Schumi, Hamilton, Stewart or Senna?

[judasentinel]

Hey, Im agreeing with you. I like good, well-informed discussions because it gives me an opportunity to learn and check my own perceptions and correct them if they are faulty. At the same time, if I can add value to someone else, I would do that without thinking twice about it.

So, thanks for keeping the thread going on a very healthy note.

[LivingMovie]

Good Read.. Had some stuff I had never heard of before.

Senna vs Schumacher

http://www.mad4f1.com/f1-assorted/senna-schumacher.htm

Side note
BMW's Super Computer "Albert2" which they use to process CFD simulations weighs in at a paltry 21 tons.
Source ( http://www.gizmag.com/go/6734/ )

wow....

[CanadianGTR]

Side note
BMW's Super Computer "Albert2" which they use to process CFD simulations weighs in at a paltry 21 tons.
Source ( http://www.gizmag.com/go/6734/ )

wow....

And cost A LOT of money.

[LivingMovie]

And cost A LOT of money.

They do, sadly....

I was looking into possibly turning my car into a project for a grad student or something, optimize aerodynamics, increase efficiency, etc.

Option 1 - Rent a wind tunnel, create a a few scale models (Nearest wind tunnels, are like $450/hr, 4 hr minimum.)

Option 2 - CFD simulation peaked my interest (Price's way out of my league)

hmmm, Old fashioned trial an error seems like the right choice for my project.

BNR32 - Drag Coefficient = .40
BNR33 - Drag Coefficient = .35 (<- Whose a whale now huh?)
Ultimate Aero TT - Drag Coefficient = .357 (Top speed 256.15mph)

But I digress...
F1 has really got me into aerodynamics with aero being a huge factor in performance.

I really don't know the history of f1 past mid 90's, I think i'll take the night to browse through some vintage footage on youtube.

We'll see what happens when Brazil crowns the champ this year

[CanadianGTR]

If you want some CFD software, I've got Catia. 8-)

[judasentinel]

The biggest obstacle to speed and acceleration is air. Thats for sure. And being an ex-fighter pilot, I can tell you how critical aerodynamics are. While we would be flying missions in the early mornings, we would take classes in the afternoon on aerodynamics. And F1 finds itself in a situation where the only way to gain an advantage now is aero efficiency, not engine performance, since there is an engine freeze in place now.

So, my point is that while the earlier eras of F1 were more aggressive and one would witness edge-of-the-seat excitement in races, its pretty much a herculean task now to see that kind of spectacle, because again, the restrictions on aero and engine mods limit teams' ability to change their performance on the fly.

This whole thing has a very commercial tone to it now, be it the technology transfer relevant to road cars, OR getting sponsorship deals that put more money in your pockets, or supporting the low-funded teams. And so, the drivers of today find that they cannot win on sheer talent and car's performance. And while to some it has made F1 more interesting, I find it not as exciting as it used to be in Senna's time OR definitely when Michael was driving.

My wish list for F1:

1. Michael comes back to drive for a season or two, just for fun
2. Removal of engine freeze - let teams build their engines for every race and as they want it
3. Keep TC in place.......what are we going to do in rain with no TC?
4. Bring back Michelin or Goodyear
5. Go back to the classic qualifying format
6. Keep SPA and SUZUKA as a permanent features on the calendar and never get rid of them. Gosh, I have always loved those two tracks
7.Bring back turbo in cars, if possible (something to that effect is being discussed for future anyway)
8. No more parc ferme'........let teams play with their cars

[CanadianGTR]

A few of your items will just result in F1 becoming a "let the richest man win" sport. Which is what Mosley is trying to avoid.
I am opposed to F1 becoming a spec series though, and I hope the governing bodies of the sport feel the same.

My wish list:

i) More reliance on MECHANICAL grip over aerodynamic grip (at least until they come up with aero design that promotes drafting and passing).

ii) Toss out this KERS crap, open-wheel racing will NEVER be relevant to the consumer market, and trying to make it as such will just hurt the sport.

iii) Cap engineering budgets (this includes subsidiaries of engineering such as windtunnel testing)

iv) Bringing back the rule that in order to compete, you must build your OWN chassis. A third party should not be able to provide a chassis solution for multiple teams unless it's for a short term period just for the purpose of getting a new team off up on it's feet.

That's it.