Ask The Apex

[Galahad]

I thought the engine homologation would end in 2014, if so there would be no obligation for manufacturers to supply customers with the latest spec of engine (unless they had signed a contract to that effect). Just as it was before the past 5 years, when e.g. Sauber would always be a year behind with their Ferrari engines.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I don't know about the homlogmonoglog bit...

 

[Galahad]

Someone from the engine shop draws a really big picture of their engine with numbers on it and everything, and sends it to the clever man in Paris, who checks that all their engines are the same as the one in the picture.

They can't change the engine any more unless the man in Paris says so.

 

[sobriety]

Gloriously flippant, yet spot on. If there was a CTA award for perfect post, that would have it.

 

[sushifiesta]

Only vaguely related, but I do find it odd that the internals of the cars (engines, gearboxes, alternators etc.) would appear to stay pretty much the same year to year, at least from an outsider's view point, and yet year to year we see great variations in the reliability of certain devices (McLaren gearboxes, Renault alternators this year, for example).

It's something that isn't talked about a lot compared to the aerodynamics, but it must be equally important and you have to presume that just as many tweaks and optimisations are being made behind the scenes.

 

[Galahad]

I think there's still a fair bit of development in the gearbox department? It isn't that long since the seamless shift was being introduced, and I think they can still play around with gear sizing, materials and packaging, even if the sets of ratios are fixed at the start of the year.

The alternator problems sounded like a batch problem at first, but apparently not. Quite odd.

 

[chreden]

Not including Grosjean's, when was the last time a stop-go was handed out?

Edit - Silverstone last year apparently. Also I was there..

 

[teabagyokel]

chreden - I wonder when the last stop/go was when they didn't do it because the pitlane was too short?

 

[Quintessentially]

When was the last time two drivers from the same team were involved in a racing incident and one was punished?

 

[Jos the Boss]

Alonso Hamilton in Hungary 2007 springs to mind but there must be one after that

 

[Quintessentially]

I'm not sure that qualifies as a 'racing incident'.

 

[The Pits]

The last one I can remember was senna and prost at suzuka in 88, but I have the memory of an amnesiac goldfish.

 

[MCLS]

No penalties handed out at Turkey in 2010, was Monteiro penalised for hitting Albers at Monaco in 2006?

 

[Speshal]

right here's a question, you see the pit crews don their rubber gloves for KERS issues, so why don't they have the discharge strips in the pits anymore as they did when they had refuelling?

 

[chreden]

I think discharge strips were to get rid of static - with KERS there's a (big) power source so you don't really want to be grounding any of that.

 

[Bill Boddy]

When I worked on transmitters running several amps at 10,000 volts we used earthing sticks on everything in sight after switching off. The discharge has to be controlled but it is vital, so why don't they do it?

 

[Fenderman]

The earthing strips discharged the relatively low level static charges that accumulate on the surfaces of the composites used in the bodywork and chassis.Whilst strong enough to induce arcs that could ignite fuel fumes these would would have been rather weak compared to the much higher currents that might flow from a faulty KERS system. Fitting some sort of earthing rod under the car that would, of necessity need, to be a) totally clear of any other part of the car and b) isolated from anything else that could be brought into contact with it other than the ground, would be somewhat problematic. One wouldn't want to be standing in a puddle near the car on a wet race day when a KERS decided to short out, methinks. Avoiding spurious currents from flowing through the car, potentially damaging electronic components, would also be a factor, methinks.

 

[Jos the Boss]

When they go to different tracks with different hand drive, do they have to get a different safety car?

 

[FB]

Don't think so Jos.

Question from me - would a rolling start reduce the number of first lap incidents? Maybe some of our US friends could comment from their experience.

 

[Bill Boddy]

Only a Red Bull fan would think that is a good way to start races.