[scarlet.fever]

We should have all the possible tyre manufacturers including Michelin, Bridgestone, Pirelli etc that would make F1 interesting.

[polopm]

Originally Posted by jfxavier

Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) wants to know more about you and what you think about the sport. This Global Fan Survey will give us a unique opportunity to understand how drivers, and F1 as a whole, can do more for you.

Here is the link:

http://gpda.motorsport.com/

I did the survey and it's quite good in terms of the questions.
There were lots of questions pointed towards the future - engines, technical advancements, sponsor events etc. Oh yes, a section on the new concepts - Newey, Ferrari - you can choose one of those too.

If you haven't done the survey, please do so !

[jfxavier]

As the GPDA launched a fans survey initiative with Bernie's favorite new media enterprise Motorsport.com facilitating this grand census causing their computer servers to collapse under the weight of the response, F1 team bosses have called for an overhaul of the sport’s rule-making process one week after the Strategy Group met to discuss proposals for the 2017 season.

Force India : Bob Fernley
“Over 18 months I think we’ve failed to agree of any form of cost control. There’s absolutely no way there’s going to be any equitable distribution of income. Whilst I agree there were some good discussions on 2017, apart from that the problems weren’t addressed at all. I don’t think you should have teams making decisions on where Formula 1 should go; the teams should be told where Formula 1 is going.”

Red Bull : Christian Horner
It’s rather predictable, Bob’s going to ask for more money, Toto’s not going to want to change anything and we want to change engines. So every team has got it’s own agenda and is going to fight its own corner. The sport is governed by the FIA and is promoted by FOM – and it’s those guys that need to get together and say ‘What do we need Formula 1 to be?’"

Sauber : Monisha Kaltenborn
“It would be devastating for the sport if a system is established by which there would be ‘competing’ teams and ‘participating teams’. If after a year, like with many ideas that come from the Strategy Group, we realise it’s not a good idea and we should revert back to how things were before, we can’t because our capabilities have been ruined. And if a supplier no longer wants to be in the sport, what then? Or what if the supplier hikes up the price by 10 million one year, like we have seen with the engines – what then? It helps certain teams for a limited period, and destroys others.”

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/sa...total-disaster

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/12...making-process

An indication of the Strategy Group’s effectiveness is that the ban on drivers changing their helmet designs mid-season is just about the only proposal they’ve all agreed on all season so far.

[Chetan_Rao]

That's what happens when the inmates are allowed a say in how the asylum is run, the person running the asylum has no inclination to make any changes that don't profit him, and the person in-charge has no clue what to do either way.

F1 is a nutshell, right there!

[jfxavier]

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports that Bernie Ecclestone, Niki Lauda (Mercedes), Christian Horner (Red Bull) and Ron Dennis (McLaren) met during Monaco GP weekend to discuss the customer car solution for F1 budget control.
It is believed Ferrari, with its intended 'B' team Haas, and McLaren, who would like to do a similar thing with Manor, are among the biggest proponents of customer cars.

Ecclestone argues that a big upside to his plan is that it will eliminate 'pay drivers', which is another "evil" that fans would want to get rid of.
"Instead of having to run around and find a driver who has money, they could look for a talented driver and put him in the car," he said.
"What difference does it make what the car is? I want these (customer) teams to go racing for $70 million. Most of that money they already get from us. I've been pushing, pushing, pushing for single chassis, single engine", Ecclestone said, revealing that the cost of buying the package would be just $15 million. "So you do that with four or five teams and you leave the constructors alone," he explained.

The small teams like Sauber and Force India are vehemently opposed to the idea, as they would lose their 'constructor' status and be left out of the new premier tier of F1.

Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3213/...no-pay-drivers

Meanwhile, a meeting of sporting directors in Monaco on Friday is said to have concluded that refuelling would add about a million euros to each team's annual budget.
The teams are to do further cost benefit analysis on refuelling. The findings will be presented at a meeting at the next race in Canada on 5-7 June.
None of the teams are in favour of refuelling. So that might be one proposal that might not get to see the light of the day.

[jfxavier]

Following a request from the FIA, Motorsport.com understands that all four engine manufacturers are working on a rule that will force them to make changes to the exhaust layouts of their cars for next year to improve the sound.

The plan is to make it mandatory for there to be two tailpipe exits rather than the current single one.

Sources suggest that one exhaust will be used for the wastegate, while the other will deliver sound straight from the engine to help deliver more sound.

Renault F1 engine boss Cyril Abiteboul welcomed the plan and said he hoped it would be a step in the right direction for fans.

"Anything that can improve the noise is welcome and I am happy with it," he told Motorsport.com. "I don't want to be negative. I just hope that it is going to be enough."

Source: http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1...ngines-in-2016

[jfxavier]

Looks like there is no chance of an F1 tyre war this decade.
FIA recently opened the tyre tender process for the next contract between 2017 and 2019. The tender document shows the plans for a single tyre supplier until the end of 2019. Michelin had expressed an interest in an F1 return.

http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/...yre-war-decade

However, something that might return to F1 is the live telemetry showing driver's pulse, breathing, BP etc.
FIA plans to test the real-time data collection of heart, respiratory and temperature biometrics of drivers on track later this year and to eventually mandate the collection of ‘human telemetry’, in the name of safety.
The report said the move would give medical staff crucial information in the event of crashes, such as those suffered by Jules Bianchi in Japan last year, or the Barcelona testing incident with Fernando Alonso.

http://www.grandprix247.com/2015/05/...ver-telemetry/

[Fullrevs]

Pirelli hasnt been overly successful since they won the tyre supply tender a few years back. Really hope Michelin will come in but it seems that they have their own conditions to return. Main condition being to increase the rim size and rear tyre width. Which I think should go ahead for 2017.

[jfxavier]

Formula 1 drivers say they have been overwhelmed by the response to their GPDA Global Fan Survey – as they call on fans to not miss the chance to get their voices heard.

The Survey closes this Sunday after the Canadian Grand Prix and is on course to become the biggest sporting fan survey ever completed.

GPDA chairman Alex Wurz said: "The number of participants is impressive – and the drivers are really happy that the fans wanted to voice their opinions.

"It was also truly global, because we have had participants from 191 countries so far.

"So on behalf of all of F1 – we want to say thanks to all the fans around the world for taking part in the survey. And if you have not done it yet, it is not too late."

Wurz has said there is no desire by the GPDA to use the Survey findings as an excuse to demand unrealistic change – and that everything the drivers do will be done in a considered way by working out what is best for F1.

Those who have not yet taken part in the Survey can complete it here: http://gpda.motorsport.com


Source: http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1...urvey-response

[jfxavier]

During the regular F1 team managers' meeting in Montreal return of refuelling was one of the main items on the agenda and team representatives expressed unanimous opposition to it.
Data analysed by various team strategists and presented at the meeting showed that refuelling would not improve the racing and it was said that in 2010, the year after refuelling was last banned, there were twice as many overtaking moves on track as in the previous year.
Looks like the picture is getting clearer on the F1 future as it is highly likely the idea will be dropped – even though Bernie Ecclestone is believed to be in favour of its return.

Source: http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1...ng-return-plan

[Fullrevs]

Originally Posted by jfxavier

Data analysed by various team strategists and presented at the meeting showed that refuelling would not improve the racing and it was said that in 2010, the year after refuelling was last banned, there were twice as many overtaking moves on track as in the previous year.

One of the advantages of re-fuelling was seeing a surprise driver get pole position by running on fumes and making a quick stop in the opening laps on Sunday. Varying strategies from car to car was quite exciting and made things a lot more difficult for opponents to read. Remember Webber in the Jaguar in Sepang, likewise with Alonso in the Renault. Those were memorable moments to watch.

Re-fuelling with DRS, KERS and the lot should make things exciting. Quite sad it is being dismissed by the team owners without looking into it in detail.

[jfxavier]

The only real technical improvement needed is for increasing the fuel flow rate from the older 12 lit/sec. to approx. 33 lit/sec. to compensate for the faster pit stops at present.
Since F1 does not allow mechanical pumping, a pressurised fuel tank (using N2 probably) was the solution previously used.

Personally I like to see F1 using all technologies available, but seems like the people in influential position are desperately trying to pull it backwards, or slow down the cars.

[jfxavier]

The Sporting Working Committee in Montreal was unable to agree on details regarding Formula 1 tyre rules in 2016 ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Motorsport.com has learned.
The original proposal, put forward by Force India, was for teams to be allowed to choose in advance which of the four tyre compounds they wanted to use each race weekend.
It is understood that at the meeting, four rules proposals – put forward by Pirelli, Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren - were discussed.

Among the ideas discussed were having as many as six compounds, three compounds in use per weekend, drivers not starting on the tyres that they qualified with, and a 'joker' system that allows teams to select their own tyres four or five times a year.
Pirelli's main concern has been teams choosing an extreme compound, facing problems over a GP weekend and then blaming the tyre supplier for any shortcomings.
No consensus was reached on a set of rules that should be pushed forward for approval by the F1 Strategy Group and F1 Commission.

Source: http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1...016-tyre-rules

[asr245]

Not entirely off topic.
I had forgotten what real races & real tracks were like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVoScgNlPNA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svBJRumK6Vc

That track seems more race friendly than the tilke-dromes.

1 team domination is killing F1.

[jfxavier]

Originally Posted by asr245

I had forgotten what real races & real tracks were like.

1 team domination is killing F1.

F1 have many times had one team dominating over a period of time like Mercs are doing now.
2000-2004 was probably the dominant period for MS & Ferrari.
From late 99 to the end of 2002 Ferrari had 53 consecutive podiums.
They won 47 of 68 races.
Schumacher won 11 races in 02 (same as Lewis last year) and 13 races in ’04 in those 4 years he won 39 races (only Prost and Senna won more than 39 in the their whole careers).

Then we’ve had 4 years of Red Bull with Seb winning 34 races out of 77 in 4 years, and repeating Schumacher’s feat of a 13 win season and an 11 win seasons. Red Bull won 41 of 77 races.

Bringing the car behind closer to the leader is another issue. As the rules were tweeked and downforce generated by diffusers & underbody aerodynamics eliminated, the aerodynamics of the cars became so dependent on the front wing that when a driver gets within a second of the car in front the aerodynamic turbulence/dirty air he is robbed of an estimated 25% of the car’s total downforce, making the car understeer, slide, and ultimately lose overall grip. On tracks with predominantly slow corners it’s not so bad because downforce doesn’t make a huge difference (such as Canada) but on circuits with high speed sweepers such as Silverstone, Spa, Suzuka and Texas following another car in a high speed curve is almost impossible.
The best solution is some form of ground effects and sliding skirts to seal the low pressure and active suspension to maintain a very consistent ride height. Ground effects would put the main source of downforce on the underfloor rather than the front wing, which would allow cars to follow fairly easily in fast corners. Until the powers that be bring back GE and AS the issue of lack of close racing is not going to go away.

One thing that F1 can do immediately is to fuel all cars to 100 kg at the start to avoid "Lift & Coast" . Then the drivers don't have to save fuel. Most teams ‘short fuel’ their cars in anticipation of probability of a safety car or other factors and then have to lift and coast if things dont go as they anticipated. With all this lifting and coasting going on, nobody is fuelling their cars to 100 kg at the start except maybe McLaren since their Honda engine just cannot stop gulping gasolene.