What would an unrestricted F1 car look like?

[Brother D]

I pondered this thought this morning.

With all the restrictions put in place on design and limits on engines, just what would the cars look like after years of development, with all the R&D the major constructors can provide?

Would they all be twin front wheeled/Brabaham'd fan'd etc?

[Truckosaurus]

With zero restrictions, it would be a giant radio controlled car

With mandated human driver and strict crash regs then I suspect it would be like a stripped down LMP car with huge wings.

[tankplanker]

No limits whatsoever? Not even on fuel type? Start with a high end dragster, add 4 wheel drive and make it go round corners very very fast.

Didn't the old Turbo F1 cars make upto about 1500 BHP in quali tune? I can't see why they couldn't substantially beat that for a single race engine and the car would be a lot lighter, corner better and brake harder than then as well.

[dougc]

I think I read an interview somewhere with an F1 designer and his response was that they would be restricted by the ability of the driver to take the punishment that the machine could produce.

[hondafanatic]

I read an article in F1 news a while back that asked that very question.

My memory is hazy, but i'm sure it had six wheels, but four at the back. It was orange too.


Or maybe I should just lay off the class As for while?

[Holst]

dougc said:

I think I read an interview somewhere with an F1 designer and his response was that they would be restricted by the ability of the driver to take the punishment that the machine could produce.

I think the drivers would have to wear G suits and it would be extremely dangerous.

[TheArchitect]

think this has been asked a few times but not sure if it was here or elsewhere, but BMW iirc did one a few years back as a concept. but as said the limitations are the tracks (safety) and drivers (g forces, and reaction speeds).

[DangerousMike]

a mag-lev vehicle laying its own track as it went along.

[mrmr96]

We did this thread a couple of months ago. The conclusion was, as per above, the car would produce G-Forces so high that a human would be incapable of driving it.

(Or it would be so wide as to preclude overtaking!)

[Matt H]

mrmr96 said:

(Or it would be so wide as to preclude overtaking!)

wereas the current cars overtake so much............

[Project 644]

Define unrestricted. You will have to have some restrictions if only for safety. It would look like an old group C car for minimal drag with all the downforce being derived from the underside of the car. Engines, who knows? The forces would, as people have said above, be too much for a driver without a G-suit. Imagine the speeds if one were to let go. There would be far more accidents like Bellofs.

There was an article in F1 news(I think) that was an interview with Patrick Head asking what would his ideal formula be. He said that he thought there was mileage in the 6 wheeled design, with full length venturi ducts, but still with open wheels. Enough downforce would be gained from the underside of the vehicle that front and rear wings would not be needed. I like the 6 wheeled idea, hence my login name.

[Teppic]

Every time a thread like this comes along I roll out this Jim bamber cartoon...

[SeeFive]

Teppic said:

Every time a thread like this comes along I roll out this Jim bamber cartoon...

Oh, come on! All that engine weight behind the rear axle line? Ask any 911 driver, it'll handle perfectly

[FourWheelDrift]

There was an article in an magazine a few years back where Williams produced an unrestricted F1 design, it was also posted on here. If it was more than 2 years ago on here it's unsearchable though.

[PhillipM]

Couple of jet engines used for ground effect fans, vectored thrust to give more oomph down the straights and then more downforce in the corners...it could look like anything, really.

[hot metal]

Like a Lemans car probably

[Project 644]

FourWheelDrift said:

There was an article in an magazine a few years back where Williams produced an unrestricted F1 design, it was also posted on here. If it was more than 2 years ago on here it's unsearchable though.

6 wheels with an indy-car kinda look?

[T89 Callan]

I severly doubts that tyres would be the main guiding device, I bet it would be more like a fighter plane that went along the ground, steered by moving wings and side thrusters. The weels would just stop it scraping the ground.

I suspect it would be more like these:

F-Zero



or Wipeout

Edited by T89 Callan on Monday 28th September 22:04

[zac510]

I reckon it would look more like a sportscar too.

Probably wouldn't have 6 wheels as we have superior tyres these days.

Definitely a roof over the driver.

Massive underbody tunnels, probably a V-engine with twin turbos.

[Project 644]

zac510 said:

I reckon it would look more like a sportscar too.

Probably wouldn't have 6 wheels as we have superior tyres these days.

Definitely a roof over the driver.

Massive underbody tunnels, probably a V-engine with twin turbos.

The 6 wheeled concept was never due to a lack of grip in the tyres.

On the Tyrrell concept(2 axles at the front) it was about reducing the frontal area by removing the front tyres from the airflow. This was largely negated by the massive rear tyres that were being used in the '70s. The Tyrrell was limited by it's front tyres if anything. Goodyear didn't develop the compounds at the same rate as the standard size fronts and the car suffered.

The March concept (2axles at the rear) was the same as the Tyrrell concept in that they wanted to reduce the frontal area of the rear tyres. It would have worked had Mosley not been tight and had shelled out for a bespoke gearbox casing. As it was, the car was a gimmick for March.

The Williams concept was far cleverer. The regulations said that the ground effect tunnels could go no further than the rear axle line. Patrick Head took the rules to the letter and put 2 axles at the back so that longer tunnels could be made. Williams paid for a proper stressed gearbox housing to be made. In testing the concept worked incredibly well. Then the FISA (FIA) banned 4WD and cars with more than 4 wheels.