Things ... Things we know now that we didn't know before - China GP 2015

[cider_and_toast]

I have a feeling that this GP's edition of the things we know now thread may contain some comments based on the current relationship or lack of at Mercedes. Other areas of note may include Button and Verstappen plus the continued strong showing by the Sauber team.

So, as the title states, what are the things we know now that we didn't know before following the Chinese GP?

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Will Stevens can finish an F1 race in a Manor, and with a fastest lap less than 0.5 seconds slower than Jenson's fastest lap (provided BBC's results are correct?)

 

[cider_and_toast]

I had to look that up out of interest rufus_mcdufus and it is indeed true.

Stevens's best lap was on lap 40, his first full lap after pitting and he did a 1.45.414 on softs. Button's best was a 1.44.991. So Stevens's best lap was only 0.423 seconds slower than Button's best.

It doesn't quite tell the complete story. It looks like a Manor on softs is around 1 second slower than a Honda on mediums.

 

[FB]

Lewis Hamilton could probably have done the whole race in reverse and still beaten everyone.

More seriously, the FIA's decision to not grant a Super Licence to anyone under 18 looks seriously flawed. Mercedes customers don't have the same engines as the works team.

 

[cider_and_toast]

According to Martin Brundle the gap at the front was stage managed in order to reduce the negative effect of Mercedes dominance. According to F1 fans, that didn't work.

 

[Greenlantern101]

Pastor can pass people without crashing into them.

Jenson on the other hand.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Pastor can sometimes be really quite good, but when that happens he has to offset it later by being bad again.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Kimi still has 'it' but could do with a little bit more of 'it'

 

[teabagyokel]

Ferrari make pathetic tokenistic attempts at an undercut, rather than using an imaginative strategy to make Mercedes think.

 

[Greenlantern101]

Nico is well on his way to loosing his marbles.

 

[Brogan]

Mercedes customers don't have the same engines as the works team.

Has that been confirmed?

 

[FB]

Yeah, by the same people who wrote the pre-race agreement between Nico and Lewis

 

[cider_and_toast]

Shall I change it to the 'things we think we know...' thread?

 

[FB]

Just on the Merc Engines (and I was poking the bee hive with a stick) have the other teams copied the split drive/compressor design Mercedes used last year?

 

[cider_and_toast]

Not according to some drawings I've seen. I can't for the life of me remember where they were published, was it on here, Autosport or Motorsport. I'm going to sit and scratch my head for the rest of the afternoon now.

Merc have got it front and back, all of the others have both at the back but in slightly different positions.

 

[Brogan]

I seem to recall reading that Ferrari tried it but encountered some sort of vibration so gave up.

Mercedes managed to resolve it with counter-rotating thingies (or something) and hence were able to resolve the issues and implement it.

 

[FB]

So when these engines arrive they don't come with a set of instructions like an Ikea flat pack, the teams build their own exhausts and decide on the placement of the various units? Do they have to build their own intercooler and radiator systems?

 

[Greenlantern101]

Jolyon Palmer and Jonny Herbert aren't able to fill the void left by Anthony Davidson.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Hang on, you mean do Williams and Team Enstone have their Merc engines set up the same? In that case, yes I'm sure they do.

 

[Grizzly]

Just on the Merc Engines (and I was poking the bee hive with a stick) have the other teams copied the split drive/compressor design Mercedes used last year?

Honda have gone the same route I believe running the shaft right through the valley of the engine. Ferrari had a split setup last year - turbine/ERS-H/Compressor albeit all mounted at the back of the engine, but I believe they had really bad heat soak problems and have gone away from that setup. I think I'm also right in saying that their internal combustion engine performance was never in doubt last year, but had quite a deficit in the ERS-H area due to this overheating issue which they have got round over the winter, providing a good chunk of their engines increased competitiveness....

So when these engines arrive they don't come with a set of instructions like an Ikea flat pack, the teams build their own exhausts and decide on the placement of the various units? Do they have to build their own intercooler and radiator systems?

Yep, air-box, plumbing, intercoolers, radiators, exhaust etc etc all done by the individual team. Certain teams use water to air intercoolers (or charge coolers), which are less efficient generally at cooling the charge air (because ultimately the water in the system heats up), but they are far smaller for the same effect so much neater to package in the side pods giving an aero benefit.