memorial montage of F1 deaths. *GRAPHIC*

[superchevy]

The catch with that is the drivers have to take the cornering g forces laterally, so a g-suit designed to pump blood up the body from the legs isn't going to work as the g-forces aren't forcing the blood down, they're forcing it sideways (a plane banks as it turns, so the g-loads are always working down, not across the body). I suppose a g-suit might help under brakes though.

good point. i didn't bother thinking too much before posting.

 

[superchevy]

i disagree with the notion that the appeal of f1 in the past was the danger. i think the appeal was in the possibilities f1 presented. f1 was used more for developing technologies for road vehicles decades ago than it does now.

also, there was the dream of pushing the limits. at one time hitting 150mph in any car was unfathomable. you have to remember that. i honestly feel f1 has pretty much hit the limits of automotive technology for the time being. it's pretty much become stagnant, and i can't really recall the last great milestone f1, or any other racing body, has broken.

the mystique is gone.

 

[Terrorist]

Not strictly true, I have it on good authority teams don't spend millions chasing a final hundredth of a second. I don't understand what you mean by 'best cars in the world' either. A Formula One car may not be the fastest vehicle outright, but it's certainly the quickest where 'quickness' is taking into account the entire package (straight line speed, cornering, braking etc). As they are the quickest cars in the world, I consider them to be the best cars so there's nothing to be 'regained' there.

If the teams aren't spending that money on small improvements what are they spending it on?
F1's are certainly the quickest cars but not by much, most of the lower formula's have various restrictions on them (eg rev and air intake limiters) that make sure the cars don't reach their full potential. This understandble since they are more concerned with keeping the competition tight and not forcing the less skilled drivers to put up with high speeds.

To improve racing and safety, the cars need to be slowed down. If we can lower cornering speeds, cars will be able to get closer to each other as there will be less aerodynamic 'wash' from the vehicle in front. This will give the following car a better chance of overtaking into the next corner. Slower speeds obviously equals a lower impact speed in the event of an accident.

You don't have to go slower to improve racing. If they took away some of the restrictions, the cars would not need to have spoilers and winglets that produce the "overtake-hindering" aerodynamics. As i said put something like active-suspension or side-skirts on, this will make them rely less on the spoilers for grip and with the higher speeds im proposing the driver aid will be balanced out by the higher difficulty.

This isn't necessarily true either. Restrictions on the cars will make the racing closer as it means the goals are lower for the lesser teams. Currently, the gap between the leading teams and the backmarkers is the smallest its ever been. If we allowed the manufacturers to develop limitlessly, the gap would increase and the racing spectacle would decrease. The best teams will always rise to the top so I dont think there's any real impediment on those teams. Its up to the best teams to find the best solution within the regulations- and they will.

The gap is so small because most of the cars are now owned by large manufacturers or super-rich companies. I'm not saying have limitless development, just let them have a bit more leeway. How long can they keep putting the cars down, the only benefits have been better reliability. Im sure they can keep imroving on safety as well.

 

[Cryptopygia]

I am speechless... honestly, I am over those accidents, and Purley attempting to save Williamson. Such an act...

And Terrorist, your watching F1: :nazirenesis:

And for improving F1:
3.) Cars being much closer to spec racing
2.) Reduce the aerodynamics, to allow closer, more exciting racing.
1.) No more "autonomous machine, giving boring dialogue blandly" drivers. Someone along the lines of Tony Stewart, or NASCAR drivers of old, should do well. Oh yeah, reduce the emphasis of "sporting behavior." (fishichella *is that how you spell his name?*)

 

[Sausageman]

The accidents were bad and everything but I didn't shed a tear or change my life or anything. The thing that always struck me about the old great drivers was that they could do what they did without dying and if they did, at least they died on a racetrack. I'm not condoning death in racing or proposing that we remove all safety from F1, I'm just saying that nothing is risk-free and danger is not always bad; it can make things more exciting.

Anyway, Senna himself talks about death in F1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNPQNGYL1R4
(At about 5:15)

 

[otispunkmeyer]

i disagree with the notion that the appeal of f1 in the past was the danger. i think the appeal was in the possibilities f1 presented. f1 was used more for developing technologies for road vehicles decades ago than it does now.

also, there was the dream of pushing the limits. at one time hitting 150mph in any car was unfathomable. you have to remember that. i honestly feel f1 has pretty much hit the limits of automotive technology for the time being. it's pretty much become stagnant, and i can't really recall the last great milestone f1, or any other racing body, has broken.

the mystique is gone.

its only stagnant because of the constant limitations and rules the FIA impose. honestly if left to their own devices who knows where F1 would be today.

ground effect cars, active suspension, insane turbo systems etc etc

 

[Gatecrasher]

I don't really know what to say...it's just really depressing. I don't know what to say.

 

[KaJuN]

I don't really know what to say...it's just really depressing. I don't know what to say.

I was the same way after I saw it. But now that I think back on it, they died doing what they loved. If I could pick a way to go out, that would be it.

About the whole lack of danger in modern F1, just take a look at the last crash in this past weekend's race in Australia. Wurz came very close to having Coulthard's car take off his head. The danger is still there.

 

[marcos_eirik]

It's always a great shame when a driver is killed on a cirquit, especially the young ones with their whole life in front of them. Also it's very bad when a spectator is killled, becase they just come there to see a race, and hasn't accepted the risk, like the drivers have. Also deaths works only as fuel for thos who want's to kill off motorsports. It's a good thing that F1 is as safe as it is now, who wants to go back to the 60s/70s where every seventh driver was involved in a fatality? And like Jackie Stewart said if you were racing competitively for about five years back then there was a 2/3 chance that you would die in a crash, he knows very well as he was almost killed himself in a very bad accident. Stewart was actually one of the first to stand up and try to do something for the drivers safety.

Like KaJuN pointed out there was almost a fatality in Australia this year, and that is the point these guys still put their lives on the line every time they get into that car, motorsports and formula 1 in particular is safe untill the wrong accident happens, the one the engineers never thought about. By the San Maring GP in 1994 there hadn't been a fatality during an F1 race since Gilles Villenueve in 1982 and the general concensus was that the sport was tamed. Right now there has gone a similar amount of time.

On the other hand though, these drivers died doing what they loved, and I'm sure that if they could choose which way to go, this would be it.

Allthough I think they could loosen up the rules a bit and allow turbocharging to come back along with ground effects, not as extreme as Brabhams BT46 "fan car", but they could allow the usual big venturi tunnels. Turbocharging would be nice in the way that using it in formula 1 could over time improve the technology going into normal road cars, unlike now when the use pneumatic valves running on gas to let the engine rev to like 19000 rpm creating such insane amounts of power for it's size.

 

[Buktu]

F1 cars are certainly the quickest cars out there, and by quite a margin.. I'd like to see another race car be faster than a F1 car, even if you removed all of the restrictions from that other car.

And saying that F1 is the safest sport, is probably a bit excaggerated.. They are still going 300km/h, very close to eachother. But yeah, it is a lot safer than it has ever been, and a future fatality seems pretty unlikely.. And thank god for that, this video was.. Well, i don't know how to describe it.

 

[superchevy]

irl cars are actually faster. cart cars are even faster. f1 cars are quicker than both though.

 

[HondaF1]

irl cars are actually faster. cart cars are even faster. f1 cars are quicker than both though.

So IRL cars are fastest, but Cart are faster than the fastest, but F1 are faster than the fastest fast car??

IRL are the fastest single seater cars overall. F1 cars are faster on circuits. F1 were 9 seconds faster per lap than ChampCars at Gilles Villeneuve Circuit when ChampCars went there.

 

[superchevy]

regarding top speed, it's cart, irl, and then f1. f1 cars accelerate faster and are more agile.

i think cart cars may have gotten a little slower with the new changes for the '07 season though.

 

[Hazardous]

i think cart cars may have gotten a little slower with the new changes for the '07 season though.

Not least of which the fact that they don't race in Ovals this year(if I recall correctly). And because they only race on road circuits I'd be extremely surprised if they bettered the top speeds F1 cars do at Monza. And IRL cars are only faster because they do race on ovals, last weekend they barely beat the prototype sportscars at St Petersbourg.

If F1 cars raced on ovals I recon they would give the IRL cars a real run for their money, though...

 

[Sir Stiggington]

nearly got me crying, this....

 

[Brother Michael]

I'm sorry to bump this thread, but I would really like to find this great video, since it is no longer on YouTube and I coulnd't find it on Google Video or anywhere else either.

Either I am stupid and don't know the internetland well enough or it is truly gone, which would be sad.

 

[Devon]

^ I'd like to get a copy as well if anyone has it.

 

[Peter3hg]

Not a brilliant quality copy but only one of Youtube.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-jG0PRZpi0[/YOUTUBE]

 

[AnGuRuSO]

F1 is probably one of the safest sports nowadays. I mean, if you're playing tennis and Roger Federer slams the ball into your face you would probably die, but if you crash in a F1 car at 300kph into a wall you'd make it.

Its gotta be chess

 

[superswamper]

It pains me to watch Purley attempting to save Williamson.