[raymondlin]

Is it me or does the cars looks like what F1 cars looked like about 20 years ago ? The designs of the body, the front wings, rear wings...etc And they seem a bit on the heavy side when cornering, not as nimble.

Just wondering why that is, is there a cap or limitation on performance or design?

And I would love to see a race head to head a Indy car with an F1 car. That would be cool !

 

[plus_c]

Well, when one is averaging 220+mph around an oval, you do want a little bit of cornering stability...

Remember that the IRL schedule is predominantly oval-track races, while F1 doesn't have any ovals at all.

Also just wanted to point out that there aren't designs of chassis, but one chassis and one engine supplier to the IndyCar series. The CART/IRL split of the late 90s really hurt open-wheel racing in the US - while they fought, NASCAR rose to become the dominant form of racing. As a result, there's a very real need to keep costs down, and a spec series allows that quite nicely. I actually think that this is a change for the better - in F1, you see that the teams that are really competitive all have manufacturer backing. There is a very clear top tier, and then there's everyone else. Having a spec series means that budgets and technology take on slightly less importance, and bring driver skill, pit crew skill, and team strategy to much stronger parts of the equation. Honestly, I think this makes for better entertainment. FWIW, NASCAR is moving rapidly towards a spec format as well with the Car of Tomorrow...

 

[a1rocketpilot]

Well, IRL and Champ Cars are technologically inferior to F1 cars. This is primarily due to the huge differences in budget. A well funded Champ Car team like Newman-Haas Racing operates on about $40 million a year, much less than the smallest and lowest budget F1 team, Super Aguri, which is at about $57 million. As far as performance comparison goes, back in 2006, both F1 and Champ Car had in their seasons races at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Fernando Alonso's pole time was 1'14.942", whereas Sebastian Bourdais had 1'20.005 in a Champ Car. And just because some teams are funded way more than others doesn't entirely take driver skill and strategy out of the equation. Just look at the Canadian Grand Prix this year, where Takuma Sato with Super Aguri overtook and fought off Alonso, the reigning world champion.

Aditya

 

[plus_c]

You're right, budget doesn't take driver skill entirely out of the equation - but I do feel that a more level playing field helps keep things much more interesting. Schumacher is one of the greatest drivers of all time, but might there have been more people who could have given him a run for his money had the F1 playing field been equal? Possibly.

 

[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plus_c /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're right, budget doesn't take driver skill entirely out of the equation - but I do feel that a more level playing field helps keep things much more interesting. Schumacher is one of the greatest drivers of all time, but might there have been more people who could have given him a run for his money had the F1 playing field been equal? Possibly.

For instance; how about how Barrichello and Fisichella did as Michaels' team mates, compared to how they're doing now.

 

[raymondlin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by a1rocketpilot /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, IRL and Champ Cars are technologically inferior to F1 cars. This is primarily due to the huge differences in budget. A well funded Champ Car team like Newman-Haas Racing operates on about $40 million a year, much less than the smallest and lowest budget F1 team, Super Aguri, which is at about $57 million. As far as performance comparison goes, back in 2006, both F1 and Champ Car had in their seasons races at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Fernando Alonso's pole time was 1'14.942", whereas Sebastian Bourdais had 1'20.005 in a Champ Car. And just because some teams are funded way more than others doesn't entirely take driver skill and strategy out of the equation. Just look at the Canadian Grand Prix this year, where Takuma Sato with Super Aguri overtook and fought off Alonso, the reigning world champion. Aditya

Imagine if F1 cars has proper slicks and traction control...it'll be even faster.

 

[a1rocketpilot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raymondlin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Imagine if F1 cars has proper slicks and traction control...it'll be even faster.

Well, F1 has Traction Control now, but that's going bye-bye next year. However, proper slick tires are about to be reintroduced. This could be because they are taking TC out of the equation, they felt that the tires would help compensate a little.

Aditya

 

[Otto]

Quote:

Originally Posted by a1rocketpilot /img/forum/go_quote.gif , proper slick tires are about to be reintroduced. Aditya

That is good news. I hate the look of the grooved tires.

Race cars are supposed to have slicks.