The Future of Formula One
The immediate future of F1 is known. Shanghai saw the V10 powerplant go into F1’s history books. Taking it’s place along side Renault’s turbocharged RS01, with it’s many decendents of various makes, and the normally aspirated engines that took their place during the 1989 season.
The history of the new V8 formula is yet to be written but BAR Honda’s Nick Fry is looking way beyond it’s future and into something that most (there are exceptions) of the racing world, at any level, has attempted. Speaking before the 2005 Global Motorsports Congress Fry said he believes “the Formula One future should be greener.”
“It’s almost ironic, the specific area where development in Formula One will influence road cars is in efficiency and environmental issues,
“Those two old dinosaurs, Mad Max and Bernie, would need to ride off into the sunset first.”
I hope your subtle humor about the two dinosaurs in a reference to the end of fossil fuel racing was intentional. Most appropo!
When the first race of alternative fuel F1 category appears it will probably mark the end of my interest in the sport. Unless of course they can manage to make the hybrid engines scream like a V10 or V8, and at the least approach the current speeds.
Fry’s comments about F1 technology making any relevance in every dar cars is so far off the mark as to be laughable. Does anyone think there is ANY commonality between the BMW F1 V10 and the V10 installed in the M5? Only the number of cylinders!
Actually I hadn’t thought of that connection. I just assumed their birth dates occured sometime during the Precambrian era.
I wouldn’t call Fry’s remarks totally off the mark. There is some technology that still trickles down to the street level.
Ceramic brakes started life in F1, granted they mostly are available on street cars out of our price range but that’s true of a lot of tech. Eventually they will be on bottom line econo-boxes.
But I would agree about the lack of a screaming IC engine taking way too much away from the sport. But if the idiots in Monza get their way and “silencers” are added to F1 cars we won’t have to wait for any of Fry’s thoughts to become reality.
HA! As for the morons in and around Monza, they don’t deserve to have an F1 race, history not withstanding. Give them what they want in totality; no noise whatsoever, as in no race.