Will Hewland
Well-known member
Clean up team here..
An old gent (ex racing driver) once said to me `I gave up watching Grand Prix when I could no longer see the drivers elbows`. A fantastic comment and I know what he meant. The `problem` these days is that there is little to see from the outside, because the drivers are very physically protected by the cockpit regulations. Trust me, the drivers these days are doing a lot `more` than their counterparts from the sixties. There may not be a manual gear lever and a clutch pedal, but there are about 30 settings for differential, engine map etc. to control on steering wheel buttons - in addition to driving while coping with 5g loads! (Maybe 1.5g in the 60's). Also, if you look at the lap times across the grid, F1 has never been closer. In the old days there were three good teams and a bunch of real amateurs behind. Its closer now.
It is a different era, but it sure isn't a lesser one for the drivers. It is the nature of modern racing (with its high grip levels) that the cars are driven smoothly, which looks `slow` and unexciting. If you look at footage from the 70's, the drivers were sliding around all over the place and a lap looks quicker than it does today. But it is 20% slower.. If Lewis Hamilton drove round like Jeremy Clarkson in a ball of tyre smoke, he would be six seconds a lap slower. The cars just dont reward being thrown around; its not that the drivers can't. You will get fewer crashes, because the drivers are not forced to drive the car in a slide to make it quick. And they do keep both hands on the steering wheel because while there is most definitely a gearbox, they shift gear with finger paddles, not a lever.
As for technology; well that is a balancing act between keeping the car constructors interested and reigning in excessive use of technology. I reckon that every rule written for F1 cars since 1980 has been aimed at slowing them down. Then the designers do their best work-around.
Modern drivers are intelligent athletes. Admittedly, there is a lot of political / corporate speak about, because they are being paid millions, so are contractually bound not to slate everything in public.. A shame perhaps..
I guess its a case of not comparing apples with oranges. Or pigeon shooting in 1912 and Fitasc in 2012.
CSC3
An old gent (ex racing driver) once said to me `I gave up watching Grand Prix when I could no longer see the drivers elbows`. A fantastic comment and I know what he meant. The `problem` these days is that there is little to see from the outside, because the drivers are very physically protected by the cockpit regulations. Trust me, the drivers these days are doing a lot `more` than their counterparts from the sixties. There may not be a manual gear lever and a clutch pedal, but there are about 30 settings for differential, engine map etc. to control on steering wheel buttons - in addition to driving while coping with 5g loads! (Maybe 1.5g in the 60's). Also, if you look at the lap times across the grid, F1 has never been closer. In the old days there were three good teams and a bunch of real amateurs behind. Its closer now.
It is a different era, but it sure isn't a lesser one for the drivers. It is the nature of modern racing (with its high grip levels) that the cars are driven smoothly, which looks `slow` and unexciting. If you look at footage from the 70's, the drivers were sliding around all over the place and a lap looks quicker than it does today. But it is 20% slower.. If Lewis Hamilton drove round like Jeremy Clarkson in a ball of tyre smoke, he would be six seconds a lap slower. The cars just dont reward being thrown around; its not that the drivers can't. You will get fewer crashes, because the drivers are not forced to drive the car in a slide to make it quick. And they do keep both hands on the steering wheel because while there is most definitely a gearbox, they shift gear with finger paddles, not a lever.
As for technology; well that is a balancing act between keeping the car constructors interested and reigning in excessive use of technology. I reckon that every rule written for F1 cars since 1980 has been aimed at slowing them down. Then the designers do their best work-around.
Modern drivers are intelligent athletes. Admittedly, there is a lot of political / corporate speak about, because they are being paid millions, so are contractually bound not to slate everything in public.. A shame perhaps..
I guess its a case of not comparing apples with oranges. Or pigeon shooting in 1912 and Fitasc in 2012.
CSC3
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