I'm only half way through watching Practice 2 of Round 1 (Australia) of the 2008 F1 season, but it's clear that the first couple of races of the new season are going to be a blast, thanks to FIA rule changes banning traction control and computer-modulated engine braking.
In just a few minutes of practice coverage, Speed showed more opposite-lock cornering than you'd expect to see in a season of racing. And we're not talking about minor oversteer corrections - these are full-lock slides, from which recovering must require truly rare skills. If managing a power slide is easiest with lowest grip, i.e., on snow-covered roads where all the oscillations are lazy - imagine how all that energy loaded up into a chassis and tires capable of almost 5G would explode back after catching a big oversteer.
Many of the current crop of drivers have never driven an F1 car without these "driver aids," but most have spent some time in a lower racing series without. Of course, nearly all started in karting, where tiny mass and tiny polar moment make for the ultimate in twitchy handling.
Tom has often stated that modern F1 needed to lose many of the technological aids to become more interesting. Many of them are indeed gone, and racing will no doubt be more interesting. We'll see if they get around to banning wings...
2 comments:
Yee-Haw!!!!
I watched practice, qualifying, and the race, and it was about the best F1 I've seen. Maybe they actually got something right for a change.
I watched Malaysia, as well, and it was good, too. Interesting that Raikkonen seems to have picked up on the lack of driver aids without missing a beat, whereas Massa seems to be lost. Maybe that strange little factor known as "talent" is somehow relevant again.
It was absolutely fascinating to watch them go at it, each lapping faster and faster. Kimi kept raising the bar, forcing Massa to try to keep up. Before long Massa's pace exceeded his talents and he was off - course and out of the race.
Similar things seem to be happening in other teams, too. Mark "she'll be right" Webber is doing well at Red Bull, but Coulthard seems lost. And at Toyota, Jarno Trulli (always know for his car control) is putting on a hell of a good show. Same for Bourdais, fresh from Champ Car, at the notoriously stinky Toro Rosso.
Really playing to the strength of the Finns, it seems... They would know about driving in poor traction situations if anyone would.
And Toro Rosso might be stinky but they finished 2007 ahead of Honda and not too far behind Toyota.
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