Comments on: Time for a change

By: Sotaro

Sotaro — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 07:44:31 +0000

@ Paul,
I agree with your proposal to have an energy allowance for a race instead of swept capacity and the other many rules. Rapid change and innovation is something that F1 has to offer to the world. Otherwise, we could watch carburetted V8’s drive in circles…

By: Paul Cole

Paul Cole — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:32:35 +0000

IIRC, Audi used Direct Injection on their Gasoline Le Mans/LMP1 engines before they switched to Diesel. I don’t recall them having significant issues with gearbox durability, and if they could get a ‘box to last for 24 hours I think that F1 teams could certainly get one to last for 4 races (around 28 hours if each car was to run through the whole of every session and race). To be honest, the proposed rules are far too restrictive - for example, FOTA are favouring mandating I4 engines - and if they are to be genuinely “eco friendly” and future-proof then they must not mandate technology of a particular type. Perhaps the way forward is to give each car an energy allowance for the race (whether that be from liquid fuel or batteries)? This would be much closer to F1’s roots than the current, highly restrictive, formula that we have today.

By: Laury Curran

Laury Curran — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:44:18 +0000

It would be interesting to see if the two-stroke cycle could make a comeback to Grand Prix racing for the first time since the 1930’s. Hello lower weight with higher specific power output than any four stroke. Good bye horrible power sapping valve train. Direct injection has been a commercial reality for two stroke engines for nearly 20 years too (Orbital, Peugeot, Aprilia Di Tech) thus eliminating any of the old emissions problems. Lotus have done some serious work on this for at least the last 2 decades.

By: Paul Lohr

Paul Lohr — Mon, 17 May 2010 16:53:28 +0000

If we are going to inject the gasoline directly into the cylinder, why not raise the compression ratio so that combustion occurs at injection? Then we can do away with the spark plug and not worry about pre-ignition? Or will the gasoline ignite in a somewhat undesirable way? Sorry if this is an amateur question.