F1 rule switches: Sexier, swifter and more aerodynamic cars for two thousand seventeen season
Updated March 24, two thousand seventeen 08:24:33
The technology of Formula one is forever racing ahead, but two thousand seventeen sees an even fatter shake-up than usual as the sport responds to criticism that it became too predictable in latest years.
Mercedes has claimed the constructors championship at a canter for the past three years, and fans have long been complaining that it is all too predictable.
Not only that, the balance inbetween man and machine was tilted too far in favour of the latter. In brief, the pinnacle of motorsport had become too effortless for the drivers, the cars too effortless to drive.
‘Who are these glamourpusses, who demonstrate up, smile for the cameras and cruise around the track a few times in fantastical cars that do all the work for them?’ F1 paramours have been grumbling into their Bellinis. Very likely.
Former driver Mark Webber and veteran Fernando Alonso have said that modern drivers just do not have it as hard as they did back in the day.
So what has Formula one done to make things better?
More downforce equals more speed
The rules switches will give teams enlargened scope to improve downforce. More downforce means better grip and extra speed around corners, as drivers can hit the brakes much later.
Drivers will be able to shove the cars closer to their boundaries for more of the race.
Predictions at this stage are that speeds could be enhanced by anywhere inbetween three and five seconds per lap. Zoom.
Drivers will have to work firmer
Webber and Alonso will get their wish. All this extra downforce means their bods will be slammed with monster G-forces as they fly around corners at higher speeds.
Daniel Ricciardo has emphasised physical conditioning training in the pre-season and most of his opponents will be doing the same.
Expect exhaustion to play a part in the outcome of races, as drivers reach the brink of exhaustion in the later laps.
Only the older campaigners will have experienced anything like it before, back in the early 2000s.
Will aerodynamic gains make for better racing?
Teams have been given more scope to experiment with their aerodynamic set-ups.
That particular battle will play out over the entire season as the engineering geeks improve their designs, always seeking to build up a few milliseconds here and there or, ideally, some revolutionary fresh trick to give them a leap on their opponents.
The cars we see in Melbourne will be far from the end products.
There are some fears, tho’, that better aerodynamics and downforce will actually make racing less attractive.
Lewis Hamilton said after testing in Catalunya it was stiffer to go after other cars this year.
Improved aerodynamics means more ‘dirty air’ behind the cars, so anyone pursuing could have trouble getting close enough to overtake.
Then again, late braking should ensure daring drivers can get right up the rear end of the bloke they are pursuing, so to speak, so there is still hope the racing will be lit.
Sexier cars will make you want to go ‘grrrrrr’
As you may have already seen on the television or in the pictures in this article, the cars in two thousand seventeen have an old-school-meets-new-school look to them which is very sexy.
Not curvy Scarlett Johansson-sexy; more like rugged and strong Hugh Jackman-sexy.
Rear wings have been lowered by 150mm and widened to 200mm and rear tyres are 80mm broader, bringing back those late-90s, early 2000s feels.
The cars have lower, pointier noses as well, providing them an all-round more aggressive appearance. They have bulked up too, like Hugh did to play Wolverine. Maximum weight has gone up from 702kg to 722kg.
There are still a few of the aerodynamic tics that detract a little from the classic look, but overall the vehicles are more beastly and outstanding than last season. Grrrr.
No effortless starts
Like the rest of us deal with on Monday mornings, F1 drivers will be faced with harsh starts this season.
Ricciardo to break the drought?
In a bid to give more control back to the drivers, much of the clutch control will be taken off the machine and given back to them.
The boys in the cockpit will thus have to be far more careful in finding the clutch ‘sweet spot’ (anyone who has done hill starts in a manual car knows the one) so as not to spin out and lose ground when the lights go off.
Another unpopular rule, safety-car starts in moist conditions, has also been scrapped, meaning fans will get to see the cars leaping off the grid even if it has been raining.
Excitement? Let’s hope so
Will all these switches result in tighter competition inbetween teams, and more arousing act on the track? We will find out in Melbourne.