Formula One - Is it really the peak of motorsport anymore?
It's been classed as "The peak of motorsport" and features the most technical and complex cars in the sport, but I don't think that it is the peak anymore. The big problem is, I'm not alone.
F1 is changing, new turbocharged engines, fuel limits, aerodynamic changes, gearbox limitations and rule changes.
The new engines are of a smaller displacement than the outgoing V8s and also lacking two of the cylinders being V6s. Despite this, they're not actually smaller than the outgoing engines, partly because of the intercooling required for the turbochargers and partly because of a new electric system that's nestling in the engines.....
Last season we had KERS, Kinetic Energy Recovery System. It worked by essentially pinching off energy created by the various rotational masses of the cars, brakes for instance. This season, the KERS buzzword has been replaced by MGUs - or Motor Generator Units. There are two types. K and H, standing for Kinetic and Heat. The former is essentially a repackaged version of last seasons KERS, smaller, lighter and more potent (c.160bhp). The later is brand new and has come about as part of the new turbochargers.
Turbochargers work on essentially 'free' energy. They have two sets of turbines inside them, connected by a common shaft, but separated inside two snail like housings. As exhaust gasses pass through the 'turbine' side of the turbocharger, the gasses cause the turbine to spin, thus spinning the 'compressor' side of the turbocharger. This causes air to be pulled in an compressed at a high rate. The compression makes the air more combustible and therefore allows the engine to produce more power.
The downside to the increased compression of air is that the temperature increases massively. This means that the air needs to be cooled prior to the transfer into the inlet manifold. If it wasn't, the engine could possibly produce less power than if it were naturally aspirated - or more importantly could fail.
There are multiple types of intercoolers, but most common in motorsport are the bar and plate design. This is because of the greater efficiency of bar and plate over fin and tube. They weigh more than fin and tube and are normally larger. The pros outweigh the cons however.
In the image below, the intercooler is clearly visible on the lower portion.
Getting back to Motor Generator Unit Heat though... The MGU-H works by harvesting the heat that is generated during turbocharging and turning it into electrical energy. This is then either used to spool the turbocharger faster, used to boost the MGU-K or put into an energy store (ES) - or a battery to you and I - for later use. The MGU-K is limited to 2MJ per lap - but the MGU-H is unlimited, meaning realistically the energy recovery is limited only by the efficiency of the MGU-H. This currently sits around 4MJ, meaning a total of 6MJ per lap can be returned with a maximum of 4MJ to the MGU-K. That's ten times more than last season or 33 seconds a lap.
This is all very interesting and even exciting for some! However are fans really interested in this? Probably not. It makes the cars go slightly faster when used, but doesn't add anything other than that.
The rules about gear ratios are interesting too. Essentially teams will have to pick one ratio to suit them all (tracks that is). This is part a measure to limit outgoings (teams would use close to 33 gear ratio sets at a very high cost per component) and partly to bring the field closer together competitively. This year, teams will be allowed one change - in case they royally screw it up - but after that, they'll be running one set of gear ratios that have to be good enough to deal with the tight technical sections of tracks like Monaco, but also good enough to get the highest top end speed of the much faster track.
Again, interesting, but nothing that will cause any joy for spectators - aside from watching a car crawl pitifully around a track because the ratios are incredibly messed up.
Along with the engine and gearbox, teams are aiming for a benchmark figure of 100km/l which should mean they're both competitive and able to complete the race on the 100kg for fuel that they're allowed per race. This rule could be quite interesting, as if a driver pushes too hard, they run the risk of running out of fuel before the end of the race, meaning the battle for pole should last right up until the chequered flag. On the other hand, it could cause the series to become a case of cars crawling around in order to save fuel.
The remaining change is about aerodynamics. Various changes in width of the wings (especially the front wing) have caused the current, rather ugly design. Essentially, the airflow on the new thinner wing leaves directly into the path of the wheel, which is never any good for aero. The result is the rather dramatic looking array of mini wings and strange noses - themselves a result of a rule change to prevent cars going airborne in the event of a crash.. Although, probably more likely to submarine now.. which is just as bad?
Also outlawed are the older blown diffusers, now exhaust gasses must exit out of the rear, directly upwards, avoiding any bodywork that can generate downforce by using it - meaning less downforce can be generated at the rear as a whole and more outlandish aero is needed to generate the now missing blown-produced aero.
The complexity arises when it comes to the engine cooling requirements. Turbocharged engines need more airflow to cool both the intercooler and the turbocharger itself. When you're spinning around at 200,000 rpm, temperatures tend to increase rapidly.
Having large openings increases drag which affects top end speed and downforce, but smaller NACA type (A low drag inlet developed by NASA predecessors NACA) ducts might not flow enough air, so its up to the designers to find the sweet spot.
The image below shows the difference between last years cars aerodynamics package, with the clear difference between the high and low nose.
Whilst that's all very interesting technically and some aspects do show some promise for the spectators - they are very hit and miss.. A sport relies on its spectators and despite the image of harking back to the 1980s turbocharged engines and huge power, it is also introducing some fairly restrictive rules that in my opinion have more potential for harm than good.
So, whilst it is the peak of technical achievement - it isn't the peak of spectator enjoyment. Series such as the British Touring Car Championship, Ginetta G50/G55, Porsche Carrera Cup and Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (Or DTM) are much more exciting - the latter being coined as the F1 of touring cars with space frame saloons running V8 engines and DRS.
Formula One needs more than a set of more restrictive rules and a new drivetrain to make it exciting. It needs a closer, more competitive field, where every race could yield a different winner, some truly inspiring close racing and it needs it fast.
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