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The F1 FAQ |
| by Mark Alan Jones, Australia | |
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Have a question about Formula One statistics or history? Well you're not the only one, and it's about time someone came up with the answers to Formula One's most Frequently Asked Questions. Send us your questions, to faq@atlasf1.com - we may not know everything, but we will sure make the effort to find out
"I'd like to know about engines in F1. Currently, every F1 race car runs a V-10. Why? I know that they are required to be 3.0 litres and normally-aspirated, but how is it that every engine is in a V-10 configuration. Just a few years ago, we had the Ferrari V-12, and the Ford (as well as others) V-8. What considerations are important, and what other configurations have been tried in recent years? Will Audi (or is it Lambo?) really run a W engine? Why not Boxers? It seems that a boxer engines lower centre of gravity would be quite helpful in the thinner cars, or would it just not fit? It sounds as though you know more on the subject than I do, and thus I'm treading on thin ice here. In recent times there have been attempts at more unusual engine configurations. In 1991 Life Racing Engines built a 'W12' which was three ranks of four cylinders in an arrow shape configuration - the third bank as mounted centrally in the V of the other two. It was too complex of Life's lack of budget, and the team disappeared very quickly. In the 1960's BRM built a V-16 power plant which was horrendously complicated and unreliable. However, if you own one of those era BRM's today you have a million dollar motorcar. The only online engine that have been used in the last twenty years was the four cylinder BMW turbo motor which won the 1983 World Championship for Nelson Piquet. There has been a tendency in the naturally aspirated era to produce the V as narrow as possible for aerodynamic purposes - as used by March with a special narrow V8 Judd engine in the car in the early 90's, but it proved to be not as reliable as the more standard unit. In the early days of the current naturally aspirated era V12's were made by Ferrari, Lamborghini and Yamaha, V10's by Honda and Renault, with Ford-Cosworth, Judd, using V8's. There was merits in each as each configuration won races. The V12's could produce more power more easily but were thirstier. The V8's comparatively had excellent economy but had to work harder to produce the power and took more development. The V10 has seen as a compromise between the two. As time has gone by the V12 manufacturers disappeared and the V8 manufacturers switched the V10's in the search of power. Honda went against the trend with a V12 during the last couple of factory seasons. Interestingly, the Mugen-Honda engine which continued after Honda's direct involvement ended as the older V10. Finally, when the engine capacity was dropped to three litres, Ferrari conceded defeat and switched to V10, admitting that a V12 would be impractical in the smaller capacity. But now rumours abound that the new Honda engine destined for BAR next year will be a V12. Does Honda know something that Ferrari and Ilmor don't? The attractiveness of a V12 is that it's much more marketable as quite a few road cars have and do use V12 engines, most notably perhaps the Jaguar XJS. However, the only major production vehicle using the V10 is the Dodge Viper, and engine which is perhaps too widely known as a truck engine. Is Honda's V12 decision a sound engineering or marketing decision? There is certainly plenty of scope for Honda to scapegoat the controversial BAR and in Jordan have a fall back option. A V12 experiment for Honda could make a lot of sense.
"When and where did Gilles Villeneuve die? Did Gilles Villeneuve and Gerhard Berger ever race at the same time?" Gilles Villeneuve died at the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder in 1982. He lost control of his Ferrari and crashed during qualifying. Gerhard Berger made his debut at his home race, the Austrian Grand Prix in 1984 at the Osterreichring, now rebuilt as the A-1 Ring, in an ATS-BMW. So no they never raced against each other in Formula One, and it's highly unlikely they raced against each other in lesser Formulae.
The 1950 season started on the 13th of May and was won by Doctor Giuseppe Farina driving an Alfa Romeo 158, from Luigi..... I've just figured out it will take 13 issues of the FAQ to answer you completely. So instead I recommend a few sources. Firstly FORIX, the Formula One Results and Information Explorer. It has every statistical detail most people can ask for. To get that result in a printed form I can recommend 'The Complete Encyclopaedia of Formula One' by Bruce Jones (no relation - pity). It's an invaluable reference guide.
Half a point? Indeed, at the end of the 1984 season Niki Lauda had 72 points to teammate Alain Prost's 71.5. How did it happen? One of Prost's victories was the controversial Monaco Grand Prix. The race was scheduled to run for 78 laps, but at race start the circuit was wet and it was raining, and not a little bit of rain either. Rain lashed the harbourside circuit like it never has before or since. The conditions caught out, one way or another, almost half the field. Prost was driving out in front of a rapidly diminishing field. Behind and closing steadily on the McLaren was the young Ayrton Senna in his Toleman TG184 Hart, not the grid's fastest car, but the young Senna was carving his name in Formula One, a masterful drive in the conditions would get him noticed by the better teams. Behind Senna also closing was Stefan Bellof in the Tyrrell 012 Ford, eagerly showing how naturally aspirated power was more drivable in the wet. Before long Prost would be under siege by one, maybe both, of these young near unheralded drivers, however before Senna or Bellof could close sufficiently on Prost, the race directors decided they'd had enough of the abysmal rain and red flagged the race. With less than 60% completed under the regulations only half points could be awarded so Prost got 4.5 points, Senna 3, Rene Arnoux (Ferrari) 2, Keke Rosberg (Williams) 1.5, Elio e Angelis (Lotus) 1 and Michele Alboreto (Ferrari) half a point. Bellof finished 3rd but months later would have the points taken away when Tyrrell were disqualified for the season under controversial circumstances. Rumours persist that the French race organisers red flagged the race to make sure Prost, a Frenchman, won, if so then it's quite ironic as Prost would have collected more point for second in a completed race (6), than the shortened win (4.5). And that difference would have been enough for him to claim the Championship.
"Is the German national racing car colour white or silver?... There seems to be plenty of historical support for either one. Thanks, Mike K." The answer is, white. During the 20's the racing cars of Germany raced in white. However, the most famous pre-World War II German Formula One cars, the Mercedes and Auto Unions of the mid to late 30's, were silver. Well actually they weren't silver, at least not intentionally. To save weight the Mercedes-Benzes and Auto Unions were never painted, instead racing with the bare metal look. You could say silver is the 'adopted' national racing colour.
"Gentlemen. Could you please explain to me whether there is a formula saying that Formula One should be "open-wheels," or is there some kind of obvious (aerodynamic) advantage from driving in an "open-wheels" racing car rather than one with bodywork covering the wheels? If there is a formula: Do you know why it is imposed? Kind regards, Jan P, Denmark" In 1955 Mercedes had a slippery shape for the Formula One car that completely enclosed the wheels, making the car look like a sports car. This car shape was used at the higher speed circuits like Monza. Nowadays there are very specific rules as to where bodywork can and can't be in a Formula One car. Enclosing the wheels is no longer an option. Also, for the Formula One cars to run enclosed wheels would make them very similar in look to the open cockpit prototypes that run at Le Mans and in the ALMS series. During the early 90's the World Sports Car Championship ran the same engine regulations as Formula One, thus were almost in effect Formula One cars with enclosed wheels and a roof. Indeed several world sports cars ran the same Cosworth-Ford V8 used by several Formula One teams.
"Why was the number 1 freezed and number 0 used instead for car number in the middle of 90's? Does it have something to do with Senna's accident? In which seasons the number 0 was actually in use? I've also heard that number 22 had been freezed for several years. Why? Tero S, Finland" In modern times the car with number 1 on it is the car of the reigning world Champion. In 1993 the reigning world champion Nigel Mansell did not contest the championship, having instead moved to the United States to contest the CART world series. In 1994, the reigning world champion Alain Prost retired and thus did not contest the championship. So what to do with the number 1 plate? You can't give it to someone who doesn't deserve it. So the answer was in 1993 and 1994 - Damon Hill wore 0 on his Williams-Renault. Due to general superstition it has been many year since any Formula One car has worn the number 13. As the number got higher usually another number has skipped so the pair of numbers could return to an odd-even pattern rather than even-odd. In 1992 #18 was skipped. In 1995 18, 19 and 20 were all vacant. The numbering system was really not formalised in a complete manner until 1996. Since 1996 the World Champion has worn number 1, his teammate number 2 with the other teams then following in the previous year's manufacturers championship order. The driver in each team that performed better the previous year gets the lower number.
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| Mark Alan Jones | © 1999 Atlas Formula One Journal. |
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