Tag: F1 Soap Box

F1 Soap Box – All the Noise About the Lack of Noise in F1

mike

Ron Walker, the promoter of the F1 race in Melbourne, has been making all kinds of stink about the quieter engines that graced the streets of Albert Park.  Even before the FIA excluded the Australian Daniel Ricciardo from his podium, the newspapers were printing vitriol about the lack of engine noise.  Add this to the fact that there is growing resentment from the citizens that the Queensland government continues to shell out an exorbitant $50 million a year to subsidize the race, it would be fair to say that the…

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F1 Soap Box – Everybody Loves the 2013 Engines…. Right?

mike

Jean Todt’s FIA has been getting pushback from some of the teams and the current commercial rights holder regarding the plan to introduce 1.6L 4-cylinder power plants in F1 for 2013.  Bernie Ecclestone has made claims that the unique noise generated by the current V8 is one of the prime things that keep people coming back for more, while Ferrari has taken every opportunity to indicate that 4-cylinder engines do not fit F1 or Ferrari’s DNA.  So, why the disgruntlement with the new engines?  And what are the implications of…

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F1 Soap Box – Changing the Goalposts

mike

The world of F1 has an interesting argument brewing.  The FIA is reinterpreting their rulebook and is now in the process of banning some of the exotic engine mapping techniques that the teams are using to gain downforce in the corners. Last year, Red Bull stunned the paddock by venting their engine exhausts directly onto their rear diffuser.  In qualifying, they would use a different engine map that would keep engine revs high, even when the driver was not applying throttle at all.  This allowed the car to gain additional…

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