Ask The Apex

[no-FIAt-please]

Sporting directors look after track side operations and matters pertaining to the competitive part of F1 (not just the design and corporate front). For example Michael overhauled McLaren's pit stop procedures in 2012, which once bedded in meant that McLaren had the fastest pit crew in the second half of the season.

 

[Olivier]

Back in the day Senna said he would drive for Williams for $0 just for the benefit of driving the best car (that didn't happen). Has there been any driver that neither got a salary nor had to pay (themselves or through sponsors) for their drive?

 

[FB]

Wasn't Nelson Piquet on a pounds for points contract at Benetton?

 

[downforce]

£1 per point?

 

[Slyboogy]

Barrichello at Brawn maybe?

I'm sure both drivers at the time had to pay for their own travel, as for salary, I can't remember.

 

[Olivier]

FB and Slyboogy, thanks!

Cheers

 

[Mika's Italian Tears]

So, there's one small thing I am not able to figure out. How do drivers track their actual KERS usage on a lap, ie how do know the exact number of seconds left for KERS usage on a lap?

I have looked at images of various steering wheels and while there's a KERS button (of course), I dont think they can actually track their KERS usage during a lap (like TV viewers, with the red battery thing). So, I guess they just have to remember their KERS usage on a lap (team radio assistance?) and have an approximate estimate of the time left (may be tricky during a race, where the usage may not be at the same place in different laps).

Any thoughts on the above?

Cheer'o

 

[Brogan]

Is it not controlled by the ECU?

 

[canis]

When the KERS button is pressed you will see a countdown on the steering wheel display, it will vary from team to team but this is the amount of KERS usage left for that lap. Some display seconds and some display percentage values, but the result is the same, when the counter reaches 0 then no more KERS for that lap...

 

[Mika's Italian Tears]

When the KERS button is pressed you will see a countdown on the steering wheel display, it will vary from team to team but this is the amount of KERS usage left for that lap. Some display seconds and some display percentage values, but the result is the same, when the counter reaches 0 then no more KERS for that lap...

Yeah, makes sense. Actually, this was my first thought too, but I looked-up a couple of onboard videos on Youtube during KERS usage and wasn't clearly able to see the countdown on the steering display.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Jos the Boss]

When was the last time Mark Webber gained places off the start?!

 

[Brogan]

Is that a trick question?

 

[Fenderman]

 

[cider_and_toast]

Is this the "Start" you meant?

 

[tooncheese]

When was the last time Mark Webber gained places off the start?!

Two races ago in Austin.

 

[sushifiesta]

Looking back at lap charts on here, he overtook Hamilton off the start at Austin and made up a few places on the first lap at Spa. I think they're the most recent two examples.

EDIT: tooncheese beat me

 

[Brogan]

Austin doesn't count due to the problems with the even side of the grid.

 

[sushifiesta]

And Spa was the Grosjean incident I've just remembered... he also made up places in the first lap at Hungary (the race before Spa) though.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Are McLaren the only team to use a mission control centre of operations to plan their weekend as it happens or do other teams use this method? I've never heard of Ferrari for example, having the same kind of set up at Maranello?

 

[Fenderman]

I understand that most if not all of the teams have some level of cloud based services to back up their pit wall telemetry as a precaution against communications and power failure that quite often occurs on the pit wall. Whether or not many of them go as far as McLaren in having a fully blown "mission control" I'm not sure. I believe Red Bull and Ferrari do have something similar but again I'm not entirely sure. Maybe someone else with insider knowledge would like to share their insight (he said hopefully)