Comparison with Formula One Champ Car

a champ car single-seat (commonly called open-wheel in us) racing car. of history champ cars had been similar formula 1 cars, although there have traditionally been several key differences between two.

over years, champ cars race schedule included high speed oval tracks. increased stress , speed of these tracks mean cars tended heavier, wider , have longer wheelbases f1 cars (increasing stability decreasing agility). in 2007, there no oval tracks on schedule.

when weight of driver factored in, champ car weighed on 27% more formula 1 car. minimum weight champ car adjusted 1,575 lbs based on weight of driver compared field average; driver included, cars had minimum weight of 1741 lbs. champ car piloted 195 lb paul tracy (the heaviest driver in series , 29 lbs heavier field average) had have weighed @ least 1,546 lbs when empty. minimum weight of formula 1 car, including driver, 620 kg (1,367 lbs). difference of 374 lbs (169.64 kg) on 27% of 2007 f1 car s weight.

beginning in late 1960s champ cars used forced induction i.e. turbocharged engines. turbos banned in formula 1 following 1988 season due safety concerns on speeds being reached. ban designed curb enormous cost of research , development being carried out companies such honda , ferrari. champ cars had 300 horsepower (220 kw) more compared formula 1 counterparts, in 70s cars had in excess of 1,000 hp. in 1999/2000, throughout 2000s, champ cars approached 1000 horsepower+ (680 kw). champ cars having 800 hp (597 kw) - 900 hp (680 kw) on demand , f1 cars having around 700 hp 840 hp in 3.5l na (1989–94) era, around 700 hp 1000 hp final specs in 3.0l na v10 (1995–2005) era , around 770 hp 840 hp in 2.4l na v8 (2006–2013) era , 580hp (2017 spec combustion engine alone) additional 160hp electric motors 1.6l v6 turbo-hybrid-electro powerunit. turbo used improve spectacle rather lap-times so-called power-to-pass or push-to-pass system giving drivers increased amount of power limited duration during race. reason retaining turbocharger in formula-1 muffling effect has on exhaust note, helps keep cars inside noise-limits, meet fia regulations , rules @ many city street races in european cities on racing season schedule.

champ cars used methanol fuel rather gasoline, , refuelling had been permitted during race. legacy of crash @ 1964 indianapolis 500 involving cars filled more 75 gallons (285 l) of gasoline killed dave macdonald , eddie sachs. until 1994, when refuelling re-introduced f1 (and banned again 2009 onwards), coupling refuelling hose notable difference between champ cars , formula cars.

champ cars had sculpted undersides create ground effect. innovation created in formula 1 lotus in 1978, , used on chaparral champ car in 1979. f1 banned sculpted undersides in bid lower cornering speeds 1983. in effort create better passing opportunities, new spec champ car chassis being introduced in 2007 generate 50% of total downforce of car sculpted underside tunnels versus front , rear wings. reduce turbulent air behind cars, enabling easier overtaking.

unlike in f1, champ car teams not obliged construct own chassis, , had tended buy chassis constructed independent suppliers such lola, swift, reynard, march , dan gurney s eagle. notable exception penske racing, although bought other cars when own chassis uncompetitive. in 2007, champ car featured single, spec chassis, panoz dp01, created Élan technologies, racing equipment manufacturer owned don panoz. spec chassis introduced reduce costs race teams, champ car had been spec series since 2004, teams favoring lola chassis because of reynard s bankruptcy in 2002.

the formula 1 car more expensive , technology-centric platform champ car. case during cart ppg era during mid late 1990s. @ time global engine manufacturers toyota, honda, mercedes , ford vied dominance. since champ car s restructuring, desire keep costs down , existence of 1 engine manufacturer helped create series far more parity european-based cousin. instance, competitive champ car team newman/haas racing team operated on approximately us$20 million per season, while ferrari f1 team of same time operated on approximately us$285 million.

direct comparison

toward end of champ car s existence, had been possible compare respective performance of 2 series.

the performance superiority of formula 1 machines first demonstrated in 1989 when champ car began race on street circuit in downtown detroit, michigan had served united states grand prix 1 year prior. there no big discrepancy in lap times on occasion, partly due tight second gear chicane removed circuit champ car series.

since 1978 formula 1 has made annual visit circuit gilles villeneuve in montreal. champ car added circuit tour in 2002, making direct comparison possible on little track (2.8 miles)

during inaugural champ car visit in 2002, juan pablo montoya won pole position formula 1 race lap time of 1 12.836. several weeks later, cristiano da matta won pole position in champ car race lap time of 1 18.959 happened slower alex yoong s (who qualified last) time of 1 17.347 , have been outside of 107%.

in autocourse / cart official champ car yearbook 2002, following article appears on page 132, entitled cart vs. f1 :

fedex championship series making first visit track had hosted canadian formula 1 grand prix since 1978, there inevitable comparisons between world s 2 major open-wheel categories. admittedly, rather comparing apples , oranges, did represent first opportunity in on 2 decades idea of relative performance of champ cars , f1 cousins.

on face of it, there no contest. cristiano da matta s pole time of 1m 18.959s 6.123 seconds shy of 1999 cart champion juan pablo montoya s stunning pole-winning effort aboard bmw/williams @ 2002 gp - sort of discrepancy da matta had predicted in run-up event.

in cart, meanwhile, bridgestone s position sole tire supplier ensured production of more conservative (i.e., harder) compound, prioritizing durability on ultimate pace. granted, f1 tire war fought on grooved rubber rather slicks sported champ cars. bear in mind champ car weighed best part of 400 pounds more f1 counterpart, , general conclusion cart s machinery stacked pretty respectably.

, there s other factor. da matta observed, s pretty unfair comparison, since 1 side spends £100 million more other! think our designers , engineers pretty smart if can close ten percent of budget.

at mazda raceway laguna seca in monterey, california on august 20, 2006, toyota f1 test driver ricardo zonta set new unofficial lap record of 1 06.309, however, in exhibition, not qualifying or race session. official record time 1 07.722, set cart driver hélio castroneves in penske champ car in qualifying 2000 cart honda grand prix of monterey. toyota record eclipsed unofficial mark set march 10, 2007 sébastien bourdais, lapped in 1 05.880 piloting newman/haas/lanigan panoz dp-01 during champ car spring training. 2012 marc gené lapped in 1 05.786, piloting ferrari f2003-ga in 1 exhibition lap, current track record.