Full Throttle

Max Mosely isn’t waiting for his monthly Autosport magazine articles to appear, he’s started ruminating of F1’s long range future without the benefit of his debut in a slick paper magazine.

Although the brand new 2.4 litre V8 formula is yet to even debut at a grand prix, FIA president Max Mosley revealed that the Federation was - for 2011 - thinking about no longer mandating the number of cylinders or engine capacity.

Instead, one of the only limits on engine design would be the amount of fuel allowed per race.

”All kinds of motors will be allowed,” Max was quoted as saying by the Italian ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’ newspaper, ”but every car will get an equal amount of fuel.

”So it will be based on (fuel) consumption. Who wins will be the one who uses (the fuel) best.”

Mosley admitted that his idea also tips its hat to the world’s ‘oil crisis’ and to critics of the excesses and waste of futile motor racing.

He said: ”It is something that we will talk about at greater length on a later date.”

As much as I dislike Mad Max this idea isn’t as hair-brained as it first appears. With no limits on engine design except making it travel X amount in distance in X amount of fuel opens the field for anything. From the number of cylinders, to potential turbine power, and various types of fuel to be used all becomes possible to the designers.

With the current rush to market of hybrid vehicles for road usage by all the major manufacturers it potentially could offer them an enticement to enter F1 as a proving ground for new technology. We’ll see if Max’s idea ever comes to fruition.

As my title suggests I’m way ahead of the curve, and plan on beating Mad Max’s little plan. A perpetual motion machine doesn’t need “fuel.” All it needs is a “push start” so to speak, and off it goes, enroute to a World’s Championship.

Of course you naysayers out there may think I’m mad as Max. Thoughts of a perpetual motion machine have been around since Leonardo’s time, (da Vinci not that “King of the…” something or other) and all have failed. Jacques Ozanam (1640-1717) was quoted as saying:“…those who search for, or imagine they have found, the perpetual motion, are always men to whom the most certain and invariable truths in mechanics are unknown.”

Ozanam’s quote gives a man pause for thought, if only for a moment. But I can’t help thinking of Mad Max’s “Centreline Downwash Generating Wingy” thingy when I read it.

Cross Posted @ Fast Machines.

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