Pause for thought

[baypond]

"F1 testing
During the unofficial practice for the 1974 F1 Grand Prix, Niki Lauda drove a lap of 6:58.2 in his Ferrari 312B3. This is the all-time fastest lap on the classic Nürburgring before the rebuild, even faster than his 1975 qualifying time (6:58.6)"

6:52.01 Lamborghini Huracán LP 640-4 Performante (2017) Marco Mapelli 5 October 2016 Lamborghini conducted test, Pirelli Trofeo R.[28][29]

Albeit that our modern supercars have electronic gismos, it did surprise me that they are quicker than the V12 Ferraris of the 70's.
It does kind of suggest that performance has come at the expense of driving experience.

[baypond]

is the track any shorter now?

[soad]

Aren't modern tyres much better now? Same goes for brakes, suspension, gear change etc.

[baypond]

yes but an F1 car probably weighed half of a modern day supercar?

[baypond]

510 BHP too from the 3 Litre V12

[Davo456gt]

578kg Vs 1422kg

[MarkM3Evoplus]

Lambo time done on a shorter, faster track (less bumpy), so not directly comparable.

[sparta6]

Car speed has quickened.
Human reactions haven't

We see a lot more donked contemporary cars as a result, despite all the onboard computers.

[topless360]

The track is easier to drive now as a lot of sections have been smoothed out and I think the track may even be wider in parts.

Lauda's lap must've been seriously impressive back then.

[Yipper]

To think, Stefan Bellof was a whisker away from the 5min barrier in 1983.

The "German Senna" in a Porsche 956 race car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkhVnv80_lc

[jtremlett]

MarkM3Evoplus said:

Lambo time done on a shorter, faster track (less bumpy), so not directly comparable.

Quite right. Just to be clear, the Neue Nurburgring was built on top of the start/finish loop of the old track so all modern laps cut out a section of the old track that no longer exists, even apart from changes to the remainder.

Jonathan