Four innovations that Formula One should bring back
As a new Formula One season dawns and teams get to grips with 2017’s new regulations in pre-season testing, speculation is rife about what the new rule changes will bring. Despite looking more aggressive and generating significantly faster lap times, concerns are still valid regarding the ability of the cars to overtake.
Modern F1 cars struggle to function at peak efficiency when following in the ‘dirty air’ of another car. With the 2017 regulation changes making the cars more reliant on aerodynamics, the problem could be even worse this season. F1 cars are also still reliant on the DRS system, which draws constant criticism for making overtaking ‘artificial’.
So how can we solve the problem and make F1 more exciting again? By bringing back these four innovations that have either been banned or are now supposedly obsolete:
F-duct
Pioneered by McLaren in 2010, the F-duct was a device the driver could use to increase straight line speed by increasing airflow over the rear wing; a precursor to DRS. Giving the drivers control over any devices that affect the performance of the car is a good thing. It challenges drivers to think strategically about how to deploy devices either for overtaking or to increase lap time. The return of the F-duct would render DRS unnecessary, without drawing the same criticism of being artificial.
Adjustable front wings
Drivers are allowed to adjust their brake bias from the cockpit, so why not bring back the ability to adjust the front wing as well? Like the F-duct suggestion above, giving the driver control over the front wing throughout the race would challenge them to think strategically about how best to use it. It would also help with tyre wear, allowing drivers to push harder on their stints and giving the fans better, purer racing. Forbidding the teams from giving suggestions regarding wing adjustments over the radio would keep things fair and would require the driver to understand exactly how any adjustment will affect his car.
Double diffusers
In 2017, the rules around aerodynamics have been relaxed, aiming to make the cars faster as well as more aggressive aesthetically. So why not go one step further in challenging the boundaries of performance and aerodynamics by reintroducing the double diffuser? The double diffuser innovation emerged in 2009 as a loophole in the rules, and teams like Brawn GP capitalised. Reintroducing the double diffuser would make the cars even faster and increase downforce, as well as affording teams more creativity when designing diffuser elements. Double diffusers can also look pretty aggressive, helping the aesthetics of the cars even more.
KERS
The hybrid engines introduced in 2014 have arguably been detrimental to the fan experience. Yes, they are much more efficient, but they are also incredibly complex. We have seen this cause problems for drivers, who sometimes struggle to totally understand their machines. Why not make things simpler and more exciting by returning to a less complex hybrid system with a separate KERS device?
KERS collects energy that would otherwise be wasted under braking and stores it as a means of increasing power at the driver’s command. Under the current rules, the energy release is pre-determined by the teams’ software. By returning control of KERS deployment to the drivers, hybrid engines become less complicated and forces the drivers to think strategically about how to deploy the energy. This allows F1 to keep its commitment to hybrid technology without fans switching off.
