4 ms·

I know that F1 gets a lot of flack for the cycle's of team dominance due to large differences in the cars, but it's something that I quite like about the sport.

I know that F1 gets a lot of flack for the cycle's of team dominance due to large differences in the cars, but it's something that I quite like about the sport. I find it interesting to learn about pull rod vs push rod suspension, how air is routed for cooling the brake ducts, and other tiny bits of the car. The official tech talk videos on the F1 YouTube channel are also great. Sure, the cars are so wide and long that it's nearly impossible to pass on some courses (i.e. Monaco). Sure, some cars are much faster than others and you know it's very unlikely that a team like Haas will finish on the podium or even in the points. But, with the current financial regulations teams can't just spend $200m more than someone else. And if you look at the lap time differentials, the spread isn't as big as you might think. There's always NASCAR and IndyCar if you want to watch a more 'fair' motorsport where people are driving much more similar cars. But I think there's totally a place for a sport where teams aren't on as equal of footing and there's more room for engineering creativity.

RavingGoat 3y ago
The problem with F1 currently is the cost cap. No team can afford to make changes to the car to catch Redbull because the cost cap won't allow it.
- obmelvin 3y ago
  Who would actually spend that much money though? Mercedes and maybe Ferrari*? Everyone else would just fall further and further behind. To me this seems like a necessary transition period. Once new engines and regulations come into play, some of the previous engineering work will become less relevant. Also, some of Red Bulls current dominance is certainly due to Adrian Newey and his experience with ground effect cars. * quick google search seems to indicate that Ferrari has roughly 1.3B in cash and Mercedes 26B. So not even a team like Ferrari, who's entire raison d'être is racing, can necessarily afford to spend hundreds of millions of dollars for years on end.
- amflare 3y ago
  If there wasn't a costcap, no team could afford to make changes to the car to catch Redbull because Redbull would just outspend them. The only exceptions is possibly Mercedes.
michaelcampbell 3y ago
IIRC, one of the founding intents of F1 was to _feature_ car tech and differences, and the "founding fathers" were all in on the Constructor's Championship being the premier goal. But, drama and humans and personality intervened, and now it's all about the drivers.

RavingGoat 3y ago

The problem with F1 currently is the cost cap. No team can afford to make changes to the car to catch Redbull because the cost cap won't allow it.

obmelvin 3y ago
Who would actually spend that much money though? Mercedes and maybe Ferrari*? Everyone else would just fall further and further behind. To me this seems like a necessary transition period. Once new engines and regulations come into play, some of the previous engineering work will become less relevant. Also, some of Red Bulls current dominance is certainly due to Adrian Newey and his experience with ground effect cars. * quick google search seems to indicate that Ferrari has roughly 1.3B in cash and Mercedes 26B. So not even a team like Ferrari, who's entire raison d'être is racing, can necessarily afford to spend hundreds of millions of dollars for years on end.
amflare 3y ago
If there wasn't a costcap, no team could afford to make changes to the car to catch Redbull because Redbull would just outspend them. The only exceptions is possibly Mercedes.

michaelcampbell 3y ago

IIRC, one of the founding intents of F1 was to _feature_ car tech and differences, and the "founding fathers" were all in on the Constructor's Championship being the premier goal. But, drama and humans and personality intervened, and now it's all about the drivers.