In F1, the "manual" clutch is only used for starts, not gear changes either up or down - which are sequential paddle shift. There is no skill in changing gear in an F1 car, but that doesn't necessarily make them any less involving to drive. I don't think any current F1 driver would prefer to have an H pattern manual box. All it would do is effectively slow the cars down. The skill is not in changing gear, but driving the thing right on the very limit everywhere. Back in the days of fully manual F1 cars, there was a different skill set required in using the manual gearbox and clutch. Chariot racing also required very different skill sets! Which technology appeals more is just a personal thing. I quite enjoy driving classic sportscars with manual gearboxes (often quirky like the Porsche 915 box) and modern sportscars with sequential boxes/paddles. Both are fun in different ways.грязныйдизель wrote: ↑Sat Apr 14, 2018 9:06 amBut F1 cars still have manually operated clutches, no ABS, no traction control and manual diff settings.Frenchy wrote: ↑Fri Apr 13, 2018 7:39 pm PDK gives the best of both worlds, cool or sporty driving - also if manual gear boxes were so great on track , why Formula one don t use them anymore?
Having say that, it s great to still have the choice as in 10yrs time , e-cars will not offer any options...
So your point is not well made. F1 is all about sporting regulations, nothing about how "great" it is.
Some people just like having some significant involvement in the driving experience. Driver aids and smart automatic gearboxes leave you with very little.
Other driver aids like traction/stability control do take away significantly from the skill of driving, but it's hard to imagine letting the public loose in 500+ hp cars without them. There would be a lot of accidents!