The article is based on an interview with Pat Symonds. F1 Racing magazine is available from all good retail outlets.
Jonathan Neale’s interview where he states "CFD is important to us, but we’re wind-tunnel junkies…" can be found here:
http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2011/2/11766.html
Also, here are the official FIA rules on wind tunnel testing I discussed in my original post.
From the Federation Internationale de l' Automobile:
22) TRACK AND WIND TUNNEL TESTING
22.1 a) Track testing shall be considered any track running time undertaken by a competitor entered in the
Championship with the exception of :
i) promotional or demonstration events carried out using tyres provided specifically for this purpose by the appointed supplier ;
ii) one three day young driver training test, carried out on a site approved by the FIA for Formula 1 cars and between the end of the last Event of the Championship and 31 December of the same year, any such driver having not competed in more than two F1 World Championship Events ;
iii) four one day aerodynamic tests carried out on FIA approved straight line or constant radius sites between 1 January 2010 and the end of the last Event of the Championship. Any of these days may be substituted for four hours of wind-on full scale wind tunnel testing to be carried out in a single twenty four hour period.
b) No competitor may carry out more than 15,000km of track testing during a calendar year.
c) No track testing may take place between the start of the week preceding the first Event of the Championship and 31 December of the same year with the following exception.
If a team declares that one of its current race drivers is to be substituted by a driver who has not participated in an F1 race in the two previous calendar years, one day of track testing will be permitted between the start of the week preceding second Event and the last Event of the Championship. The following must be observed :
- Any such day may only be carried out by the new driver and may not take place on a circuit hosting a race in the current Championship year.
- Any such day may only take place within a period 14 days prior to the substitution and 14 days after the substitution has taken place.
- If a team, having declared the driver's substitution and performed the test, does not then enter an Event with the new driver, the team will be penalised by a reduction of one day from the pre-season track testing days available in the following year.
d) During all track testing cars must be fitted with the FIA ECU required by Article 8.2 of the 2009 FIA Formula One Technical Regulations.
e) No track testing is permitted at sites which are not currently approved for use by Formula 1 cars. In order to ensure that venue licence conditions are respected at all times during track testing, competitors are required to inform the FIA of their test schedule in order that an observer may be appointed if deemed necessary.
f) During all Formula One track testing :
- red flag and chequered flag procedures must be respected ;
- no other type of vehicle is permitted on the track ;
- every reasonable effort should be made to ensure that the recommendations concerning emergency services detailed in Article 16 of Appendix H to the Code are followed.
g) If, after an incident during track testing, the Medical Warning Light signals that threshold forces have been exceeded the driver must present himself for examination in the circuit medical centre without delay.
h) With the exception of the full scale testing permitted in 22.1(a) above, no wind tunnel testing may be carried out using a scale model which is greater than 60 percent of full size.
i) No wind tunnel testing may be carried out at a speed exceeding 50 metres/second.
They can also be found here:
http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/sporting_regulations/8713/fia.html
