62 replies to this topic

[BRG]

In the early ‘90s he did a series of track tests for Autosport. One was definitely of a Maserati 250F, and I’m pretty sure that some of the others were also older cars with manual gear changing.

Actually, thinking about it, one of DC's biggest strengths was making lightning fast starts, back in the junior formulae and early F1, when clutches and gear shifting were still the norm.  I recall in F3, he fought out the season against Barrichello, who invariably took pole whilst DC muffed qualifying (which was NOT one of his biggest strengths).  But come the start, DC would rocket off the line and be right with Rubens at turn 1.  Unfortunately, in came semi autos and so on and DC's trump card was no longer an advantage.  So he really did know his clutch from his gear lever.

[Atreiu]

I can and better than any auto gearbox. That’s all that matters to me.

[taz]

When you look at auto trends for the last 20 years, a young driver never driving a manual is not impossible. It’s no more crazy than a driver Vettel's age never having driven a crash gearbox or a car with a manual choke. So even if Verstappen, Noris, Russel, etc have all driven manual, in the next several years it’s almost guaranteed that there will be a young driver who hasn’t. It’s no way an attack on their ability for never using increasingly rare and outdated tech and simply a consequence of the age they were born into.

Manual choke? damn, even i haven't driven a car with manual choke. Those are nowadays, even in Europe, hard to find.

I know my granddad drove a Peugeot 205 with manual choke in the early 90's but i was still a little kid then

But times change, i've driven manual gear cars since i got my license in 2004 up till now, and i love driving those cars, but company policy says new company cars must have automatic transmission. So within a few months i'll be driving a VW Golf 1.5 TSI DSG

 

It got me thinking, F1 cars still have semi-automatic gears right? Why haven't they got full automatic gears ?

With those V6 Turbo's acceleration and upshifts must be crazy fast

[PayasYouRace]

 

It got me thinking, F1 cars still have semi-automatic gears right? Why haven't they got full automatic gears ?

With those V6 Turbo's acceleration and upshifts must be crazy fast

 

It's because automatic gears were banned as a driver aid at the end of 1993, along with traction control, active suspension and the like. I guess we still consider it part of a driver's skill set to know which gear to be in at the right time, even if the car is doing all the hard work.

[goldenboy]

yeah whatever, not really relevant and a bit mocking the subject, dont you think?

It's a mockworthy subject..

[goldenboy]

It's because automatic gears were banned as a driver aid at the end of 1993, along with traction control, active suspension and the like. I guess we still consider it part of a driver's skill set to know which gear to be in at the right time, even if the car is doing all the hard work.

Ugh, imagine F1 going full auto. That would be the end of it for me.

I never really followed up on it but wasn't there some sort of uproar about a new Porsche model a few years ago that didn't even offer a manual option?

[Clatter]

Ugh, imagine F1 going full auto. That would be the end of it for me.

I never really followed up on it but wasn't there some sort of uproar about a new Porsche model a few years ago that didn't even offer a manual option?

Imagine? F1 Was fully automatic. To be honest from the outside you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, its more about knowing the drivers are not doing all the work. I don't think it's much better with the semi auto boxes. There is still too much controlled by the electronics.

[PayasYouRace]

Ugh, imagine F1 going full auto. That would be the end of it for me.

I never really followed up on it but wasn't there some sort of uproar about a new Porsche model a few years ago that didn't even offer a manual option?

 

I doubt most people would notice unless you had told them. It's not exactly hard work to flick a paddle behind the steering wheel with your finger and it's barely noticeable even on the onboard cameras.

[Counterbalance]

I doubt most people would notice unless you had told them. It's not exactly hard work to flick a paddle behind the steering wheel with your finger and it's barely noticeable even on the onboard cameras.

Some F1 cars used to have automatic upshifts in the late, 90's (McLaren certainly did), but the FIA stopped all that.

Edited by Counterbalance, 06 August 2019 - 16:18.

[MikeTekRacing]

probably I am getting older...when I was in my 20s I couldn't imagine a world without manual gears and felt that was the only way to enjoy driving. 

Current automatic gearboxes are better on average than almost everybody. We like to think we're special, very few of us are.

The F1 drivers can surely drive a manual gearbox. The fact they don't often do doesn't change their skill of feeling the car.

[goldenboy]

Imagine? F1 Was fully automatic. To be honest from the outside you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, its more about knowing the drivers are not doing all the work. I don't think it's much better with the semi auto boxes. There is still too much controlled by the electronics.

Fair enough, not something I remember. I'm aware from the outside you wouldn't know, but I would know in my head and think it's pretty lame.

[NixxxoN]

Why such a big deal with the manual thing. In a strange case that some of those drivers didnt know to drive a manual and had never tried, he would learn in less than a day.

[flsp]

It is a different thing in US obviously where the license is a bit too easy to get.

In US & Canada manual or automatic ratings don’t exist. If you have a valid license you can hop in a manual car and (try to) drive away even if you only ever drove automatic. But manual cars are rare, some entry level models or higher end sports cars.