F1 - The Future
There has been a great deal of comment on just about all forums and the motorsport press about the recent withdrawals of major manufacturers. Honda, BMW and
Many people have said “I told you so”. Many said that as soon as things got tough for the manufacturers in their primary market, road cars, they would pack up and leave.
Superficially that would appear to be accurate, but I am of the opinion that although the current financial crisis has indeed played a significant part, many other factors have also had a major role.
In tough market conditions, cost controls and cost cutting are just one of the many actions that companies can and do implement to curtail losses.
But with F1 there are also other factors which have influenced their respective withdrawals.
For example, BMW are currently aggressively promoting their new green eco friendly car designs. Many ordinary people world wide are questioning the values of any form of car racing, citing unnecessary carbon emissions, consumption of fossil fuels and other ecological issues, issues that are at odds with eco friendly goals.
Toyota markets their hybrid, the Prius, under the banner of “Harmony between Man Nature and Machine,” but then put two snarling monsters on a track to hurtle around to nowhere and consume 200 plus litres of fuel, and in the process, creating huge carbon emissions. Racing is an anthesis to the green movement.
Emotive words, but this is the type of article is published frequently by the green lobby, a lobby that is growing stronger every day.
But the foregoing is not this article’s primary point.
The future, what does it hold for us: the band of dedicated followers of this great sport.
2010 sees the emergence of four new teams to the F1 grid:
Manor F1 for instance are bringing a whole new concept of design and testing: no longer the traditional way of many, many hours spent in a wind tunnel at great expense. Every aspect of the car is designed by CFD analysis, and aerodynamic testing is all carried out in the digital domain.
If the manufacturer’s withdrawal does bring about the very thing that Max Mosely tried so hard to achieve, i.e. - a reduction in costs, then hopefully these new independent teams, pure racers, can give a very useful account of themselves.
To do that, however, they will need the goodwill of the existing teams. Notably, this so far has been freely forthcoming from the existing teams with one exception. That exception just happens to be an existing independent, a pure race team, Williams F1.
Personally, I am very happy that the teams accepted by the FIA are completely new teams. Some teams who applied and failed to be granted an entry, teams like Lola, represent the old ways. That is not the way forward
F1 2010 appears to my eyes to look very healthy indeed. There will be a learning curve associated with the new teams, but there will also be a learning curve associated with the old teams. The old teams must learn how to be fast on a pauper’s budget.
|
|
A very good article Stuart and you make good points about the new teams. The intereting thing about the new teams is that they are all taking different approaches to their F1 debut and none are the traditional way.
The CFD approach by Manor is particluarly interesting and could be the future of F1 car design could it prove to be successful. And with USF1, Campos and Lotus all planning their major operations outside the UK it means that 6 of the teams (should the BMW buyout be enterd) will not be based in the UK. The tide is turning, and like you say Stuart it is upto the established guard to catch up
Posted by: Paul Murtagh | November 12, 2009 at 03:19 PM
The manufacturers that have come and gone during the years went for many reasons. However none ever left for environmental reasons. The enviroment is a new design criteria and must be taken seriously by the manufacturers because of EU carbon requirements.
F1 has probably never been as usless as it is today in terms of providing engineering solutions for real world road cars. There is almost no overlap of technology. The efficiency and exhaust emissions are now more important than ever.
They had a chance with Kers, but it was poorly concieved and useless for road cars.
That leaves marketing. With manufacturers Honda, Toyota, Renault, Ferrari, BMW, and to some degree Mercedes, somebody would always be no better than 5th. In 2009 they were even beaten by independent teams running their engines, Brawn and Red Bull. This puts one of them no better than 7th. Where are the bragging rights? Put that bit of news in the papers in a full page advert.
So if they return or not is largely dependant on the technology and its relevance to their road cars.
The marketing can be left to independents like Brawn and RBR.
Posted by: flood1 | November 12, 2009 at 06:25 PM