Comments on: Max Mosley Talks About The Rules, Politely

By: Lonny

Lonny — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:39:58 +0000

Why does F1 need to be fuel efficient? It’s a sport. It has no real connection to daily drivers, why pretend? The only way to return to wheel to wheel racing is to drasticly reduce downforce. Watch a Rolex Grand American GT race. The front downforce on these cars is on the order of 75 to 100 pounds, which effectively limits the rear as well. They can’t pass at will, but they do considerably more passing than F1. BUT, they are slower and that is why F1 is unlikely to severely reduce aero, the cars would be slower.

By: Patrik

Patrik — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:48:04 +0000

Making the sport even more technically advanced by strange goals such as reduced fuel reduction (which makes no measurable inpact on the global scale) with maintained performance, is a sure way to make it more expensive. How to maintain downforce without affecting the air behind the car is hard to fathom. Perhaps Max isn’t too well versed in the laws of physics?

Max is just a dictator who wants others to do the hard work while he takes the credit for forcing them. Reality constraints doesn’t bother him personally.

By: Alianora La Canta

Alianora La Canta — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:53:46 +0000

To reduce costs, income must be reduced. The chances of the teams doing so deliberately are low (though the economy may do that for them) and the FIA seems intent on increasing costs with such things as the increased entry fee. It doesn’t control income directly either, so there’s a limit as to how much it will ever be able to do. All it can do is make it so that it’s possible to be competitive with a fraction of the budget - which means opening up multiple development paths. Something that goes completely against everything Max Mosley has stood for all these years.

If the fuel permitted is reduced by 50% in 2011, then the amount used will go down by 50%. That’s apparently too simple for the FIA to understand.

As for the improved racing, the aero rules are largely to blame, but further restriction will make things worse instead of better.

This is simply a ploy to pretend democracy before the FIA makes up another counterproductive set of regulations.

By: Oliver White

Oliver White — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:17:10 +0000

Thanks for the kind words Mike, it’s great to see new names around the site.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:53:05 +0000

Yeah, ‘genius’ may be too generous for Max, but it was a very clever move and I think time will support my read on it.

Thanks for such a great blog. I have been enjoying your series on British winners at Silverstone and have learned a lot. I’ve only been following F1 this year and last.

By: Oliver White

Oliver White — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:24:53 +0000

That said, this is genius.

I wouldn’t go that far, but I think it is a very clever move from Mosley.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:01:21 +0000

I can’t stand Max. That said, this is genius. He can’t lose.

If the teams come back with great ideas, he can take the credit for ‘forcing’ the teams to improve the sport and deal with its challenges. He could even spin it that they did not want to but he made them deal with reality. What a hero.

If the teams do not respond, Herr Max can come back with his own rules and enforce them with impunity. He can point to how he tried to work with the teams, but the teams were clearly unable to bring value to the discussion.

Either way, he looks great.

Oliver, I bet you are right - he got himself a great PR agency.