have been homologated by the FIA and delivered by March 31, 2008 will be eligible for use during the 2008 to 2017 Formula One World Championships.

The FIA will disclose further details of its new measures to the teams at a meeting on January 11, 2008, before putting forward detailed regulations based on the principles during the spring meeting of the WMSC. - http://www.formula1.com/news/headlin...7/12/7161.html

Surely I'm not understanding this correctly. F1 are going to completely stop engine development, for 10 years! Race to race, year to year progression is one of the most attractive elements to the evolving sport of F1. I realise cost minimisation efforts are in order.. But the Daewoo Liana will be outperforming an F1 car if this goes ahead

[CMonakar]

I agree -this is a totally lame move. They will be open wheeled NASCARs by 2017. Note it does not say they will all be using the same engine. What happens if a team's setup is not competitive? Are they stuck on the back of the grid for 10 years?

[seksy]

this is getting lame/out of hand. Oh how i missed f1 when they still had their V10s etc....

[acmarttin]

I wonder what this means for leagues like A1 GP. If F1 is in an engine freeze until...what? Greener engines? I hope that's not where this is going!

Other leagues must be planning on taking a stab at F1's apparent cooldown.

[gucom]

lol with this engine freeze and the halving of downforce levels, it'll take other race series only some loosening up of the rules to become faster than F1... they're digging their own graves here, unless the FIA were to allow radical new technologies in other areas (at the moment, hardly any "real" new technologies are introduced in F1, contrary to 25 years ago...)

[styla21]

Originally Posted by gucom lol with this engine freeze and the halving of downforce levels, it'll take other race series only some loosening up of the rules to become faster than F1... they're digging their own graves here, unless the FIA were to allow radical new technologies in other areas (at the moment, hardly any "real" new technologies are introduced in F1, contrary to 25 years ago...)

Agreed. Computational Fluid Dynamics, and kinetic-distribution can only generate so much interest from typical F1 fans. I'm eagerly awaiting the official FIA position on this topic.

Also, doesn't Champ Car now hold a few lap records around a few notable F1 circuits?

[gucom]

^lol i can tell you now that it doesnt... i havent looked into it one bit but champcars just dont have the power, downforce, chassis or whatever to challenge F1 cars at the moment

[pagani]

More reasons to watch other motorsports than f1 because formula 1 is starting to be come formula boring.

[styla21]

Originally Posted by gucom ^lol i can tell you now that it doesnt... i havent looked into it one bit but champcars just dont have the power, downforce, chassis or whatever to challenge F1 cars at the moment

Gucom, At Laguna Seca, on August 20, 2006, Toyota F1 driver Ricardo Zonta set a lap record of 1'06.309.

What's interesting, is that this record was eclipsed on March 10, 2007 by Sebastien Bourdais, who did a 1'05.880 lap record racing for Newman/Haas/Lanigan in a CHAMP CAR.

So currently, I believe, Champ car actually still holds the lap record. Hence, I can say that around that track, the Champ car is quicker.

In no way, am I attempting to say that Champ is technologically, mechanically, aesthetically, or any other word ending in -ly, better than an F1 car! You must remember that F1 continually restrain their cars to limit speed; i.e. V10 to V8's, Compound tyre's rather than slicks, continual aero-restraints, etc.
The result of these restraints however is that on some tracks, the lap time differences, are now not that different at all....

[sentra_dude]

This sounds ridiculous, I hope for the sake of progress this does not happen. I like to watch the racing, but to me the technical aspect of F1 is by far the most interesting part, and this would absolutely ruin that.

What was an F1 car doing at Laguana Seca? I'm a bit surprised that a Champ car bested the Toyota's lap time, but then again Laguana Seca doesn't really cater to an F1 car's strength's (but then again the same probably holds true for the Champ car).

I don't follow Champ cars much, but its my understanding that over the years they have been de-clawed quite a bit too. They used to be fire-breathing turbo-charged 1000+hp monsters but are now restricted to 800hp. I'm sure by now aerodynamic advances have made up for that, but still, think of where they'd be if they still had that extra 200+hp.

Here are some other lap time comparisons:

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal [2006]
The pole position in Formula 1 was taken by Fernando Alonso in a time of 1'14.942, while Sébastien Bourdais took the pole in 1'20.005 in Champ Car. The fastest lap in the Formula 1 race was 1'15.841 by Kimi Räikkönen, while Sébastien Bourdais' fastest lap was 1'22.325 in the Champ Car race.

[RC45]

ROFLMAO....

Formula Uuuuun is getting more like NASCAR than NASCAR is like NASCAR these days

It's time for Ricky Bobby to go across the Uuuurope and show the F2 pooftas how to do it.

Shake n Bake....

[styla21]

Originally Posted by RC45 ROFLMAO.... Formula Uuuuun is getting more like NASCAR than NASCAR is like NASCAR these days It's time for Ricky Bobby to go across the Uuuurope and show the F2 pooftas how to do it. Shake n Bake....

Get off your haystack, Hillbilly

[tospok]

Almost everything technological was already banned, CVT, variable valve timing, titanium parts in most places, turbocharging, moving aerodynamic parts, FSI .... F1 is starting to be pointless.

[surin boy]

MMMM ..... looking at the news release, I understand that to mean a freeze on configuration and capacity, not development, though Max and Bernie are a bit old now and probably cant move their heads fast enough to follow the action any more.....!!

[79TA]

Originally Posted by pagani More reasons to watch other motorsports than f1 because formula 1 is starting to be come formula boring.

Unfortunately, that's been my position for some time now. I appreciate it but I could never get myself excited over open-wheeled racing for some reason.