But do they have to limit fuel. Does the advantage of the turbo outweigh more pitstops?
I'm afraid races might get boring when drivers will have to conserve their fuel or just lose the race.
I'm afraid races might get boring when drivers will have to conserve their fuel or just lose the race.
Refueling is not allowed in Formula 1, it has only been allowed during two brief stints in the early 1980s and late 1990s. It was/is silly dangerous and there were a few quite nasty pitstop fire incidents.
One goal of the new regulations with the turbo, the regenerative braking and the fuel limit is to put emphasis on the efficiency of the engines. The engine manufacturer with the best efficiency is at an advantage.
There's a risk that this will introduce boring fuel saving periods to races. But on the other hand the fuel limit is the same for everyone. If you look at this from a different perspective, there will periods where you can crank up the boost and mixture to allow for more power at the cost of more than average fuel consumption.
Brief? It was allowed from 1994 to 2009, and the official reason for removing it in 2010 was team expenses (they had to move expensive speed-refueling machinery around the world, and highly trained pit staff to match)
However, it appears that it wasn't until 1983 that a team (Brabham) deliberately built a car with a tank too small to hold enough fuel to finish a race [2]. Brabham went on to win the 1983 championship and refuelling was banned from 1984.
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1957_German_Grand_Prix [2]: http://www.formula1-dictionary.net/refueling.html
So using the historical argument, it's the refueling ban whose stint has been brief (1984 - 1993, and 2010 - ?)
Both mid-race refueling and the refueling rule have had brief stints.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdyuN_cUqjA
I don't think F1 had this problem but with some races the fuel is made with methanol and the flames can be impossible to see:
Here's another disturbing pitstop fire of Heikki Kovalainen leaving the pit stall with the fueling hose still attached and the fuel gets sprayed on his compatriot Kimi Räikkönen, who went on to finish the race in 5th spot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvgjhfQLTNk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzg_9UXo9s8
Trying to refuel 50 liters (15 gallons) or more in less than 10 seconds is bound to be dangerous.
Definitely not safety reasons. Refueling on pit stops was allowed from 1994 to 2009 (inclusive). The official reason for refueling ban was lowering team expenses: refueling stops required significant machinery, equipment and crew (much more so than calibration and tyres changes), which had to be carried around the world.
In F1 you see real cars, doing real curves, not the thing NASCAR does like having a car that only could turn one way.
In F1 you see cars going through the streets of Monaco or Valencia, or German circuits that you could race yourself with your own car. BTW I do it.
I like NASCAR because F1 feels too teched up and NASCAR doesn't even give the driver a fuel gauge or speedometer. Plus all that weight and those small breaks. And just to stop another stereotype, I hate wrecks and cautions and I haven't met anyone who does.
NASCAR is also the most fan friendly sport with a huge amount of fan interaction with the drivers and cars. NASCAR fans can even go on the actual track in training vehicles.
Isn't the lack of fuel gauges more due to them being inaccurate if you are at a 30 degree slant and back to level? I believe they use fuel pressure gauges to indicate if they are running out of fuel.
I cannot remember Cup racing a street course, but the Nationwide did in Canada and the Trucks raced on dirt[1] this year, so they might be a Cup date in the future. Nationwide ran a road course in Mexico City, so that might be a possibility for Cup.
They just don't let drivers have much info or else they'd let the drivers have a speedometer. Heck, they've banned cellphones in the car since that could be used to get performance information.
1) a Cup race on dirt is a scary thought, pitting would be odd
Be nice.
Even circle tracks have tremendous local variation from a racing point of view.
I'm quite excited by this, can't wait to see what innovations will come out of the new restrictions!