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Right, the Honda 199 prototypedesigned for the japanese factoryin cooperation with Harvey Postlethwaitemany obstacles: firstly, there was thebudget cup which attracted new teamsto enter F1, but then failed tomaterialize; then the financial mishapsof the Campos-Meta team, which in lessthan a month changed owner andbecame Hispania Racing Team, managedby Colin Kolles. Then the debut inBahrein, where the first GP of the seasonwas transformed into a shakedown forthe Dallara chassis.In the Engineer’s wordsMontanari: "The F1 today? Ultra technological, but does it cost too much"Pignacca: "We need regulations to help the show"We spoke about Dallara’s F1 experience withthe director of production and engineer ItaloMontanari, who has been with them since thedays of Scuderia Italia.What is your assessment of Dallare in F1 inthese years?“With regards to the Honda and Midlandprojects, there was a block that did not comefrom us, but from the client. With reference tothe experience with Scuderia Italia on theother hand, I would say it was positive. Wewere one of the few small teams to finishseveral times in the points and to becompetitive”.How do you see F1 today?“It is not good for the small teams. It requires acrazy budget that only the big car companiescan afford. It is difficult to stay afloat for asmall team. Furthermore, at a technologicallevel, in the past the transfer of knowledgebetween track and industry benefited thesmaller teams who took a lot from theinnovations in F1. Now the F1 singleseater is aworld within itself, almost self-referential”.Does the technological evolution also bringmanagement problems?“Yes, I would say almost an exasperation thatmakes you look around at the others. There islittle time to experiment, optimze…”. EngineerLuca Pignacca, Dallara’s chief designer is onthe same wavelength; we asked him what thedifference was between today’s Dallara andthat of twenty years ago. “Compared to twentyyears ago, technology has moved forward inleaps and bounds. What is striking is thecomplexity of all the systems, especiallyelectronic and hydraulic. The Dallara BMS ofScuderia Italia was technologically at a muchlower level than today’s GP2”.Regarding GP2, how is it that in the othercategories the entertainment level and theovertaking chances are much highercompared to F1?“In GP2, for example, the cars are all thesame. Therefore more equilibrium is to beexpected. In F1 the budgets and the cars arevery different from team to team andtherefore the hierarchy of value shows thedisparity. There are more regulations, whichare not concerned with entertainment.Especially for aerodynamics, in F1 when onecar is behind another, overtaking is difficultbecause of the so called “stream”. Even if ithas not been scientifically proven, if the loadwas lower, they would be less sensitive to thestreams.Which are your best memories of Dallara inF1?“I have good memories of the experience withSchuderia Italia. We achieved good results,also getting some podium finishes. Many ofthe little and medium level teams of thatteams vanished, while Dallara is still hereafter twenty years, as stronger and reliiable asever”.Dallara and F1: a history that began in 1988,with fascination and incredible emotions andit is a partnership that should never bewritten off.13