Is 4wd banned in F1?

[Anth]

I wonder if 4wd is worth revisiting? with the advances in materials and manufacturing, it might be advantageous

What do you think?

[absbeginner]

Yes four wheel drive is forbidden by rules. Technical regulations state that a F1 car has four wheels, two for traction and two for steering.

[gridwalker]

The two-tier cost-cap regulations that Max Mosley tried to introduce included a provision for 4 wheel KERS harvesting, which I'm pretty sure was included as a way of opening the door for full four wheel drive ... I can't remember exactly what the regulations stated, but it must be an idea that is still on the table.

Fondtech have included 4 wheel drive in the spec for their newly revealed Formula REV car : http://performancedrive.com.au/fondtech ... -revealed/

If this is likely to be introduced for electric vehicle racing (which the FIA is throwing its full weight behind) then it should be the shape of things to come in F1.

[raymondu999]

Would that not induce high speed understeer though?4WD I mean

[HampusA]

Depends on many factors..

50/50 would probably cause more understeer then a 20/80 setup like what Audi is doing now with the R8 etc.

But there could be other stuff related to understeer aswell like CoG, engine placement. (Audi for example have their A4 cars with the engine mounted very far forward compared to let´s say BMW.
Many people have complained about understeer from those cars.
Yet the R8 with it´s 20/80 setup will do everything you ask of it due to the more rear-driven setup.

4WD in F1 would be quicker then RWD in all weathers. Especially when rains starts to come down but also in bone-dry conditions.