[AMT]

In the Lister LMP thread, Try Hard asked what I thought about the effects of the '04 regulations. I thought I'd reply as a new topic.

I foresee a rapid ascent of the aero learning curve by those constructors with the money to fund it, and a clawing back of all the predicted downforce and drag penalties, and more. The aero stability gain should stay, but in reality it's pushed the take-off speeds and angles of attack higher, but not out of range. The only way to do that would probably have been to mandate separate fenders and tunnels, and a big reduction in underbody area. That was never on the FIA's agenda though.

Bearing the above, and the detail of the regs, in mind, it still seems to me that a closed car is the way to go. The concern is that they are quite a bit more expensive to design and build than an open car, and that may reinforce the current "rich-v-poor" inequity in Prototypes.