Tuminatuh: Drows: I prefer f1, but i prefer ''stock'' car. I think
formula racing is all played in the pit rater then on the track. I dont
say they're not good pilot. Just that...
I completely agree with you.
When it comes to Formula1 racing, the drivers and teams put ALOT of
trust in the car and the technology behind it. While the drivers aren't
neccessarily sitting back and enjoying the ride, F1 races seem to be
dictated most by which drivers have the highest finances and the best
pit crews. Also, since F1 cars feature aids such as traction control,
it forces the
drivers to learn to drive with those aids in place. If the TC system
fails, the F1 driver is as good as finished.
As for IndyCar Racing, very similar to F1 racing, the driver plays a
much bigger role. One more than one occasion have I seen a driver who
started near the rear of the field charge up through the pack,
throughout the race, and win due to great driving skill and technique.
Of course pit strategy, like all motorsports, plays a large role. But
it seems to me that IndyCar drivers aren't as dependent on the
car as they are in their own skill. Great legends such as Michael S.
and Mario A. are proof that it takes more than a fancy image and a fast
car to win races.
...
Of course, you could argue that the same could be said about F1 cars.
But remeber.. unlike IndyCars, which feature only the tires, the
shafts, the braking systems, and the gears that bind them.... F1 cars
have traction control sytems, braking aids, stabilty management
systems, etc, ALL of which pass over the finish line before the driver
does. IndyCars? Only cold (or warm) steel, aluminum, and rubber....
Wow, that was a nice, long, typing session! Hope you had fun reading it all!
Cheers! - Tum
Tum, I have to disagree with you there. The FIA has more or less taken everything away from F1. Next year, F1 will have no TCs of any kind. They already have been stripped of antilock brakes, now TCS... Regarding the team with the biggest finances winning -- you're dead wrong there. Toyota has the biggest wallet and they can't win a freakin' race.
Honda has a huge wallet, yet wee little Super Aguri and Spyker F1 took it to the big boys this past season as opposed to last year being "super best friends" at the back of the pack. Then again, to quote Rubens Barrichello... "It is amazing how Honda managed to make a car that is so bad.."
While the top two teams this past year (Ferrari and McLaren [powered by ferrari technology]) had sizable budgets, neither was the largest budget on the field.
Indycar is like the openwheel version of Nascar. I should know, I bought both Indycar Racing and F1 2001, and let me tell you about IndyCar racing-- there wasn't a single s-bend in it. The game was absolute crap. F1 2001, however, delivered much better feel and the track variation was good. Indycar Racing was just, hey, let's drive around in a circle real fast. While sure, it's fun to do it yourself, it's no fun to watch anyone else do it. It was less interesting than Nascar because there was not an emphasis on wreckin' the competition or the "Rubbin' is Racin'" attitude that defines Nascar.
The difference between INDYcar and F1 is that there are freakin TURNS in more than one direction.
While there are other differences, such as the very competitive Aero design section you see in F1.. where as Indycar has very simple wings on the cars, F1 has beautiful, shapely carbon fiber wings and diffusers everywhere, the car is like an artform.
I fail to see why so many others are beating about the bush here when the answer is simple:
F1 has REAL turns, Indycars (like nascars) only turn left.
That, and F1's track selection is better... Have you ever seen an Indycar tear through the streets of Monaco?? I mean, it gets pretty old looking at a Stadium around you and just about every one is more or less the same one... an oval in varying lengths without any kinks in it.
As a resident of the US, I can honestly say that the Indianapolis Grand Prix is confusing to people who don't know the difference between Indycars and F1 cars, and there are MUCH better tracks in the US than that one. It eludes me why we have to use that particular track when we have tracks like Laguna Seca, Sebring, RoadAtlanta. Long Beach, CA is also a great track (I should know, I've driven the route in real life), but I don't think we'll see F1 in my neck of the woods anytime soon.
As a resident of the US, the state of motorsport here is in dire straits because outside of Nascar, hardly anyone cares. While some of us here in the US like me, give a damn, hardly anyone in the US has even HEARD of F1 lately nor do they have any idea there is even a difference between Indycar and F1. They're just too darn ignorant and uncultured.
While I'm glad my fellow gearheads out there in Xboxland are aware of other motorsports-- how many of your friends are into it too? Or perhaps, we are all too far apart and too small a percentage of the population.
Wake up, America! Get back in the driver's seat!
-Plecostomus
Gearbox Painter
Former Proprietor of Garage Defend