Ask The Apex

[Incubus]

Just having a poke around on the net and most of the stories seem to suggest there was a manufacturing problem with the Michelin tyres bought to the race. Running at higher pressures reduced the problem but didn't solve it

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I'm not sure about that point FB, I vaguely seem to remember Michelin after the initial incident to R Schumacher were planning as an emergengy measure to fly the Barcelona-specification tyres to Indianapolis but had to pull out of that because tests conducted on these revealed the same problem.

 

[LifeW12]

A simple 1 day tyre test would have found the problems, but of course they couldn't test there. So they were damned before the plane took off from Paris.

 

[FB]

From my first link:

the only alternative tires Michelin could supply were the ones designed for the Barcelona GP. Those had similar construction to the Indy tires, but in the end, Michelin wasn't sure they would work at Indy, either

 

[LifeW12]

I always think about the design of and where the chicane would have been built. I assume it would have been around the pit entry area and have a left-right layout (as to not turn down the banking). Something like this maybe?

They might have also moved the pit speed limit up to the start of the pit in, to avoid the speed difference issues.

Yellow = tyres
Green = steel kerbing

 

[Bleu]

The use of race fuel in qualifying made it more difficult to use practice time between qualifying and race to accomodate the possible chicane.

The option I could have find possible would have been two 15-minute sessions where each team uses its spare car - those were still in use at that point. First session for #1 drivers in the team and second for #2 drivers - or vice versa.

 

[FB]

What race was it the lead car asked the safety car to slow down in the rain as he couldn't keep up?

 

[teabagyokel]

Was it Fuji 2007? That one was a mess.

 

[teabagyokel]

I know I've asked this before, but here's a question:

Since the advent of the 2-car rule, how many combinations have there been of four drivers who have all been team-mates in a Grand Prix at different stages in their career.

I can think of just the one, which is:

M. Schumacher/Barrichello/Irvine/Herbert.

Are there any others?

 

[Bleu]

Fisichella/Massa/Alonso/Räikkönen

Fisichella-Massa at Sauber 2004
Fisichella-Alonso at Renault 2005-06
Massa-Räikkönen at Ferrari 2007-09
Fisichella-Räikkönen at Ferrari 2009 (late season injury replacement for Massa)
Massa-Alonso at Ferrari 2010-13
Alonso-Räikkönen at Ferrari 2014

 

[teabagyokel]

Yep. Since you did, I'll show my working:

Schubert: Benetton 1995
Schirvine: Ferrari 1996-99
Schuchello: Ferrari 2000-05
Herbvine: Jaguar 2000
Herbichello: Stewart 1999
Irvichello: Jordan 1993-95

 

[cider_and_toast]

This has been doing my head in for days. I will find one !!!!

 

[FB]

There must be one involving Ronnie Peterson as he drove for nearly every team at some point in his career.

 

[LifeW12]

Villeneuve/Frentzen/Massa/Heidfeld??

 

[Mephistopheles]

I can't remember when JV was teammates with Massa..

 

[LifeW12]

Sauber, 2005.

I don't think Frenzten was ever teammates with Massa. He drove Massa's car for one race.

 

[teabagyokel]

I thought of that one, but it does fall down on HHF/Massa.

I couldn't find a fourth driver for Jacques/Damon/HHF either.

 

[LifeW12]

I read somewhere that the reason Hamilton slowed at Brazil in 2007 was that he actually hit the pit speed limiter while removing a tearoff, is this true?

 

[Bill Boddy]

Wasn't it a bit early to be tearing strips off the visor?

 

[Brogan]

Which was the last race (prior to the 2015 Hungarian GP) in which the safety car led the field through the pits?

 

[teabagyokel]

2014 Japanese Grand Prix. Admittedly it was under red flag rather than yellow.

I suspect it is a first, although the SC did take a short cut past the Schumacher/Liuzzi incident at Abu Dhabi in 2010.

Were the cars allowed to "box" when they drove through the pit lane in such a circumstance - could have been a free stop for Verstappen, for example.