From the archive: 1960 Le Mans
“They should free up the regulations.” “The only rule should be that the cars have to fit into a box of certain dimensions.” “Modern racing cars look too similar.”
These are all common comments about motorsport, particularly Formula 1. Most enthusiasts love the idea of no-holdsbarred Can-am-style competition and the sort of variety exemplified by the
Ligier JS5 being on the same grid as the Mclaren M23 and Tyrrell P34. But restrictive regulations are needed.
Without them, costs would increase and the racing would almost certainly get worse. Can you imagine a six-wheeled, ground-effects machine with free-for-all aero and gizmos such as active suspension and stability control? It would be a technical marvel, but how expensive would it be? And cornering speeds would surely be so high as to make overtaking almost impossible and most circuits unsafe. Drivers would become less important too.
Perhaps the biggest problem with the ‘minimal rules’ mantra though is that it wouldn’t create much diversity, not for long anyway. A shark and a whale look similar, despite one evolving from a land animal, because that’s the ‘design’ that works in the sea environment. Similarly, we know that racing cars are better with monocoque chassis and the engine behind the driver. Knowledge can’t be unlearned.
Ex-mclaren designer Mark Williams believes this is one factor that makes F1 cars look similar. Even a radical approach – the only rules being an 80kg fuel allowance and that ‘box’ idea – would soon lead to similar solutions: “You’d have 10 to 11 different concepts and then they’d all coalesce because everyone would look at the best ideas and have them on the car.”
The evolution of F1 machines is very fast. If your idea doesn’t work, you need to change it, quickly. And, as Racing Point showed with the RP20, following the path of the pacesetter can be the way to go.
There are plenty of reasons why modern racing cars look similar. Tight regulations is just one of them – and it’s one that protects motorsport from other evils.
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