Formula One ( F1 )

The active suspension thing I'm a bit puzzled by. I can't see how it can save costs. Williams took about 5 years to develop their own then outlawed system. It takes a lot of development of the system and of the car around it, which is expensive. I can't see how all the teams would agree to a standardised system either. Each team has rather different philosophies when it comes to suspension. How would they agree who would develop the standard system? If it was to be introduced, in any form, teams would need a decent amount of warning as it's a major change. I'd be very surprised if it happens. I don't think the teams have given it too much thought yet to be honest. Besides it's not very 'F1' is it? These kinds of measures take away an important element of F1 in terms of technology development. By all means bring back active suspension, but not a standardised system. Suspension set up is a key part of the competition. Besides, active suspension only increases car speed and isn't that what the FIA are always trying to reduce?

I can see how it might save costs, although I'm not convinced it would. At the moment the teams spend absolute fortunes on dampers, inerters, 7 post rigs and endless simulations trying to do the impossible, namely maintaining a stable aero platform while at the same time giving the suspension the ability to absorb shocks and allow the tyres to generate grip. I can see that it's possible that in this day and age active suspension would be cheaper, because once you'd built it changing the programming would just be software rather than hardware changes. Processing power now is cheap and durable, unlike in the previous active era, and much of the know-how is now public knowledge anyway. Similarly, the kind of hydraulics which the system relied upon (high pressure accumulators, Moog valves etc.) is now commonplace given semi-auto boxes.

As I said, I'm not sure it would be cheaper. But I can see how the cost of developing an active system once would be cheaper than the endless attempts to fine-tune passive systems. Maybe.

Anyway, active suspension's cool, 'cos you can make the car bob up and down in the pits, like the Lotus used to do when they were flushing the hydraulics.