Thursday 8 January 2009

The FOTA Executive Committee met today in Heathrow to further  progress the cost reducing initiatives already developed. All the  Members unanimously agreed a number of important principles and  supported the process now established within FOTA.

The teams detailed and signed a comprehensive Aerodynamic Test  Restrictions Agreement, effective in 2009.

Furthermore, the Teams agreed that they would develop and freeze  low cost transmissions for the 2010/12 seasons which would have a  six race life, priced at 1.5 million per season per team.

FOTA also reaffirmed its commitment to a 5 million engine supply  from 2010 for independent teams, who have expressed their agreement  with and support for this arrangement.

The FOTA Technical Regulations Working Group will now conclude the  elimination of expensive materials and identify further  opportunities to reduce the cost of components and systems which do  not deliver performance differentiation. All of the Teams present  wished to express their support for the entrant currently known as  Honda and they will agree to any name change registered.

All of the Teams are committed to working together in a rational  and systematic manner, within the framework of FOTA to effectively  reduce the costs inherent to Formula One. The same approach will  now be used to improve the spectacle of the sport, following the  outcome of the FOTA commissioned market research.



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Terrific.  They just "fixed" F1.  Spading and neutering is next
John Dinkel

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Screw the cost. Keep it what it is. Intense automotive R & D.
Don't turn it into a mere circus.

Paul Lamar

Paul,
Unfortunately, the intensive R&D isn't filtering into the real world.
The Lotuses, Terrells, etc. we grew up with, the innovators of F1, can't
afford to compete any more.  Honda has left.  Toyota could be next.
Expect smaller grids.  Maybe we need claiming races.

Our space race of the 60s and 70s did a far better job of taking
horriffically expensive and unobtainable technology and making it mass
market.  Sadly, most of those in gov't today look only at the cost of
a new space program and not the enormous long-term economic value and
technical leadership it would provide again to the US.
jd

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I think it IS filtering into the real world. What we don't see is the
material R&D that had been going on in the back ground for engine parts.
It is not for nothing that Formula 1 engines rev to 19,000 RPM. The KERS
certainly will as will turbo compound when they implement it. Aerodynamics
could with a rule change here and there to allow wider movable wings that
are suspension mounted. If you want to limit the down force limit just
the wing area and wing span equal to the width of the car.

If they keep going this way they will wind up with just another
boring spec class. It killed Indy and it will kill Formula 1. The way to
get passing is allow innovation. Redirect the R&D towards efficiency both
aero drag, vehicle weight and engine fuel burn. Competition among engineers
is the key motivation.


We got nothing of any significance out of going to the moon or any other
NASA program for that matter. The only technical innovation and useful R&D we
ever got out of government money expenditures was during a war.

Paul Lamar