Traction Control

[Cougarold]

What does everyone think about the changes to the laws regarding traction control? Personally I think that traction control should not be introduced to Formula One as the teams with the bigger budgets will once again superceed the smaller lower budget teams like the Minardi's. This only serves to make the sport less compedative. As I understand it anyway - please prove me wrong!

[jarama]

Cougar,

I think you're right. Besides, with traction control we can say goodbye to the skill showed by certain drivers in the start -ie, Villeneuve, Hakkinen-...

[GURRYP]

If you disregard the pro's & con's of traction control & it's effect on the level of driver skill required, I would think that the cost to the teams would be neglible.

For the last few seasons they have been busily working their way round the rules banning traction control. The teams have been developing other methods of achieving the same effect. Now they can use a direct approach, rather than the backdoor. So any additional cost for installing traction control will be outweighed by the savings in research.

There again I could be completely wrong.........

[Sparky]

The majority of teams that were using it in '95 are still with us. Those that aren't have evolved into new teams that should still have access to the software and such that was being used. All the technology exists.

The only difference I can see is that the number of permitted sensors is reduced.

The costs should be, as GURRYP says, negligible.

[Valve Bounce]

Even the drivers themselves cannot agree whether trax is good, bad, help the lesser drivers, increase the gap between the better drivers from the pack. If they cannot agree, with the help of their knowledge and experience, there is really very little for us to opine except to say that now the cheating in this direction will be negated by the rules. Again, there also seems to be a difference of opinion here on this point. Personally, I agree with TGF in that the really gifted drivers will get an even greater superiority over the rest in that they will be able to use trax to their advantage to corner even much faster than the others. BUT what the heck do I know? Only that I am glad my Volvo has TRAX. But I have never driven a car at even half the speed that these guys do, let alone speed round corners where fools would be busy looking for toilet paper instead.

[DNQ]

I am undecided. One hand, it takes away dirver skill. Yet, F1 is all about being the pinnacle of automotive technology. So maybe they should have it. I guess I just have to wait to the Spainish GP when it is introduced.

[Tris]

As a purist I have to say that traction control id bad and it should have no place in Formula One...

However... contemporary F1 cars do not promote good racing. There is too much emphasis on aerodynamics and not enough on mechanical grip / suspension set up. Thus, if traction control improves the racing i.e. allows for overtaking all the better. if it does not improve the chance to overtake significantly it should go.

Not only are we not going to see drivers make places up at the start but drivers tyre nursing skills will no come into play. Remember in 1997 when Schumacher shredded his rear tyres at every virtually every race? No wonder he wants TC back!!

I want to see better racing. I do not want to see TC back in f1 but if TC improves the racing I do not know what to think!

[Chrisrb]

Isnt It a bit odd to only allow TC from the Spanish GP do the FIA honestly beleive that the teams will not me running the systems in the prior races because I'm sure that they wont wan to introduce new code into their tried and tested systems so are all the cars going to be declared illegal a la canada '93 for the first few races. or am I just being cynical...