The Turbo Era

When Formula 1 cars had turbos it was a monster in the track. The Formula 1 cars could easily hit 220 miles per hour or more on the straights. The Formula 1 cars in the 1980's had turbo, and those cars in that time frame perhaps had the most horsepower in any decades of Formula 1. The cars were having at least 1000 horsepower and over when they had turbos. The engines have either a 4 cylinder or 6 cylinders with 1.5 liters, but these engines produce an enormous amount of horspower due to the turbo and the boost settings.

At the same time the aerodynamics of the car were improving, so coupled that with the turbo, and the end result was chaos in race day. It was sensational to watch drivers wrestling their cars to keep it on the track and even better when you see them overtaking other drivers. The turbo era was truly one of the best in Formula 1 because this era brought about the real talent and bravery of the drivers.

Now a days we have a Formula 1 car that has electronics that can match tha most high tech airplane. Not only that but even the drivers themselves are programme to just turn, brake, and accelerate. The F1 cars of today have traction control, launch control, electronic diff, semi-automatic, a lot of electronic drivers aid that can help fine tune the cars even more. The competition is not there anymore because of these drivers aid, the team who can develop the best car and combine with all the advance technical electronics will win it all. Sometimes the drivers are more likely to just ease and cruise to victory without having to worry about racing other drivers because he has the more superior car. It's not a level field at all, so you won't see much racing going on.

It was much better back in the day when turbo cars were racing because almost any team in the grid can match any car out in the field. If a driver had plenty of talent, then he can almost certainly snatch a win. When the turbo cars were around; there was a lot of overtaking, almost every lap of the race will have a driver being overtaken by another. Even after securing pole position will not ensure you an easy victory unlike today when you take pole, you will certainly win.


It was a truly a magnificent sight when turbo cars were racing because you know that it's anybodies race. No race belong to a certain car manufacturer because like I said, anybody can certainly win with talent and bravery and a reliable car.