Been watching The Secret World Of Formula 1 on Discovery. Episode 2
said aerodynamic skirts were banned for 1981. Since I only started
watching F1 in the Autumn of that year and remember lots of references
to skirts I knew it was an error somehow.
>From "The Ultimate Encyclopeadia Of Formula 1" 1995, by Bruce Jones;
(Brabham here is a now defunct team not the Aussie driver, Zolder
staged the Belgian GP)
"1981 ….. The championship began proper at Long Beach and with
sliding skirts officially banned ….. Brabham had perfected a
hydro-pneumatic suspension system – the car was legal in the pits, but
on the track it sat down and the skirts touched the ground ….. The
disputes continued with a ban on flexible skirts ……. Zolder ……
and the skirt business rumbled on."
They were banned once and for all but not for 1981, though I can’t
remember the exact year they were finally outlawed completely (someone
post up). I seem to remember about 83 or 84 (side-pods were
drastically altered in 83 and I think that may have killed them off).
Speaking of Brabham I remember reading Nelson Piquet (champion in the
Brabham again in 83) somehow had illegal fuel that year but Renault
(Alain Prost their main driver) choose not to protest to get the title
that way, but it’s often reported they would have got Brabham deducted
many points if they had done so and Piquet won by 2 (or more likely 1
since Prost probably won more races).
I seem to remember also Brabham was Bernie’s team throughout this
time!
gobrien <gobr…@mailandnews.com> wrote:
> Been watching The Secret World Of Formula 1 on Discovery. Episode 2
> said aerodynamic skirts were banned for 1981.
>>From "The Ultimate Encyclopeadia Of Formula 1" 1995, by Bruce Jones;
> "1981 ….. The championship began proper at Long Beach and with
> sliding skirts officially banned …..
As you see, your reference confirms that the "aerodynamic skirts were
banned for 1981". But they continued to be used, sice the teams found
a loophole:
> Brabham had perfected a
> hydro-pneumatic suspension system – the car was legal in the pits, but
> on the track it sat down and the skirts touched the ground
> They were banned once and for all but not for 1981, though I can’t
> remember the exact year they were finally outlawed completely (someone
> post up).
They were outlawed completely for the 1983 season, when a flat bottom was
mandated. In 1982 they were still in use, but since they weren’t flexible
the cars had _very_ hard suspensions (causing back problems for the drivers).
> I seem to remember about 83 or 84 (side-pods were
> drastically altered in 83 and I think that may have killed them off).
Vice-versa: as the skirts no longer existed, there was not a reason
to have long side-pods, so everybody shortened them.
> Speaking of Brabham I remember reading Nelson Piquet (champion in the
> Brabham again in 83) somehow had illegal fuel that year
I also read that, but not at the time.
–
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