Hi there Ivor
I'm closer to 50 than 40 years old & although my country had been very slow to show F1 full time (Jack Brabham must be curious about this) since 1980 (excepting 3 GP's in 1976, & 2 at the end of 79) I have followed the sport through newspapers & magazines since about 1970. I may be one of a ton of sentimentalists, always yearning for "the good old days". But subjectively speaking, I really did not think that last years F1 cars could get uglier. But they have! This years are abominable.
'Wing' technology is possibly the biggest deterrent to close racing. The aerodynamic effect created behind a moving race car has it that the air is actually thinner than normal standing air. (forgive me if you know all this) For a race car to race at the limit through a corner takes uninterrupted air to press, via the 'wings', the car onto the circuit. Any car following will have reduced air quality & will have reduced traction. And the closer the following car gets, the less traction. So at racing speeds, alas, cars can not get close enough to actually 'race', let alone pass. You may know of the quite common situation where a following car is 2 or 3 seconds faster than the leading (being lapped) car. Rudely, sometimes, the in front driver will not allow the much faster car to pass & get on with real racing. In past decades, especially before wings the much faster car would quickly get past the back runner.
Slick tyres are also detrimental to very close racing, or passing. If you race yourself, you would be aware of the small bits of rubber contantly being flicked off 'slicks' and ending mostly on the track but alongside the optimum racing line. The one, fastest racing line leading up to a corner, where braking occurs, is swept clean of the 'marbles' by the air turbulence of the moving cars. But if a driver wants to attempt to 'outbrake' the in front car he must try this on the 'inside line' where there is a build up of dust & the 'marbles'. However, it seems the amount of 'marbles' being produced now is much less than previous years. A step in the right direction...?
The invention of carbon fibre technology has been a fantastic boon to safety for the men who drive. I can imagine in the not to distant future that Formula 1 cars will have tiny air 'deflectors' only to stabilise the cars at speed, road registerable tyres 15 inches wide on the rear, a reduced capacity to 2 litres, keeping in mind that engine brains are pulling 300 hp per litre now and because the cars are so safe, the authorities will re-open awesome circuits such as Osterreichring, (the original) Spa Francorchamps, Rouen, Zandvoort, Clermont Ferrand & dare I say the full Nurburgring - circuits closed only because the authorities (Balestre, Ecclestone, Moseley et al) were too slow to act on drivers wishes concerning safety.
ps What does the Fleetwood Mac bit mean?
"...and if the bible has taught us anything (and it hasn't)..." Homer
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