Ask The Apex

[jez101]

I was faintly embarrassed that the commentators made a meal of it and complained that they couldn't understand. The arrongance of English - we take it for granted that every other nation in the world should speak our language and complain when they don't...

If McLaren don't have a single Italian / Spanish speaker in their 400+ employees, they deserve to lose.

What's the odds though that teams quickly come up with their own code,

Engineer: "Ok Lewis, what do you want from the shops?"
Lewis: "Can you get me two loaves of bread?"
Engineer: "White or wholemeal?"

Back on the thread - Dear Apex, are there any rules that Pit Radio must not mislead stupid commentators TV audiences?

 

[Fenderman]

No. Nor are there any rules to outlaw or control that popular pit-lane game called "Mislead Ted". Nobody knows the origin of this game but we do know that it is now played the length and breadth of the pits. We suspect that it will become a championship in its own right some time around 2021. Prior to that we expect it to be aired as a TV game show on one of those dire channels like E4 (or is that mEh 4?, Can't remember) ...

 

[The Pits]

but we do know that it is now played the length and breadth of the pits.

I would think I may have noticed that!!

 

[Fenderman]

I would think I may have noticed that!!

I'll bet you will now that you've been given a "heads up". The most over used wheeze is the one where he has been given a tip about the next pit-stop and tyre strategy but there are some subtler gags as well. I did intend to compile a record but couldn't be arsed.

 

[downforce]

Will having an extra gear in 2014 mean the cars will approach top speed faster?

ie. having another gear will make all the other gears shorter in comparison allowing greater acceleration and change up through the gears.

I'm aware the absolute top speed would not be affected but surely the acceleration will increase?

 

[RasputinLives]

I would think I may have noticed that!!

Mclaren are the best at it by far. Ted's always on the radio telling us how they feel confident of the win when they have no chance at all, sometimes he says it when they don't even have cars in the race. I think the fact they're focusing on the Kravitz is a loser championship is the reason they mess up some of their pitstops.

 

[Fenderman]

RasputinLives -

downforce - Having an extra ratio gives the engineer and driver more flexibility in two "departments". Firstly, as you say they can chose to keep the ratios closer, say for a circuit like Monaco, enabling faster acceleration to, but maxing out at, a lower top speed. On the other hand for fast top-speed circuits like Monza they can have a different spread of ratios that will enable a higher top speed for the straights and high speed corners whilst having closer ratios at the "lower" end of the range for the tighter turns and knadgery chicanes.

 

[no-FIAt-please]

When was the longest period between drivers winning their home races? Are we currently in it because it's nearly been 3.5 seasons since Massa won in Brasil?

 

[Incubus]

I don't know but Schumacher must be in with a shout as he won the German GP in 1995 and had to wait 2002 before winning it again. I take it you mean their "own" home GP as opposed to any event on any track dubbed "European Grand Prix"?

 

[no-FIAt-please]

Yes, I wouldn't count the European GP.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

I would count it. Surely the point is winning in front of your home crowd.

 

[teabagyokel]

As I counted it, that's broke the duck after 3 and a half years.

 

[no-FIAt-please]

What a timely question!

 

[Incubus]

Niki Lauda in 1984 won the title without ever qualifying on the front row that year. Alonso would have have been on course to repeat that this year had it not been for Hamilton's quali disqualification in Barcelona.
Has there even been another instance of a driver winning the title within a season in which they never qualified in the front two places on the grid?

 

[tooncheese]

Incubus No, however Denny Hulme achieved no poles in 1967 but 2 second places.

 

[F1Yorkshire]

I've got a couple of questions which are not really racing related but would be interested to know the answers to.

These days sports teams are always adding stars to logo's to denote titles won. This is no different in F1 I've noticed this year, Schumacher has 7 stars on his baseball cap, the official Ferrari cap has a number of stars and this years Lotus has 3 stars just in front of the driver.

My question is what championships do those Lotus stars represent? Are they 3 world titles for Lotus which would be cheeky as this Lotus team never won those titles so do they belong to Bennetton or Renault?

My other question is do with the logistics side of things, I noticed the Mercedes team using a Merc truck to pack all their gear into, McLaren also use Merc trucks as it is their engine supplier and Lotus seemed to have a Renault but Force India use MAN I believe, so it seems that teams generally use their engine suppliers trucks.

My question is what do Ferrari and Red Bull use? I'm not big on italian truck manufacturers and I cant see them using a rival teams trucks either. The same applies with Red Bull, I think it would be Renualt but not entirely sure.

 

[no-FIAt-please]

My question is what do Ferrari and Red Bull use? I'm not big on italian truck manufacturers and I cant see them using a rival teams trucks either. The same applies with Red Bull, I think it would be Renualt but not entirely sure.

Red Bull use Scania and Ferrari use Iveco.

 

[tooncheese]

My question is what championships do those Lotus stars represent? Are they 3 world titles for Lotus which would be cheeky as this Lotus team never won those titles so do they belong to Bennetton or Renault?

Benneton 1995
Renault 2005
Renault 2006

Team Lotus won seven titles.

 

[no-FIAt-please]

When was the longest period between drivers winning their home races? Are we currently in it because it's nearly been 3.5 seasons since Massa won in Brasil?

In answer to myself... (this was taken from a COTD on F1 Fanatic)

It was first time since 2008 Brazilian GP since the driver won his home race. The longest such streak is between 1958 (won by Peter Collins) and 1962 British GPs (won by Jim Clark). Besides these two, the other time as there has been three years between two wins, is gap between 1995 European GP (Nurburgring, won by Schumacher) and 1999 British GP (won by Coulthard).

 

[Bill Boddy]

If you discount the European GP then Alonso did not win his home race this year.