So what will F1 cars look like in 2009?

[motormania]

Will the banning of all aero winglets, barge boards and other ste attachments that have been welded to F1 cars in recent years I wonder what the designers are penning back at the offices at the mo?

Thank god we won't have to endur another season of Max Power Chav F1 cars...

But I wonder what the rules will allow in terms of overall body shape...

Any thoughts?

[johnph]

The new rules involve removing all the winglet crap, they also make the front wnd a lot wider and the rear wing narrower and higher and slick tyres will return and tyre wamrers will be banned. The front wing can be adjusted by up to 6 degrees twice per lap by the driver.

Aesthetically, think early 1990s cars.

[Gun]

They'll just look exactly the same, just with all the appendages removed. The rules are so strict that they can't really change the overall look of the cars.

[motormania]

Does anyone know if they have relaxed the restrictive zones around the bodywork where winglets once were, so that maybe we will see some extraordinarily curvaceous bodies next year, and not just those walking around the paddock!!

If they are to look like early 90's cars then that is a very good thing.

Let's hope we go back in many ways to pre 91 F1...

IE. no more Mad Max in charge of the FIA.

[Piers_K]

Heres a recent spy shot of Ferrari testing next years car..

[deevlash]

Heres a recent spy shot of Mclaren testing next years car..

[dougc]

Hopefully something like this



or this

[Piers_K]

With the seemingly common practice of teams sharing info your most proberly right Deevlash

[deevlash]

I dont get this whole obsession with making th cars look more basic. Times have moved on, the early 90's cars looked great at the time but thats it. The winglets etc are fascinating and would no doubt in a few years give way to something else. If you want to watch simple looking cars why not just watch champ car or historics?

Id rather they banned the godawful wheel covers than winglets anyway, those things are dreadful.

[SamHH]

I quite like all the complex aerodynamic parts; it's the one area when you can actually see the technology that's involved with making the cars go fast. Everything else is hidden away. Although I do want the cars to be less reliant on aerodynamic grip, it will be a shame if that means that the many aerodynamic surfaces have to be removed.

[SamHH]

Are the technical regs. for 2009 finalised?

[williamp]

johnph said:

The new rules involve removing all the winglet crap, they also make the front wnd a lot wider and the rear wing narrower and higher and slick tyres will return and tyre wamrers will be banned. The front wing can be adjusted by up to 6 degrees twice per lap by the driver.

Aesthetically, think early 1990s cars.

Tyre warmers to be baned? I wonder how long it will be before they devise a simple sun-powered tyre warmer- like a reflective concave mirror, which will warm up the whole tyre without letting it burn.....

[Stuismyname]

SamHH said:

Are the technical regs. for 2009 finalised?

I assume they are 'finalised' in the sense that they are subject to change, especially if it looks like a certain team is having difficulties adapting to the new regs.

And your previous post - pardon my ignorance, but I'm sure you can't have less reliance on aero without removing the parts of the car that produce that reliance on aero.

Asthetically - I think they overcomplicate and spoil the shape of the cars. From the perspective of an F1 fan, I think they, and grooved tyres, ruin the racing. I believe I might just be jumping up and down like a 5yr old at Christmas when I see the cars next year*. Back to lots of lovely mechanical grip.

There is also no need for more than one slick tyre compound either.

* metaphorically speaking. I shall, of course, be sat on my arse, on my sofa, drinking beer.

[SamHH]

Stuismyname said:

And your previous post - pardon my ignorance, but I'm sure you can't have less reliance on aero without removing the parts of the car that produce that reliance on aero.

You can specify that the wings have to be smaller or positioned in less effectively, that the right height must be greater and that the diffuser must be smaller. All of these things would reduce the downforce but leave the same capacity for teams to make gains in aerodynamic efficiency, unlike if you just specify that you cannot have certain parts at all.

Anyway, you don't have to alter the aerodynamics at all to create less reliance on aerodynamic grip. You just have to allow more mechanical grip.

[Fume Troll]

In the interests of safety and environmental friendliness, I can see the new car's wings having a mod a bit like this in a few years:



Cheers,

FT.

Edited by Fume Troll on Thursday 27th March 15:25

[superkartracer]

dougc said:

Hopefully something like this



or this

Very Nice, proper racing cars

[skinny]

i really hope they don't go to moveable aero. what's the point? just keep it simple imo.

Edited by skinny on Thursday 27th March 19:34

[Teppic]

johnph said:

slick tyres will return

That's not guaranteed. Although Bridgestone are testing slicks for a hopeful return in 2009 it is something that still hasn't been decided, especially as Mad Max loves his groovy tyres.

[anonymous-user]

Max is on record as saying if the 2009 cars are too fast, he will slow them down by reducing mechanical grip from the tyres. Totally misses what the cars need to race yet again. doh.

Slicks are not finalised yet, nothing on the dry tyre spec for 2009 is other than basic dimensions, with them going to 14" wheels and larger profile rear tyres than front tyres.

[superkartracer]

Dont you just wish you were a child again watching real racers in real RACE CARS....