Standard ECU's,for or against?

Marbot · 15 Apr 2006, 00:48 (Ref:1582640)

Max is determined to bring about the introduction of standard ECU's for 2008.Will it diminish F1 as the pinnacle of motorsport in any way?Will it hand back control of the car to the driver for the good of the sport?http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=35571Or will nobody really care one way or the other?

pink69 · 15 Apr 2006, 01:25 (Ref:1582643)

I'm all for the FIA trying to bring everyone closer together. If standard ECU's is the way to go, then so be it. So long as they don't go crazy will rule changes as with the past couple of seasons. Also, they would have to be able to police everything accurately so teams don't get an unfair advantage. If they can do so....then I'd be for it. Doubt the big manufacturers will be for it tho!

Knowlesy · 15 Apr 2006, 01:51 (Ref:1582649)

Standard ECU's would be brill....because presumably it would mean the end of TC and suchlike.....

Dutton · 15 Apr 2006, 03:40 (Ref:1582664)

I'm up for it. The manufacturers will just have to concentrate their resources on designing their packages to maximise the said ECU.

JeremySmith · 15 Apr 2006, 03:58 (Ref:1582668)

I think they should come back to the future with these cars...slicks,control tyre,standard ECU,minimal driver aids, put it all in the hands of the pilot...Excuse me wandering a little of track

Dutton · 15 Apr 2006, 05:27 (Ref:1582685)

When you say "control tyre", do you mean in the sense of an FIA mandated specification/no-development?

FPV GTHO · 15 Apr 2006, 07:52 (Ref:1582713)

Alot of people are worried that the introduction of control units will take away whats special from F1, but as long as the cars remain the fastest current series, im reasonably happy with things such as the ECU and control tyre.

kmsport · 15 Apr 2006, 10:20 (Ref:1582763)

yep...std sealed ecu distributed by lottery each meeting

Smurfer · 15 Apr 2006, 10:42 (Ref:1582780)

I'm against it. not strongly though. I like the idea of every team creating every part of their car (excluding tyres and engines for some of the smaller teams).

Knowlesy · 15 Apr 2006, 10:44 (Ref:1582781)

Yes, but think of the plus points of standard ECU!

No TC, manual gearboxes, no power steering etc....

Who cares if the teams aren't making their own electronics? As long as they make everything elses themselves I'm all for it!

Alwaysfirst · 15 Apr 2006, 11:39 (Ref:1582805)

Bring it on! A standard ECU is the way to go. As well as the advantages that Knowlesy has listed it would also reduce costs for smaller teams as they would no longer have to develop their own ECU. It is for this reason that I would also support a single tyre manufacturer.

BootsOntheSide · 15 Apr 2006, 12:07 (Ref:1582817)

My primary concern with F1 is the quality of the racing, followed by the significance of the driver. Standard ECUs support both those intentions, by removing the chance of trickery taking some of the drivers' work away. If the teams have more freedom on engine, gearbox, chassis etc design we will still get a real individuality, and a chance for a clever designer to make the difference. Computer programming is not motor racing.

pirenzo · 15 Apr 2006, 12:08 (Ref:1582820)

But will the standard ECU mean no traction control etc?

Standard doesn't mean basic, it just means everyone will have the same.
Have the FIA specified precisely what 'features' their ECU will have?

Knowlesy · 15 Apr 2006, 12:20 (Ref:1582825)

Well, this has been touted in the past p.....with the premise that driver aids will be eradicated.

JeremySmith · 15 Apr 2006, 12:58 (Ref:1582842)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutton

When you say "control tyre", do you mean in the sense of an FIA mandated specification/no-development?

I am not against tyre development, as long as every team sees the same benefits..When Goodyear was the sole supplier how did that work exactly?

mooneyda · 15 Apr 2006, 13:14 (Ref:1582845)

Max takes alot of stick for some of his ideas in F1 (rightly so in certain cases!!).
However, in this case this is the best we have heard in a while! From anyone in the sport!! A well needed step back to the "good old days"! Extra stick wide slick also please sir??
Hopefully he gets his way to standardise the ECU's.

Rich R · 15 Apr 2006, 13:43 (Ref:1582858)

It's the least extreme proposal for the future, so i'm not as opposed to it as say the 5 year engine freeze, etc. and it would be nice to see the back of traction control. But still it is something that would homogenise the formula further, so a little part of me is wary.

DeoValente · 15 Apr 2006, 15:04 (Ref:1582885)

Im all for a standard ECU and wish theyd come up with that in the mid 90's.

Im all for banning of powersteering too. Ban of electronic diffs, electronic steeringwheels. Huge parts of bodywork with anti-downforce measures. No more wings. Manual stick-shift. Big rear tyres. And some more classic tracks. A chicane-less Monza, runs at the old Nurburgring..i mean the monocoques are stronger than ever these days, Mosport, Rouen. Let them remake the old hockenheim. But i think it will allways stay a dream.

Dutton · 15 Apr 2006, 16:24 (Ref:1582916)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

I am not against tyre development, as long as every team sees the same benefits..When Goodyear was the sole supplier how did that work exactly?

Goodyear developed throughout the season, but everyone got the same tyres. The development, which, I am sure, is significantly less intense during non-tyre-war times than during tyre-wars, would tend to focus on the better teams, of course, but it was by no means a "control tyre". (I would assume the tyres were allocated randomly, but perhaps not?).

As far as my understanding goes, a single tyre supplier is rather a different thing to a "control tyre".

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeoValente

Im all for a standard ECU and wish theyd come up with that in the mid 90's.

Im all for banning of powersteering too. Ban of electronic diffs, electronic steeringwheels. Huge parts of bodywork with anti-downforce measures. No more wings. Manual stick-shift. Big rear tyres. And some more classic tracks. A chicane-less Monza, runs at the old Nurburgring..i mean the monocoques are stronger than ever these days, Mosport, Rouen. Let them remake the old hockenheim. But i think it will allways stay a dream.

That is, by some margin, the post of yours I agree most with (so far).

BootsOntheSide · 15 Apr 2006, 16:53 (Ref:1582924)

A lot of those ideas are unrealistic, but at least let them design the new tracks with more eye on what has been successful in the past. Fully manual gears would increase the challenge and by causing more mistakes would result in overtaking opportunities, so that would be a good chance. There's no marketing kudos in them - all the car companies were making fully-automatic cars long before they entered racing. Technologies like that have no place in racing.

Dutton · 15 Apr 2006, 17:05 (Ref:1582937)

The spirit of the post is spot on, though, Boots, which is what I was getting at.

Pingguest · 15 Apr 2006, 17:39 (Ref:1582952)

I'm in favour of banning all driver aids, such as semi-automatic gearboxes, electronic differentials, tyre blankets and traction control. If the FIA will find out that a standard ECU is the only way to accomplish this goal, it will be all fine.

I would like to see the teams focessing only on improving the engines, aerodynamics (including ground effects), tyres, etc. Electronics don't belong there.

JeremySmith · 15 Apr 2006, 18:58 (Ref:1582988)

Well that just goes to show Dutton that I don't know what I am talking about then..

Maybe I do not understand the *real meaning* of a control tyre?

I was under the impression that during the time when Goodyear was the only supplier, that in essence that was a period of control tyres in F1. Thank you for your explanation..

Dutton · 15 Apr 2006, 19:04 (Ref:1582994)

I may be totally wrong, though,

. I think I have been working on assumptions too.

I have always figured that "control tyre" refers to specifications as mandated by an external body, or else a regulated non-developed tyre once the first design is produced. So, I suppose, this would mean, theoretically, although you'd think it kind of pointless, that you could have more than one tyre company supplying tyres of the same "control" specification.

I may have been harbouring incorrect notions, however, and, in fact, a single tyre supplier is indeed the same thing as a "control tyre".

JeremySmith · 15 Apr 2006, 19:28 (Ref:1583015)

Sorry I don't mean to take thread thread of course, with the tyre conversation..I will go to the FIA and read the rules, which I tend to be lazy about doing

and see if I can find some answers there?

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