Radio 4 now. What is the point of F1?

[Northern Munkee]

Quentin Letts discussing with the great and the not so, what is the point?

ETA http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00kdry6/What...

Edited by Northern Munkee on Tuesday 19th May 15:47

[Mattygooner]

Squeeze me?

[Muzzlehatch]

If you have to ask...

[Lord Croker]

Well that was pretty pointless... Especially that annoying 'comedienne'

[elster]

In that case what is the point of any sport?

[stifler]

Let me guess, QL chairing the debate, a journalist and a bi-sexual, tree hugging, feminist female "comedienne"?

And no-one that has any idea about motor racing let alone F1.

Am I close?

[Lord Croker]

It wasn't that organised. Just QL asking JYS, Doug Nye etc stupid questions, plus the non-comedienne talking c rap. Apparently no F1 tech has ever been transferred into road cars...

[paulrockliffe]

Didn't Renault do that Laguna with active suspension?

[Mike Rob]

I think they are running out of ideas - shame from such a prominant as Quentin.

[V6]

I didn't think sport had to have a 'point'. It is just that - sport. Furthering human performance/endeavor just to see how far we can push it (oh and make some money from sponsors whilst doing it).

[stifler]

paulrockliffe said:

Didn't Renault do that Laguna with active suspension?

Citroen xsara active.

[Lord Croker]

Semi-auto gearboxes, carbon ceramic brakes, tyre tech, aero...

[james_tigerwoods]

Is this available in MP3 format as I missed the end of it?

ETA - I can't listen to it at work as our internet is routed through France and as a result, the iPlayer doesn't work....

Edited by james_tigerwoods on Tuesday 19th May 11:56

[clonmult]

Lord Croker said:

Semi-auto gearboxes, carbon ceramic brakes, tyre tech, aero...

Carbon ceramic brakes - they aren't exactly likely to appear on a mid range Fiesta any time soon.

Aero - doubt its had much of an effect on road car design. Most cars just look like ugly blobs.

I think current F1 rulings are restricting the technology growth. Active suspension was an awesome piece of technology, but it got (stupidly?) banned from F1.

There's definitely an argument to say that road going cars have got higher levels of technology than F1. Combined turbo/supercharging (for emissions?). A variety of hybrid systems.

[flemke]

Lord Croker said:

Semi-auto gearboxes, carbon ceramic brakes, tyre tech, aero...

Fwiw, the carbon-ceramic rotors on road cars are different from the carbon-carbon rotors on race cars, and the latter came to F1 from the aerospace industry anyway.

[Lord Croker]

clonmult said:

Lord Croker said:

Semi-auto gearboxes, carbon ceramic brakes, tyre tech, aero...

Carbon ceramic brakes - they aren't exactly likely to appear on a mid range Fiesta any time soon. Nobody said anything about at which level they appear on road cars

Aero - doubt its had much of an effect on road car design. Most cars just look like ugly blobs. Diffusers are claimed to add quite a bit of downforce to hypercars

I think current F1 rulings are restricting the technology growth. Active suspension was an awesome piece of technology, but it got (stupidly?) banned from F1.

There's definitely an argument to say that road going cars have got higher levels of technology than F1. Combined turbo/supercharging (for emissions?) I'm sure it would be used in F1 if it wasn't banned. Lancia used it in the S4 back in 1984 . A variety of hybrid systems.

[Lord Croker]

flemke said:

Lord Croker said:

Semi-auto gearboxes, carbon ceramic brakes, tyre tech, aero...

Fwiw, the carbon-ceramic rotors on road cars are different from the carbon-carbon rotors on race cars, and the latter came to F1 from the aerospace industry anyway.

True, but would C-C brakes appear on road cars in they hadn't first been used in F1? I doubt it.

[FNG]

There's no need whatsoever to list technical advancements as a justification for top level sport. As soon as you start trying to justify something that's not entirely necessary, you provide ammunition to those who would see it banned.

Did anyone bother asking on this radio programme what the point is of the Olympics, or professional golf or tennis or football or cricket?

The end results are the same - enjoyment for spectators; a goal for single-minded althetes to achieve; brand opportunities for sponsors; businesses and employment for teams and organisers.

If the BBC see the need to start attacking the need for anything vaguely unnecessary but nevertheless pleasant and enjoyable in our lives, I eagerly await the investigation as to why we need Charmin and Imperial Leather in our bathrooms instead of shiny white and carbolic.

Or is that the goal - hair shirts all round and nothing that might stir up middle class guilt?

[flemke]

Lord Croker said:

flemke said:

Lord Croker said:

Semi-auto gearboxes, carbon ceramic brakes, tyre tech, aero...

Fwiw, the carbon-ceramic rotors on road cars are different from the carbon-carbon rotors on race cars, and the latter came to F1 from the aerospace industry anyway.

True, but would C-C brakes appear on road cars in they hadn't first been used in F1? I doubt it.

I don't know why not, unless you are alluding to some marketing effect whereby people who buy carbon-ceramic imagine that they're getting the same thing as what's on a racing car.
The carbon-carbon brake industry is primarily in aerospace applications, so there's no reason why the road car "ceramics" could not have descended directly from there.

[zac510]

I've never seen football transfer any technology to humans