08-Aug-08: Gascoyne and Coulthard Discuss Their Future Ideals
You’re listening to F1 Minute for the 8th August 2008.
Two interesting takes on the future of F1 today, from Mike Gascoyne of Force India, and David Coulthard.
First up, Gascoyne has been talking about ways to make the sport cheaper as per Max Mosley’s instructions, and to help the independent teams stay in business. Here are his main ideas: “I think we need regulations like reducing testing, we shouldn’t be testing during the season, plus longer-life engines. That will reduce costs, and I don’t think anyone can argue that shouldn’t be the way we go.”
In his ITV-F1 column, Coulthard has said he thinks refuelling should be banned in races as it has made strategies predictable and the racing dull. Running a full race fuel load has been tried in the past, and Coulthard thinks that the unpredictable nature of the tyres under such a system would bring a spark of life back into Formula 1. Let me know what you think about both suggestions at F1Minute.com.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.
Greg on Fri, 8th Aug 2008 23:05
I like the idea of banning testing during the season, I think it would liven up the painfully long off season giving myself at least something more to be excited about rather than just stock up on merchandise and preorder my season yearbook, but I would be sad to see good teams struggle with there hands bound for the entire year because they guessed something wrong in the winter months.
Christine on Sat, 9th Aug 2008 11:28
It’s tricky, isn’t it?
I’m sort of more in favour of letting the test drivers do more of the work, it was good when they used to have Fridays all to themelves. But at the same time, that can’t be a cheap idea.
I don’t know how much reliable information teams get out of Fridays, whether that would be enough to introduce new parts. Force India used their seamless shift gearbox in Friday testing at Hungary, so that worked for them.
Steven Roy on Sat, 9th Aug 2008 23:17
In season testing is already massively restricted and I can’t see banning it would save that much. Besides it means if someone has a problem or a development that could be sorted with a couple day’s testing they end up losing a whole race to sort it. Fine if your are FIF1 and never going to achieve anything anyway but different if you are at the front.
If they want to save money they should cut the electronics and complexity. Teams at any one time have 6 steering wheels at a total cost of $150,000. That is not sensible. Take away all the switches and all the things the switches control and you will save more than banning testing. You will also make the grid more even.
DC is right.
Greg on Sun, 10th Aug 2008 07:12
Sound reasoning and I do agree that those steps would successfully cut costs, but being a current engineering student myself the complexity, and level of technological development found in f1 are a couple of the reasons I love this class of racing so much.
Steven Roy on Sun, 10th Aug 2008 21:17
Greg,
I think one of the reasons people have highlighted the technology in F2 over the last decade is because the racing has been so poor. If the racingwas better no-one would care about the technology. Take this season as an example. When I praised the banning of traction control and other electronics last season I kept meeting objections that it was dagainst the essence of F1 to reduce the level of technology. Apart from anything else this shows a total lack of understanding of the history of the sport.
Since the start of this season I have yet to hear anyone complain about the dumbing down of the technology. Indeed the move is now greeted with universal praise. I understand the attraction of technology it is something I share with you. I love my racingand technology but they should be kept separate. The more technology there is in racing the worse the racing is.
Christine on Sun, 10th Aug 2008 21:31
Good points, Steven. You couldn’t ask for better racing since the banning of traction control et al.
Steven Roy on Mon, 11th Aug 2008 00:59
I just noticed I put F2 rather than F1. OOPS
And not the only typo either. The problem is that I can type quite fast but occasionally my typing is like Felipe Massa’s driving. I think my keyboard has too much understeer.
me on Mon, 11th Aug 2008 02:32
we give you a preview button and an edit button. your excuses read like a nigel mansell press conference