Quote:
Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith
I don't buy that, F1 constructors build there cars to the formula rules but are constantly developing and improving the car, throughout the season. Dallara as a constructor should have pressed the importance of development work but instead stood still for years wth this car and I think that has a lot to do with them being a lower formula spec constructor. Both of their forays into F1 were failures.
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Flat bottom cars are mandated by the rules. The IRL rules dictated flat bottomed cars were what they wanted and dallara and Panoz built cars to those rules.
Dallara's were predominant and over the few years they ran they were the preferred car. In the end everyone ended up running Dallara's and the series organisers made them a spec car, in an effort to reduce costs to teams.
That's not Dallara's fault. Besides, the cars are strong. While many may not like the design or thinks its ugly, the monocoques have been strong, standing up to crash punishment well. Even in Dan Wheldon's case the integrity of the survival cell remained.
In addition similar features like driver head surrounds etc are as much a part of the design as F1 cars, something that came out of the FIA research after the Senna accident.