Back to the Future 16/04/2008 Writing a blog about F1 has taught me a lot about the sport and the fans that follow it. One of the more obvious things that I have noticed is that each of us tends to see the state of the sport when we first started following it as the the golden age of F1, the time when everything was just right. Everything after that is viewed as a degeneration of the perfection that we once knew.John Surtees in a "real" Ferrari, Nurburgring, 1964Because I started watching the sport in the early sixties, right at the beginning of the brief 1.5 liter formula, those tiny tubes of metal with a screaming little engine at the back and narrow tires at each corner still look like "real" racing cars to me and the drivers assume heroic proportions, their various merits still to be argued over wherever old farts congregate. At the time, the older enthusiasts looked down (figuratively and literally!) on those miniature cars, considering that the big bangers of the fifties or even the thirties were the epitome of racing. But I loved the very smallness of those cars and engines, looking on them as works of fine art in comparison to the brutal giants of yesteryear.For me, the rot set in when they increased the allowed engine capacity to 3 liters. And, when the designers started to put wings on the cars, my disgust knew no bounds.Yet, for anyone who was introduced to the sport during the seventies, wings and big engines seemed the very essence of the sport and I am sure that Renault's re-introduction of the screamer, this time with a big turbo bolted on, must have seemed sheer sacrilege to such fans. In the eighties the turbo engines became the norm, of course, and fans entering in this decade no doubt look back on their outrageous power output as the high point of F1. Much mourning ensued when they were consigned to the bin and it became necessary to have a V-10 (of all things) to get anywhere in the races. Even these are viewed nostalgically by those who discovered F1 in the nineties and early noughties, the mandatory V-8s now being despised in their turn.The apparent turn around in F1 regulations that has begun this year has met with general approval and I am sure that "golden age" nostalgia has a lot to do with that. Anything that helps the sport to go back to the good old days has to be a change for the better, we think. But, if the trend continues, we may find that our opinions on how far back into the past we should go vary considerably.We can see this happening already with the fuss over the banning of tire warmers. Those who remember a time before the "blankets" are all for the change, considering them an unnecessary aid to drivers who should be able to warm their tires on the track. But for later joiners, concerns about safety arise and terrible thoughts of huge speed differentials occur.To an old fart like myself, the temptation must be to scoff at such fears, pointing back to the days when drivers were gods and coped with such things as cold tires without a second thought. Yet we have to be grateful for small mercies and so we hold our tongues and give lip service to political correctness, tutting with everyone else over the latest affront to the great god safety.Clearly, there will be disagreements amongst ourselves if the march back in time continues. Just how far back are we going? Having decided that all the work on aerodynamics of the last 25 years has ruined the racing, how much of the car should we outlaw? I have suggested getting rid of wings as a quick and easy means of booting out the aero boys, but that is altogether too radical a proposal for the vast majority of fans. So where do we stop, where draw the line?The answer is, of course, that we do not know. It may feel that we are turning the clock back but the truth is that the future is always an unknown country. As fast as we re-introduce old ideas in one area, someone will invent something entirely new in another. Never will we see the cars of the past reborn into a brave new tomorrow; they stand as examples of their time and we can borrow from them but never return. We might look back with nostalgia to our golden age but we should admit that a new renaissance awaits us in each decade.Good grief, I'm getting all poetic here. And all I really wanted to say is that, instead of getting into such a flap over each reversion to the past, let's just try it and see. If it really turns out to be an awful mistake, we can always change back again.
Clive
John F. I saw a Martin Brundle show recently where he was comparing his early Benneton with last years Ferrari. I was taken with the Benneton, this was the car that was being driven when I first became a fan. He actually had to move his hand to switch gears. I had almost forgotten such a time. While he was driving he was talking as he usually does. He really had to force his words in the Benneton. You could see that he had to work the car. Then he got in the Ferrari and he was like a child in a candy store. The car handled easier and was actually less physically demanding of the driver. This is the first time that I realized that I liked the inovation but I longed for the past. There is no point in F1 that I would like to see it go back to. It has been and always will be a work in progress. I can live with that. I also agree with you Clive that we do like the car that we started with, I really enjoyed seeing that Benneton car on the track again Date Added: 16/04/2008
John Beamer tut tut tut.Clive -- we DO know the golden age of the sport. It was the 1980s of course, the battles on Prost, Senna, Piquet and Mansell were legendary. The fact that that is when I first started watching happens to by just happy coincidence :-)I can't EVER see anything thinking that the late 90s was the golden age .. no overtaking ... boring races. ... schumi processions ... ugh Date Added: 16/04/2008
Steven Roy I have been told by all sorts of people that the F1 I want to see would mean turning the clock back and stepping back from what is viewed as the essence of F1. The strange thing is when some of the things I would like to get rid of were originally introduced the same people were appalled but have now accepted them.My argument has always been that F1 has not arrived at its current position as a result of some divine plan that should never be questioned. Its current position is only one of an infinite number of possible outcomes resulting from countless potential paths. If ground effect aerodynamics and turbos had not yet been banned the same people would say that banning them was against the essence of F1.If wings had been banned immediately one appeared on a car no-one would be arguing in their favour now but because we have become used to aerodynamic efficiency being the over-riding factor in the performance of a racing car the thought of taking the wings off seems anathema. It is however a point I am entirely in agreement with and for that matter something Gilles Villeneuve felt was necessary in the early 1980s.I think sometimes to make a point it is best to consider a different subject entirely and one example I have quoted on safety and on people's perception of reality is school children wearing ties. We have all heard parents cooing about how smart schoolchildren look when they wear a blazer and a tie. Fortunately nowadays a lot of schools seem to be moving away from this entirely unsuitable form of dress which is seen in certain quarters as the essence of smartness.Imagine the necktie had either never been invented or had fallen out of favour as a fad a couple of years after its first appearance. No imagine going to speak to a school head or a minister of education and telling them about your wonderful new idea. What I would like is for each school student to wear a piece of very strong cloth tied in a slipknot round their neck. You would be lucky to get out of the room alive. But current perception is that schools switching to more casual/comfortable/suitable uniform are in the wrong and those that insist on children wearing a piece of strong cloth tied in a slipknot round their neck are essentially correct.F1 fans are also opposed to disposing with slipknotted pieces of cloth. We all know that F1 cars can't race wheel to wheel so why is anyone opposed to disposing of wings when better racing is guaranteed. It was for this very reason Villeneuve wanted them banned. 'Rip the wings off and throw them in the bin' Gilles said. Date Added: 16/04/2008
Arun Srinivasan '.. the temptation must be to scoff at such fears, pointing back to the days when drivers were gods and coped with such things as cold tires without a second thought' Can someone yell this at the ears of DC? Date Added: 16/04/2008
Clive John F: Recently I watched a batch of in car videos and the sight of the right hand leaving the wheel to change gears brought the memories flooding back. We thought the engineers were so clever when they introduced the semi-automatic gearbox - yet now it seems just one more factor that distances the driver from the car, taking control from him and handing it to the designer. I know that all fun I have ever had in driving was thanks to the feeling of being able to control what was happening through the wheel, gears and brakes, and I am left wondering whether modern racing drivers have any fun left at all... Date Added: 16/04/2008
Clive John B: It seems as impossible to me as it does to you that anyone should derive pleasure from the dreary years of Schumacher ascendancy. Yet such fans exist and they will wax lyrical over the skills of "Schumi" (as they call him). To each his own, I guess... Date Added: 16/04/2008
Clive Steven: What can I say? I agree with you completely. The problem remains that those who remember wingless cars are so few and our voices are drowned in the general uproar. But there is hope in that many of the changes made recently have been heading in the right direction. Perhaps in time... Date Added: 16/04/2008
Clive Arun: I have come to the conclusion that DC serves a useful purpose in voicing the views of one side of the argument. He gives us something to jeer at, at least. ;) Date Added: 16/04/2008
Ollie Great post Clive, a lot of truths have been spoken. I would have to agree with John though and suggest few people actually think the '90s and even the '00s will be considered vintage eras for the sport.I would also love to see the sport return back to some of its fundamental qualities not seen since [insert your choice of year here]. However, time doesn't stand still and sometimes changes are made for the ultimate better.I've slapped a post up on my site taking the 'why is it being banned?' side of the tyre-warmer debate. Yes, my heroes whom-I-never-got-to-see-race-in-the-flesh didn't use them, but by banning them now are we really going to see better skilled drivers doing well on lap one? I doubt it. Bridgestone will just figure out a way to ensure the drivers don't have to do more work then they currently are.And that, I think sums up the '00s - relentless advancements in technology (and pandering to the drivers's every wish). The FIA can try and recapture some of the past by altering the rules, but the teams will just find more ways of getting around them. Particularly when it would appear the FIA hire monkeys to actually write the rule book, adding in ambiguity like there was no tomorrow.Oooh, I've gone off on a bit a tangent there (thinking of the FIA always does that to me), so I'll bring it back by adding that to those who are wishing of a more simplified version of Formula One to return, where devices like tyre warmers are prohibited, along with wings and clever wheel nuts and super-fast refulling rigs etc... without considering safety and suggesting that today's generation of fans are a bunch of P.C. pansies:The fact the sport has only had two deaths in 22 years kind of suggests that some of this technology is doing some good. I would like see things removed from the cars and sport, but I also know I wouldn't want to be the person who bans something, only to witness a terrible accident the following day because of it.A difficult balancing act, me thinks. Date Added: 16/04/2008
Clive Quite right, Ollie - I wouldn't like to be in that position either. But there are certain improvements in safety that will never go away: the crash-tested chassis, fireproof suits, tethered wheels (although they have their limits). These do not detract from the skill needed to drive the cars so I can't seem them ever being considered redundant.But how many accidents were caused by manual gearboxes, for instance? And it is certainly true that wings made the cars more dangerous, not less. So there are plenty of "advances" in automated car control that can be binned as yet and safety will be only marginally affected at most.I read your post on tyre warmers today and even commented on it (the sly dig at DC, remember?) - but it seems to have disappeared since then. Too controversial? But your point about Bridgestone designing more suitable tyres is a good one - surely the reason we do not have to worry too much about the safety aspect. Date Added: 16/04/2008
Ollie Just to add as well, you mentioned Surtees is driving a "real" Ferrari in the photo. I'd like to add that Surtees is also driving on a "real" circuit, given that I'm presuming it is the Nordschleife track. Date Added: 16/04/2008
Clive You presume correctly, Ollie - the Karousel, to be exact. And that is unfortunately one "real" circuit that we can never have back. But John was a ringmeister and that Ferrari he's driving was, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful F1 cars ever built. Even the engine is gorgeous! Date Added: 16/04/2008
Ollie Nothing is too controversial to me. Well, only until the law comes into play! I did respond in my comment beneath your's, saying that DC has become a grumpy old fart in the last couple of years.But if Bridgestone are going to develop tyres that counter the effect of the lack of warmers to alleviate the safety concerns, I have to come back to my original question (in post above, sort of): Why are they being banned then? What difference is it going to make? I'm not really championing for them or not, I'm just wondering what the bleedin' difference is going to be after the third race of the 2009 season. :D Date Added: 16/04/2008
aracerdude@yahoo.com I loved the era of the 80's. Nice wide cars, huge wings, no ugly extra aero gadgets all over the cars, turbo's, and great competition between great drivers. It was a great time. Many technological improvements that changed the way race cars are today. Aerodynamics became a big thing.Cars won with actually less horsepower then their competition. Date Added: 16/04/2008
Pink Peril As a releative newbie to the sport ( I have only been watching since 1998) can someone explain why the Nordschleife is out of bounds? Date Added: 17/04/2008
Clive Ollie: I meant that your post seems to have disappeared off your site - presumably it got pushed back to the second page (a place I have not visited yet, I'm ashamed to say).The argument for banning tire warmers seems to be purely a matter of cost - although how it will save teams money having to throw away equipment they already have, I don't know. I'm not sure how often the warmers have to be replaced but should imagine that they're good for several races at least. But the FIA has decreed they have to go and so we must bow to their greater wisdom, I guess. ;) Date Added: 17/04/2008
Clive Aracer: Let me guess, you started watching F1 in the eighties? ;)I agree that the cars were spectacular in that era but we should not forget that there also long periods of domination by one team during the decade. That spoiled it for me, particularly as it was never one of my favorite teams that was crushing all opposition. It was a hard life being a Brabham fan in the second half of the eighties. Date Added: 17/04/2008
Clive It's the length of the Nordschleife that makes it impossible for modern F1, Peril - fourteen miles of difficult corners, flat out straights and banking as well. On safety grounds alone, it is totally impracticable, there being no way adequate medical facilities and marshalling could be provided to the standards demanded by the FIA. But what a wonderful circuit, a true test of any driver's ability. Date Added: 17/04/2008
Number 38 "Tyre warmers"? Years ago I had the pleasure of sitting in a W-163 Mercedes-Benz.......4" diameter fuel lines running through the cockpit, 18" diameter steering wheel................but "what's that?" I asked, pointing to a small trolley with a 2 cylinder diesel engine running a large dynamo. That was the "starting cart" which plugged into the racing car and electric elements heated the oil in the engine and gearbox, heated the water and there was a large heavy quilt blanket that was laid over the front half of the car during start-up/warm-up.Tyre warmers seem mundane when they used to warm the entire car! Date Added: 17/04/2008
Pink Peril Ah thanks Clive. I guess 14 miles would require a hell of a lot of marshals to cover. Number 38, I remember watching a V8 Supercar race a few years ago which was interesting. All races have compulsory pit stops but they vary what you must do in them, some races you must change 2 tyres only, some 4, and some you must change your brake pads. Anyway one of the TV reporters had wandered into one of the garages and found the new brake pads being heated up in a frypan !' Twas pretty funny. Date Added: 17/04/2008
aracerdude Clive, the answer is I actually started watching F1 in the 70's. But, here in the USA all we got was a delayed cut-up version of Monoco. I like that era also with Sir Jackie and the rest, but wwas unable to watch very much of it. It does lose it's appeal a bit in print, you know. I enjoyed the cars of the 70's, 80's and early 90's before all the driver aids and extra fins and such. I still like the cars today although I think it took more talent to drive the machines of yester-year. (Is that a real word?)I was born in 1963, so the 60's is all about what I read. Date Added: 17/04/2008
verasaki i'm afraid i have to weigh in on the why ban tire warmers side here. i've just come to think of them as an extra safety precaution, like a wheel tether. banning it might "heat" things up, pun intended for a lap or two, but honestly i can't see the excitement advantage potential over the pace car/yellow corner flag disadvantage potential. and not to put to fine a point on race incidents, i think the tally for the last 10 or 20 years or so across the racing spectrum has come out more in favor of the drivers than the spectators and track marshals. i'm not saying those deaths had anything to do with cold tires but, it isn't just the drivers at risk whatever the reason. i mean, back in the day you could wipe out 10 spectators without bankrupting a nation. not so in 2008. i'd much prefer something a little more tangible than just banning tire warmers to bring on a little excitement. i just haven't a clue what that would be. having said that, what would it take to reconfigure monza to include some of the old oval banking? just kidding. Date Added: 17/04/2008
Alianora La Canta "Yesteryear" is indeed a word, aracerdude.I started watching F1 in 1993, but my favourite period of F1 so far started in 1997 when I began to appreciate mid-field battles and ended in 2003 with the January 15 proposals that weren't thought through properly. Does having my favourite period of F1 at a time other than when I started watching put me in the minority?As for tyre warmers, I'm sitting on the fence at the moment. I've heard that they work in some circumstances and not others, so I'm hoping the circumstances of F1 at the start of 2009 turn out to be ones where having no tyre warmers works. If so, great. If not... ...back to the drawing board. Date Added: 17/04/2008
chunter Not to be devil's advocate, but it's amazing how much the Ferrari above looks like a zero-keel with its wings broken off, the tires pushed away from the monocoque so they do not disturb its airflow.Is there a resource explaining, or rather, does anyone know details about the forthcoming aero restrictions? I'm not really certain how Formula 1 can restrict aero in a manner that is fair to all teams without turning the cars into unfortunate spec machines. Date Added: 18/04/2008
Clive You can be the exception that proves the rule, as regards favourite periods, Alianora. ;)Tyre warmers do not matter to me either way, I must confess, but I think the fuss being made about them at the moment is rather ridiculous. Why can't we just wait and see? Date Added: 19/04/2008
Clive It's the color that's deceiving you, Chunter. ;)I'm not aware of any document on the web that sums up the regulations for next year. You're right that there ought to be one, perhaps an annual publication by the FIA of all rule changes. Your point about spec machines is only too accurate, however, as Max has said before that he wants to take F1 in that direction. Date Added: 19/04/2008
Alianora La Canta There's a complete copy of the 2009 technical regulations at the FIA's site, though they are yet to furnish us with a summarisation of the changes. For that matter, knowing the FIA, some of it will change between now and next year anyway... Date Added: 19/04/2008
Clive Alianora to the rescue again! Thanks, Ali. :) Date Added: 19/04/2008
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