Ask The Apex

[The Pits]

Mercedes definitely have people working at the base. With the rra limits in the number of people who can attend gp's and the garage curfew it makes sense to have any function that can be remote set up.

 

[canis]

Most if not all of the staff used to travel to the circuit in the old days, but as there is now a limit on the number of staff that can be present (not only through RRA but also the number of passes that the team will receive for each race) then the teams have had to find ways to keep the same information flow and processing power without those people present. At the very least all the data at track side will be sent back to base in some way, but some of the teams definitely have 2 way data flow going on as with the processing power back at the factories they have the ability to predict how changes to the car will effect the performance and handling. This means that if the temp changes they can calculate the right tyre pressures, wing changes etc to make the car perform in the best way. In some cases this works brilliantly, in others not so well.

With the increase of real time remote systems the use of this type of work will just increase as time goes on and some of the teams are investing heavily in this technology to find ways to take advantage of their base factories in new ways that were not available even 5 years ago.

 

[downforce]

How would a 2004 Minardi compare to a 2013 Red-Bull?

 

[tooncheese]

Last years dry pole at Albert Park was a 1.24.9. Minardi's 2004 time was a 1.30.6, compared to Ferrari's 1.24.4. Pole in 2000 was a 1.30.5 for Hakkinen.

 

[downforce]

But what was the qualli system at the time, did they have starting fuel, cos that would have skewered it.

 

[Kamui-FastestChefInTheWorld]

2004 I think was low fuel, 2005 was one shot Q1/Q2 for the start, then the second half and since then it's been Q1/Q2/Q3.

So 2004 was a 1-hour, low fuel session I believe

 

[The Artist.....]

2002 was when 1 lap qualifying was introduced....

 

[liloyster]

My question is basically how much input can a driver realistically have in prolonging the life of their tyres? I've seen quite a lot of talk of drivers such as Button and Perez having superior tyre management, yet they did 3 stops in the race whereas the Force Indias and Raikonnen did 2 stops. Also Gutierrez did 30 laps on a set of primes in the sauber on a 2 stop. So I ask are some drivers able to 'nurse' their tyres better than others, or does it all come down to what car you are driving?

 

[RickD]

liloyster - I would say half and half. If you have a car that chews tyres, there is no way you are going to be able to save them or put much in the way of extra distance on them, but if you have a car that does the opposite, they will not last long either as they need to get to a working temperature. If certain drivers have the right car, they can make a difference and eek out a few extra laps by taking it slightly easy on them and not spinning them up as much.

 

[no-FIAt-please]

It's not just how long you can make the tires (is it with an i or a y?!) last. It's how far you can get them while still at a pace that keeps you in touch with people on more pit stops. I'd say it really depends on track and circumstance, for example at Malaysia 2011 Hamilton destroyed his tires and fell way back while Button went on to finish 2nd, but at Spain 2012 Hamilton was the only driver to do a 2 stop. Basically they can have quite a lot of input but it varies widely from track-to-track and driver-to-driver.

 

[gethinceri]

It's with a y.

 

[Jos the Boss]

Could you set a lap in the earlier part of Q3 with the car underweight on fuel, come into the pits, refuel and not go out?

 

[tooncheese]

Jos the Boss, there isn't a rule about being underweight on fuel, only providing a fuel sample, and total car weight. So I don't see why not.

 

[sushifiesta]

I'm pretty sure the teams don't run much above empty in qualifying anyway, I suspect even if the cars are empty they would meet the minimum weight requirements. A 1 litre fuel sample will weigh less than a kilogram and at that point you're within fluctuations of driver weights etc. and talking about gains of hundredths of a second in lap time rather than tenths.

 

[Senna's_right_foot]

2 questions for the tech-heads (of which there are many on here, thankfully ):

1. Are adjustable rear wings legal? I mean adjustable in the same way the front wings can be adjusted by mechanics at pit stops. I believe Villeneuve brought the idea with him to Williams in '96 from Indycar. I'm guessing they wouldn't offer much of an advantage given that most of the rear aero seems to be centered around the coke bottle and diffuser thesedays.

2. Are suspension systems which can be adjusted by mechanics at pit stops legal? I've wondered why they couldn't have a system which meant the mechanics could lower the suspension accordingly as the fuel load decreased during a race - surely the extra few seconds it would take would be offset with the increase in performance?

 

[Fenderman]

1. The only adjustment on the rear wing that I believe is allowed is via a removable Gurneyflap
2. Suspension can be adjusted by a mechanic in a pit stop provided that he needs to use a hand tool to make the adjustment.. Teams are not allowed to have a handle, knob or automated device permanently affixed to the mechanism to achieve the adjustment.

Edit: I would need to consult the reg's to confirm item 1 but I am certain about item 2 as I recall one of the teams ran foul of the adjuster rule last season (I think it was Red Bull but my memory aint too good on that bit).

 

[Senna's_right_foot]

Fenderman - yes it was Red Bull, an adjuster was found at the front of Webber's car, from memory. In terms of the adjustability, surely 'all' it would need is a bolt to which a mechamic would adust with a pre-loaded gun (similar to a wheel gun but designed to only turn a certain amount each time). I've had cars fitted with adjustable coilover suspension which was height adjustable using a small spanner.
In fact, bugger this i'm off to email McLaren

 

[Fenderman]

Woah there Senna's_right_foot , note the phrase "hand tool" . Although us mere mortals think of things like pneumatic wheel guns, electric screw drivers and drills, etc, as hand tools the good old FIA cover their arses and exclude "powered tools" in this instance as well. There's pedantry for you!. Of course it would be simpler if they just stated that "the mechanic must use a spanner".

 

[Senna's_right_foot]

Ah. In that case, think of a hand whisk with a 13mm socket welded onto the end instead of the whisk bits -(technical term). Except made of carbotanium and costing about the same as my whole car.

 

[Fenderman]

It just occured to me that if McLaren use one of their pit stop mechanics isn't that the same as using a "tool" anyway?


Please note: My apologies to all at McLaren - this comment is purely meant in jest