Formula One Nixes Traction Control for 2008

Drivers hate it and Formula One’s sanctioning body, the FIA, is tired of fighting allegations of cheating, particularly regarding cars that are painted Italian racing red. Traction control, a software-based technology that’s widely available on passenger cars as well, cuts power to the wheels when it detects a loss of grip. Theoretically, any loss of traction slows a race car’s lap times. So the technology should only help. The realities of racing aren’t so cut and dry, however, and there are occasions—when a driver comes on brakes too early, when a competitor shoves a driver to the inside of an apex, etc.—when a little wheel spin is an excellent sacrifice for a recovery that will put a car back on its line. Besides, race-car drivers don’t like having software make decisions for them.