Formula One cars in 2020.

[tommykl]

The February issue of F1 Racing featured a 4-page educated guess from Pat Symonds about how an F1 car would like in 2020. Here are the main results.

-return of fround effects with skirts, although not as noticable as the 70's-80's.
-4-cylinder turbo engines, with a 250bhp KERS unit.
-larger, retractable air intakes, eliminating the need for airboxes.
-single-plane front and rear wings providing almost no downforce, retained only for the advertising space they provide.
-lowered nose with no wing supports, reducing the chances of a Webber-like accident.
-18-inch rims.
-360 degrees TV camera, a-la-IndyCar.

Discuss.

[DanielPT]

It seems to me that Pat Symonds doesn't believe that between today (2013, ok) and 2020 the cars will evolve a lot. Most of those ideas are already in the process of being implemented, or were already been spoken of. I think that those will exist before 2020 anyway. The only thing I believe is wrong in is guesses are the engines. I would like F1 to turn to other fuels and type of engines after the 2013 engine regulations (somewhere in 2017/18 maybe). Hopefully it will be environmentally friendly before 2020.

[tommykl]

He also expects that, with the engine format and KERS, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions will be reduced by 20%.

[dinizintheoven]

I'm just wondering if it's possible to make a hydrogen fuel cell F1 car that won't explode with the force of an atom bomb the first time it crashes. If it works, I'm betting on Honda and Toyota to make a mad scramble back to the grid and actually get it right this time. Tell you what, Bernie, open the regulations up; for many years there was an equivalence formula of 3.5-litre normally aspirated cars versus 1.5-litre turbos, only nobody was brave enough to go ahead and build a turbo until Renault did in 1977. It was slow, it was unreliable, everybody laughed. Two years later it won its first race. The same could happen again.

200 mph in near-silence won't half be odd, though...

[DanielPT]

He also expects that, with the engine format and KERS, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions will be reduced by 20%.

I think I've read somewhere that it was expected reductions in the order of 40% but I am not sure. Anyway it is better 20% than nothing...

Hey, dinizintheoven, today you've been talking a lot to Bernie! What if he was actually a member of this forum?

EDIT: Added a link with yet a different value...
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/12/10/fia-confirms-1-6-litre-engines-for-2013/

[tommykl]

He also expects that, with the engine format and KERS, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions will be reduced by 20%.

I think I've read somewhere that it was expected reductions in the order of 40% but I am not sure. Anyway it is better 20% than nothing...

Hey, dinizintheoven, today you've been talking a lot to Bernie! What if he was actually a member of this forum?

EDIT: Added a link with yet a different value...
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/12/10/fia-confirms-1-6-litre-engines-for-2013/

Well, to tell you the truth, the sentence is poorly worded in French, and I seem to undrestand that, while 35% is the ultimate goal, 20% is actually a more realistic achievement.

[patrick]

I think a couple more close calls or accidents like Massa's in 2009 will lead to them introducing a more prominent windshield by 2020 - although keeping the cars open cockpit. Just seems pretty likely.

[dinizintheoven]

Hey, dinizintheoven, today you've been talking a lot to Bernie!

You have to know your enemy.

What if he was actually a member of this forum?

...then there wouldn't be a bath that had ever been built big enough to accommodate the size of the bathplug that would drop out the sky and all over us...

I think a couple more close calls or accidents like Massa's in 2009 will lead to them introducing a more prominent windshield by 2020 - although keeping the cars open cockpit.

Anyone remember the row about having closed-cockpit F1 cars? (I think it was round about the time Felipe Massa had his huge hit on the head). There was talk of making closed-wheel F1 cars as well. Put those together, and what do you have? A Le Mans Prototype...

I've always wondered what would happen if Peugeot or Audi put their Le Mans diesel engine in an F1 car. Or the rotary engine from the Mazda 787B, if that could find its way into an early 90s F1 car...

[Pointrox]

Less strict regulations regarding both mechanical and aerodynamic aspects of F1
...which means that all those useless tower wings, rabbit ears and stuff like that are back. But you don't see me complaining, 'cos I always liked those things.

Powarrrr of V12
In 2018 FOM, run by Michelle Mouton, brings V12 engines to F1. In 2019 Peugeot makes its comeback to F1 with their diesel engine, a heavily modified HDi FAP from Le Mans that appears to be a very reliable and powerful engine.

Minardi and Jordan are back
Giancarlo Minardi with help of investors from Eastern Europe buys back his team from Mateschitz. In 2014 it goes by name Minardi Toro Rosso to become Minardi in 2015. Sebastien Buemi and Rio Haryanto are the main men, whilst HWNSNBM is signed to be a test driver. Thanks to his good performance he's given a ride during his home Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing an outstanding 3rd (which is the last Hungarian GP, but FOM signs it back in 2017 after a failure with Romanian GP on Bucharestring).
Also Eddie Jordan takes his team back, firstly changing its name to Force India-Jordan in 2015, then to Eddie Jordan Racing in 2016. Max Verstappen is signed to be their 3rd test driver and when Sutil has a dangerous crash during the Argentine GP, he fills his seat and wins both GP and seat in Jordan.

Retirements
Lewis Hamilton retires by 2019 because of a neck injury.
Jenson Button does so.
In 2020 Rubens Barrichello does a Belmondo and retires several times from physical difficulties, but then returns in glory, winning the championship with Williams in 2023. Eventually retires in 2025.
Narain Karthikeyan gets hit by a medical car and has to end his career in 2014.












I wish

[Captain Hammer]

The February issue of F1 Racing featured a 4-page educated guess from Pat Symonds about how an F1 car would like in 2020.

Although according to the artist, the cars will all be bought from the Indy Lights championship ...

[DanielPT]

I think a couple more close calls or accidents like Massa's in 2009 will lead to them introducing a more prominent windshield by 2020 - although keeping the cars open cockpit.

Anyone remember the row about having closed-cockpit F1 cars? (I think it was round about the time Felipe Massa had his huge hit on the head). There was talk of making closed-wheel F1 cars as well. Put those together, and what do you have? A Le Mans Prototype...

I've always wondered what would happen if Peugeot or Audi put their Le Mans diesel engine in an F1 car. Or the rotary engine from the Mazda 787B, if that could find its way into an early 90s F1 car...

About the Mazda 787B, if the output is, as they say, 700hp then they did well not to come to F1 or they would be a bit underpowered...
It think those engines are too big for F1, even if the regulations permited such weird and unknown fuels as diesel.
Anyway, it would be nice if, along the straight-4 1.6 Turbo engines and a possible 2.5 V6 atmospheric (an idea from other thread, and one that Ferrari would happily have), the first having KERS, we added some 3.7 liter V6 turbocharged diesels, without KERS, (all three engines should have about 700bhp)

[Aerospeed]

Cars will self-destruct if team orders are ordered, and on the driver that would benefit. What would happen is that when the order is taken out, they wait a couple of laps, and then spontanously combust with an engine failure, a la Vettel Korea 2010.

*Cars go back to 2008 back wings, 1997 front wings, and ground affects a la Pointrox's predictions
*Tyres can run half distance of the race (eg. if the race was 70 laps, the tyres would last 35 laps)
*Michelin, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Avon and Goodyear all supply at least two teams (In order: 4, 3, 2, 2, 4)
*14 teams in 2020 (two run by Colin Kolles, which explains the Pirellis)
*Nothing moveable by drivers (wings)
*No KERS (PLEASE!)
*Air conditioning mandatory
*A lot less buttons on the steering wheel (shift up, shift down, call team, respond to message without having to call and say "yes", drink. That's it)

Oh, and Bernie gets kicked out of the FIA (both figuratively and literally), Mosley is nowhere to be seen, and the FIA is led by Jean-Denis Deletraz.

[dr-baker]

Looking for an alternative thread when I saw this. Some predictions have come to pass, while others... have not.

Oh, and Bernie gets kicked out of the FIA (both figuratively and literally), Mosley is nowhere to be seen, and the FIA is led by Jean-Denis Deletraz.

Well, Louis Deletraz is one championship away from F1, but otherwise!