Is Formula One's New Technology a Help or a Hindrance?

I almost hate to say it.

But the Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS), Drag Reduction Systems (DRS), and the rapidly deteriorating Pirelli tires, have made Formula One races more interesting.

Or at least less predictable.

True, it's almost always the same four drivers at the front, all of whom are former World Champions: defending champion and, by a massive and surely insurmountable margin, current championship leader Sebastian Vettel of Germany in a Red Bull; his teammate Mark Webber of Australia; Ferrari's Fernando Alonso of Spain; and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton of England.

With the occasional (as in Canada) appearance by yet another ex-Champ, McLaren's Jensen Button of England.

But the various technological tidbits - some might say gimmicks - keep you glued to the TV set until the very end.

As in today's German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.

Or as they say there, "Grosser Preis von Deutschland", English being the only langauge that doesn't use itself to describe the big race. True, "Grand Prize" does sound kind of lame.

It would appear that pole-sitter Webber and seven-holer Button should attend a drag racing school - both lost critical positions on the start, as they usually do.

Webber regained the lead after the first pit stop for tires, and seemed to have it in the bag. He came in for his second stop before the others, and it seemed to go all right.

But by the time everyone else had pitted, there he was in third behind eventual winner Hamilton and Alonso, and there he stayed.

One thing I noticed: when I was at the Nurburgring a couple of weeks ago for the 24 Hour Touring car race, the chicane that's identified as Turn 13 for the Grand Prix circuit was different than for the Grand Prix cars.

There's a fork in the road along the back straight. The Touring cars continue straight at this point, then into a fast left-right combination. The Grand Prix cars take the first left fork which is quite a bit tighter, then right again.

I wonder why it's different?

The Grand Prix option obviously slows the cars down a bit more. Maybe that's so they're not going quite as quickly if they have to take the pit lane entrance, which is on the right just a short bit further along.

It also means that in the event of a major dispute between two cars entering this chicane, if one is forced off the racing line he can take the right fork as sort of an escape route - which more than one car did today.

(They cannot gain a place because of this move - if they do pass someone in the process, they have to give that place back.)

But all of the above would be true of the Touring cars too.

Anybody have an answer?

Comments

[Andrew]

I am guessing its as you mentioned, they are using the touring car chicane as the escape road. While touring car faces the same problem, the rate of speed which the F1 car carries probably means that they need to have more of a safety margin....

[DJL]

I don't "know" the answer, but I suspect it has something to do with the following:

Every corner on F1 road courses has some sort of run off area; street courses are different, but even in most of those they try to provide a run-off area in most of the corners, especially the ones that cars will approach at high speed. F1 cars move at speeds that are significantly higher than touring cars, and they need some sort of run-off area, or gravel trap in each corner to stop them from hitting grass, and sliding head first into the metal barrier at what would literally be break-neck speeds.

Another reason for the run off areas has to do with road clearance, if a touring car goes off the track into the grass, it's not a big deal as long as the suspension doesn't get trashed. Going off the road in an F1 car can lead to significant underbody damage assuming it doesn't get completely stuck.

And finally, if two F1 cars trade paint going into a tight corner, the chances are pretty good one of them is going to end up with a damaged front wing, or a punctured tire, or some sort of damage that will put them in the pits long enough to move them to the back of the order if not completely out of the race. When two touring cars touch, unless one of them spins out, race ruining damage isn't nearly as likely.