If F1 went totally electric would you still watch it?
Poll: If F1 went totally electric would you still watch it?
Total Members Polled: 234
Discussion
Smollet said:
If F1 turned into real life Scalectrix would you still watch.?
I think the noise is till very much part of the spectacle even if it has been a bit muted of late.
But it wouldn't be scaled and it wouldn't be slot car... The question you pose is itself very weighted by comparing electrically powered F1 cars to scalextric... In reality there would be no real difference in terms of the spectacle, other than less noise but more potent acceleration, and potentially lighter cars for the earlier part of the race.I think the noise is till very much part of the spectacle even if it has been a bit muted of late.
Nampahc Niloc said:
I really don’t know. Battery technology would have to make a huge step forward in order to bring the weight down. Even then, it would depend on what the alternative was.
Exactly. It can't happen until cell technology is vastly improved - but when it is, what difference does it make other than the a change of power source?One thing is for sure - there is no electric F1 until electric can pick up where ICE leaves. People seem to worry about it being some sort of compromise but it won't be - it won't happen until it can do the job.
MitchT said:
I would if the following conditions were met...
Proper circuits.
Proper speeds.
Proper race lengths.
No silly gimmicks.
I think the battery life issue could possibly be mitigated if the cars had removable power modules which could be switched with the tyres at pit stops.
^^^^^+1Proper circuits.
Proper speeds.
Proper race lengths.
No silly gimmicks.
I think the battery life issue could possibly be mitigated if the cars had removable power modules which could be switched with the tyres at pit stops.
I’d give it a go but not in the current Formula E format. It would have to be close to F1 in terms of speed both top end and cornering. Length in terms of time/distance.
Silly gimmicks well we sort of have them already in the current F1 format with DRS and deployment of the electrical power.
kambites said:
As long as it was still primarily an engineering competition, yes. If it went down the spec chassis or spec drive-train route, no.
And that is what defines F1 and is all that really matters. These are the ultimate race cars, if the best power source becomes electric then so be it. In spirit, nothing will have changed. They've sought the best power source from day one... The only difference in the next decade is that they may have a choice of a different power source.Where's the "i'd try but would probably give up" option? I say thwt because wt the moment, if it did go electric, they'd probably not go electric in the right way.
The "not in a million years" makes it sound like the only reason to say no is being a luddite. It's not. If FE had the speed of F1 it might be ok. As is, with slow cars, mickey mouse tracks and silly playstation rules it's a bit naff. Its also an economy formula which is again a bit naff for a sprint.
Now, if f1, (the hotbed of tech innovation that it is) had unrestricted development in the electrical side, with no limits on electrical energy use, now THAT would be awesome. Like WEC 2013-2017, where the tech not the rules set the limits. In WEC we saw 3 major manufacturers have a dev war with 3 totally different concepts, all of which got to similar lap times but in very different ways. The racing was amazing. i remember one Silverstone race where the lead changed every lap for 2 stints (Porsche vs audi), which was even better than the previous season shanghai (toyota vs audi) and that 3 year period was some of the best races I've ever seen.
Ok they sounded a bit s
te compared to the old petrol engines, but it was interesting on and off track. Small turbo engine with big battery hybrid vs larger na petrol with supercapacator medium hybrid vs big turbodeisel with small flywheel hyrbid. It's like razzle to a tech geek.
F1 could and imo should have done a totally different route with hybrid. Instead of restricting hybrid use per lap, it should have been unlimited, with limited fuel. Imo they'd have then enticed the battery manufacturers, they'd be more road relevant, and they'd have that f1 stalwart of performance vs reliability to juggle, and the tech would be more exciting than a 10mm movement in a turning vane as an update.
The "not in a million years" makes it sound like the only reason to say no is being a luddite. It's not. If FE had the speed of F1 it might be ok. As is, with slow cars, mickey mouse tracks and silly playstation rules it's a bit naff. Its also an economy formula which is again a bit naff for a sprint.
Now, if f1, (the hotbed of tech innovation that it is) had unrestricted development in the electrical side, with no limits on electrical energy use, now THAT would be awesome. Like WEC 2013-2017, where the tech not the rules set the limits. In WEC we saw 3 major manufacturers have a dev war with 3 totally different concepts, all of which got to similar lap times but in very different ways. The racing was amazing. i remember one Silverstone race where the lead changed every lap for 2 stints (Porsche vs audi), which was even better than the previous season shanghai (toyota vs audi) and that 3 year period was some of the best races I've ever seen.
Ok they sounded a bit s
te compared to the old petrol engines, but it was interesting on and off track. Small turbo engine with big battery hybrid vs larger na petrol with supercapacator medium hybrid vs big turbodeisel with small flywheel hyrbid. It's like razzle to a tech geek.F1 could and imo should have done a totally different route with hybrid. Instead of restricting hybrid use per lap, it should have been unlimited, with limited fuel. Imo they'd have then enticed the battery manufacturers, they'd be more road relevant, and they'd have that f1 stalwart of performance vs reliability to juggle, and the tech would be more exciting than a 10mm movement in a turning vane as an update.
I tried watching Formula E. I enjoy watching racing - I'll watch F2, F3, F4 if I get the chance. I know one of the drivers who was in contention for the Championship so had personal investment in the races. I have had a couple of EVs so can relate to the cars.
Despite all that, I just couldn't get into it. The circuits are compact and speeds slow, so although there is plenty of overtaking it's just rather pedestrian to my eyes. This is partly the fault of TV (even F1 cars look slow with the wrong camera angle), but the cars really aren't that fast in real life either - their theoretical top speed is capped by the need to make the battery charge last and the size of the circuits. I didn't get the sort of "hanging it around the outside at parabolica" excitement.
Despite all that, I just couldn't get into it. The circuits are compact and speeds slow, so although there is plenty of overtaking it's just rather pedestrian to my eyes. This is partly the fault of TV (even F1 cars look slow with the wrong camera angle), but the cars really aren't that fast in real life either - their theoretical top speed is capped by the need to make the battery charge last and the size of the circuits. I didn't get the sort of "hanging it around the outside at parabolica" excitement.
Gassing Station | Formula 1 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff