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The Heretic reviews the 2005 Formula 1 season and talks about the new rules for 2006 and beyond.

Read the article here.
Then post your comments on the article in this thread.

Fully agree with the Heretic. Those rules are just stupid.

Interesting thought about drivers refuelling during the last qualifying session. Loopholes everywhere

ahhh, I do enjoy reading "The Heretic". The cranky coot is nearly as cynical as I am, especially when mentioning the FIA and common sense.
I pretty well agree with most items mentioned.
Red Bull could be a major contender in the first few races with a sweet chassis, reasonable pilots, and Cosworth power.
Toyota seem to be yet to master chassis design, how much input do they get from Ralf ? These days it takes input from two good drivers to effect sensible chassis changes.
I think Ferrari are using the 2004 chassis, because it was the last design that worked. Why would they bother with the 2005, except to melt it down and use it as ballast? Even then it would still cause problems.
It is a valid point that the cars are getting too fast. On this subject Mark Webber made the comment that " if they are not slowed down, the fans will have to be moved a kilometre from the track "
The v8 supercars use a "rev limiter" issued to them by the governing body, and woe betide the team whos cars exceed that limit. I rather fancy the Nextel Cup restrictor plate for its simplicity tho.
Qualifying.........I concur. Especially if it should start to rain in the last 5 minutes.
What is the major qualification for becoming a member of the rule making fraternity of the FIA? A sheaf of medical certificate stating that you are on immense amounts of medication daily, and often forget to take said medication?

Hi,

Julian, thanks for the nice words but I am not a cynic - most cynics I know would not hang in ther for as long for starters. I really struggle with stupidity and these rules . . . . . .

Qualifying, apart from probably being too boring to watch, will be a very interesting and complicated dance between bluffing and strategy. Even the leading teams, or fastest cars, may not want to qualify on pole but opt to go out on a full fuel load to make up ground when others pit.

Top teams may not consider being in the slowest 15 minute group but there could be advantage in being in the top of the second 15 minute group eliminations as that starts you halfway up the field and gives you the option to decide how much fuel you start with later (after you have had a chance to see how the last ten qualified).

There are more loopholes in qualifying than holes in a Swiss cheese. I suspect that it will be halfway through the season before qualifying options are fully understood by the teams let alone us spectators.

Qualifying is going to be hardest on the top teams simply because they have more to lose. Most of the time I suspect that they will take the safer, lower risk, option of qualifying as high as they can because they can't afford to be baulked by a slower car that qualified better because of low fuel loads.

It is going to be confusing but then if you like your F1 and you are not used to confusion by now you have got no chance.

Long time F1 fan, 40+ years and I'm now defecting to MotoGP, SBK and BSB, too early for the excessive glamour or ego's to have kicked in or politics to give a stuff about anything but racing (well almost).

F1 and in particular the power 'mad Max' is losing support at every level of the sport and that won't manifest itself until the knowlegable hard core, foundation of the sport get hacked off enough that the fan base literally crumbles at which point Max will walk away saying "it was OK when I was boss".

Qualifying? engine sizes? aerodynamics? all red herrings to keep Max in power, typical lawyer, divide and conquer, lead by compromise and commitee and avoid conflict by imposing confusion.

Dread wrote:Long time F1 fan, 40+ years and I'm now defecting to MotoGP, SBK and BSB, too early for the excessive glamour or ego's to have kicked in or politics to give a stuff about anything but racing (well almost).

F1 and in particular the power 'mad Max' is losing support at every level of the sport and that won't manifest itself until the knowlegable hard core, foundation of the sport get hacked off enough that the fan base literally crumbles at which point Max will walk away saying "it was OK when I was boss".

Qualifying? engine sizes? aerodynamics? all red herrings to keep Max in power, typical lawyer, divide and conquer, lead by compromise and commitee and avoid conflict by imposing confusion.

And if too many guys like you defect, instead of making noises of outrage ??

Dread wrote:Long time F1 fan, 40+ years and I'm now defecting to MotoGP, SBK and BSB, too early for the excessive glamour or ego's to have kicked in or politics to give a stuff about anything but racing (well almost).

F1 and in particular the power 'mad Max' is losing support at every level of the sport and that won't manifest itself until the knowlegable hard core, foundation of the sport get hacked off enough that the fan base literally crumbles at which point Max will walk away saying "it was OK when I was boss".

Qualifying? engine sizes? aerodynamics? all red herrings to keep Max in power, typical lawyer, divide and conquer, lead by compromise and commitee and avoid conflict by imposing confusion.

Welcome, dread! I understand where you're coming from, but as bad as Mosely, Ecclestone and Co. can be at times, defecting won't help. Just look at NA motorsports in the 10 years since the CART-IRL split, and you will know how many of us NA racing fans(such as myself) feel watching Formula 1 descend in almost the same direction.

Must admit that when I first read the Heretic's article I thought it was a bit exaggerated but the more I read and hear about the new qualifying and the CDG I wing, I am realising the Heretic is spot on

Max Mosley according to the latest F1 racing reckons cars will virtually run for the whole of the third qualifying session constantly improving their times and providing non-stop entertainment

Will it be entertaining just watching cars going round and round ??

The magazine also asks all the team technical gurus about the CDG and none of them are endorsing it straight away.

Bob Bell says: Without more detail, it's very difficult to say whether the concept will work!!
Sam Michael: The CDG wing is an initial idea that may be modified after more detailed CFD and wind-tunnel analysis!!
Geoff Willis: It isn't clear whether this is a simplistic concept or part of a fully validated study ..... it isn't immediately obvious that these changes will make overtaking either easier or more likely!!
Dominic Harlow: So far, the detail we've seen doesn't offer convincing proof that there would be much change to the amount of overtaking!!

Spot on Heretic