F1 in 2011
- Thread starter David Morton
- Start date
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
Article about changes in Renault on WWW.Crash.net:
<TABLE itxtNodeId="364" itxtHarvested="0"><TBODY itxtNodeId="365" itxtHarvested="0"><TR vAlign=top itxtNodeId="366" itxtHarvested="0"><TD itxtNodeId="367" itxtHarvested="0">Lotus Renault GP confirms new F1 team manager
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On a wholeheartedly encouraging opening day's practice in Valencia ahead of this weekend's European Grand Prix, Lotus Renault GP unveils its higher management reshuffle
<TABLE itxtNodeId="371" itxtHarvested="0"><TBODY itxtNodeId="372" itxtHarvested="0"><TR itxtNodeId="373" itxtHarvested="0"><TD itxtNodeId="374" itxtHarvested="0"><SCRIPT src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1" itxtNodeId="376" itxtBad="1"></SCRIPT><?xml:namespace prefix = fb /><fb:like class=" fb_edge_widget_with_comment fb_iframe_widget" itxtNodeId="375" itxtHarvested="0" font="" href="http://www.crash.net/f1/news/170619/1/lotus_renault_gp_confirms_new_f1_team_manager.html" show_faces="false" width="468"></fb:like></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Lotus Renault GP has served notice of its intent in F1 by confirming that John Wickham has been appointed as the new team manager, with chief engineer Alan Permane taking on greater responsibilities in a streamlining and shake-up of the upper hierarchy.
The reshuffle was prompted by an efficiency study conducted by former A1GP head of operations Wickham that led to the resignation of erstwhile sporting director Steve Nielsen – and Lotus Renault GP managing director Eric Boullier is convinced that the changes represent a decisive shift in the right direction.
“I think it is just another step in maybe bringing some new ideas, and to go for the next step where I want the team to be,” the Frenchman is quoted as having said by AFP. “For what I want to achieve with the team, John has great experience of where I want his job to be. It is not about replacing a sporting director; it is more splitting responsibilities. Alan Permane will have more responsibilities on the sporting side, and I need more focus on the race team itself.”
<TABLE itxtNodeId="364" itxtHarvested="0"><TBODY itxtNodeId="365" itxtHarvested="0"><TR vAlign=top itxtNodeId="366" itxtHarvested="0"><TD itxtNodeId="367" itxtHarvested="0">Lotus Renault GP confirms new F1 team manager
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
On a wholeheartedly encouraging opening day's practice in Valencia ahead of this weekend's European Grand Prix, Lotus Renault GP unveils its higher management reshuffle
<TABLE itxtNodeId="371" itxtHarvested="0"><TBODY itxtNodeId="372" itxtHarvested="0"><TR itxtNodeId="373" itxtHarvested="0"><TD itxtNodeId="374" itxtHarvested="0"><SCRIPT src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1" itxtNodeId="376" itxtBad="1"></SCRIPT><?xml:namespace prefix = fb /><fb:like class=" fb_edge_widget_with_comment fb_iframe_widget" itxtNodeId="375" itxtHarvested="0" font="" href="http://www.crash.net/f1/news/170619/1/lotus_renault_gp_confirms_new_f1_team_manager.html" show_faces="false" width="468"></fb:like></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Lotus Renault GP has served notice of its intent in F1 by confirming that John Wickham has been appointed as the new team manager, with chief engineer Alan Permane taking on greater responsibilities in a streamlining and shake-up of the upper hierarchy.
The reshuffle was prompted by an efficiency study conducted by former A1GP head of operations Wickham that led to the resignation of erstwhile sporting director Steve Nielsen – and Lotus Renault GP managing director Eric Boullier is convinced that the changes represent a decisive shift in the right direction.
“I think it is just another step in maybe bringing some new ideas, and to go for the next step where I want the team to be,” the Frenchman is quoted as having said by AFP. “For what I want to achieve with the team, John has great experience of where I want his job to be. It is not about replacing a sporting director; it is more splitting responsibilities. Alan Permane will have more responsibilities on the sporting side, and I need more focus on the race team itself.”
Last edited:
Pete McCluskey.
Lifetime Supporter
Teams face strategy challenge - Hembery
Chris Medland
June 26, 2011
Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery says the teams will be faced with challenging strategies due to the heat in today's European Grand Prix.
Pirelli has brought the medium and soft compound tyre to Valencia, and with the difference between the two being more than 1.5s on average, it is the soft tyre that will be favoured during the race. Track temperatures during the race are expected to reach 46C, and in an exclusive interview with ESPNF1 Hembery said that the teams will have to react to how long they can make the soft tyre last during the opening laps.
"We've already run the soft tyre in these extreme conditions and heat," Hembery said. "We've run in Malaysia which is an extremely aggressive track, a very hot track, and that's a high speed track as well - so we don't have any concerns. It's more likely to be for the teams to develop their strategy, because they didn't do any long runs on the soft tyre [in the heat] because they were concentrating on qualifying.
"I think you'll find that when there's been four more support races and track temperatures at 45 or 46 degrees, it's going to be a big challenge for the teams and they'll be monitoring very closely that first stint when they start the race."
Hembery said he expected teams to opt for a three-stop strategy to get the most track time on the soft tyre, but that a variety of options were available.
"If we were looking at just pure wear levels it's probably going to be two, but I think you'll find that with a performance difference of 1.5-2 seconds that teams will try to maximise the use of the soft tyre as much as they can and will do a three stop strategy."
Hembery also admitted that the gap in performance was bigger than Pirelli had wanted, but that it was mainly down to the hotter than expected track conditions and trying to find the best compounds to fit each circuit.
"It's probably 15 degrees hotter (than Friday) on the track and that's changed certainly some of the performance. The soft tyre in qualifying with such high heat has been giving huge amounts of compound grip, and the medium tyre from that point of view has been a little bit slower than we would have liked. We were aiming actually for something between 1-1.5 seconds peak performance difference and we've seen in some occasions that it's got up to nearly two."
"The temperatures are certainly one aspect of it. In reality the medium we brought here - because we wanted to get some race experience with it before we go to Silverstone - is a compound that we probably wouldn't have brought here, under normal circumstances we would have come here with the super-soft compound which is what we use for street circuits. Having said that the super-soft at 46 degrees track temperature would be right at its limits of durability, so it's one of those challenges where there's probably not the perfect solution when you've only got four compounds to choose from."
Chris Medland
June 26, 2011
Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery says the teams will be faced with challenging strategies due to the heat in today's European Grand Prix.
Pirelli has brought the medium and soft compound tyre to Valencia, and with the difference between the two being more than 1.5s on average, it is the soft tyre that will be favoured during the race. Track temperatures during the race are expected to reach 46C, and in an exclusive interview with ESPNF1 Hembery said that the teams will have to react to how long they can make the soft tyre last during the opening laps.
"We've already run the soft tyre in these extreme conditions and heat," Hembery said. "We've run in Malaysia which is an extremely aggressive track, a very hot track, and that's a high speed track as well - so we don't have any concerns. It's more likely to be for the teams to develop their strategy, because they didn't do any long runs on the soft tyre [in the heat] because they were concentrating on qualifying.
"I think you'll find that when there's been four more support races and track temperatures at 45 or 46 degrees, it's going to be a big challenge for the teams and they'll be monitoring very closely that first stint when they start the race."
Hembery said he expected teams to opt for a three-stop strategy to get the most track time on the soft tyre, but that a variety of options were available.
"If we were looking at just pure wear levels it's probably going to be two, but I think you'll find that with a performance difference of 1.5-2 seconds that teams will try to maximise the use of the soft tyre as much as they can and will do a three stop strategy."
Hembery also admitted that the gap in performance was bigger than Pirelli had wanted, but that it was mainly down to the hotter than expected track conditions and trying to find the best compounds to fit each circuit.
"It's probably 15 degrees hotter (than Friday) on the track and that's changed certainly some of the performance. The soft tyre in qualifying with such high heat has been giving huge amounts of compound grip, and the medium tyre from that point of view has been a little bit slower than we would have liked. We were aiming actually for something between 1-1.5 seconds peak performance difference and we've seen in some occasions that it's got up to nearly two."
"The temperatures are certainly one aspect of it. In reality the medium we brought here - because we wanted to get some race experience with it before we go to Silverstone - is a compound that we probably wouldn't have brought here, under normal circumstances we would have come here with the super-soft compound which is what we use for street circuits. Having said that the super-soft at 46 degrees track temperature would be right at its limits of durability, so it's one of those challenges where there's probably not the perfect solution when you've only got four compounds to choose from."
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
Charlie is the Tech Guru of the FIA and controls the start procedure and running at each F1 race.
Excerpts from Charlie Whiting's press conference at the Valencia Street Circuit,
Engine map change restrictions
Simply put, what are teams now banned from doing under parc ferme conditions?
The teams are not allowed to make any changes with a computer that they plug in. The drivers are still allowed to change things from the steering wheel [however] the single ECU only supports fine adjustments from the steering wheel.
In very general terms, anything that can be done from the wheel is OK, anything they need to connect a computer for is not.
We are on the verge of issuing a note to the teams to give them a list of things that they can change when they connect their computers but that will be a very limited list.
What will happen if the weather conditions change between qualifying and the race?
We will allow certain changes to be made for ambient conditions. Normally, we only announce a change of climatic conditions if one [session] is dry and one is wet, but we have indicated to the teams that if there is a change in ambient temperature of more than 10¡C between qualifying and the race, we would allow them to compensate for that. But that's all.
What is the goal of implementing this change?
A team can't have a base map in the ECU that is only good for a few laps. If you want to use it, you have to use it for the whole race.
There isn't anything to prevent [a team] from exploiting the use of their exhaust gasses, providing those exhaust gasses are there for the genuine reason of engine combustion.
Will this affect every team equally, or will some suffer a greater penalty?
It is not for us to say whether or not one team will be penalised more than another. If depends how extreme they're going [with their previous map]. I've certainly seen evidence of maps from a number of teams that are 'extremely' extreme. And it's not confined to one team.
Why do you want to see this stopped?
Because it's illegal.
How big an effect will this have on qualifying lap times?
It isn't something that we concern ourselves with and it's impossible for us to quantify it. However, during discussions I've heard that the most extreme maps may give you half a second a lap, but that would vary from car to car.
Blown diffusers
Why will the off-throttle blown diffusers be banned from Silverstone onwards?
We know exhaust gasses have an influence on the aerodynamic performance of the car and we accept that. The point is that a design should not attempt to use the exhaust for a completely different reason [aerodynamics as a primary, rather than a secondary effect].
What are the new operating conditions with regard to throttle opening and spark?
We only want to target this one specific issue, what we think is illegal use of maps for aero reasons. We don't want to influence the perfectly legitimate systems on the car, engine braking for example. We're happy for them to use that, but we want to be sure it isn't being abused.
We're saying that if a driver comes off the throttle, zero pedal, then the throttles have got to be [maximum] 10 percent open at 12,000rpm and [maximum] 20 percent open at 18,000rpm.
One engine manufacturer is asking for a little bit more, for what appear to be genuine reasons. We have the ability to go back on this particular point, to look at 2009 maps, when [teams] did not have in place the exhausts that they have now. If they needed 28 percent throttle in order to achieve 0Nm at 18,000rpm back then, then that would appear to be a perfectly reasonable request.
The engines haven't changed, they are homologated engines and identical to the ones we have used from 2007 onwards.
Similarly, we will look at any extreme use of ignition. We will know what the team used to do with regard to fuelling and ignition. If we see a clear imbalance then I think we will suspect it is being done for different reasons [other than delivering torque].
We haven't put clear limits, we haven't put plus or minus 20¡, for example, for a given torque demand. We have just said the set up that you use for fuelling and ignition must be normal for the demanded torque. We are looking for anything abnormal. I think that's the best we can do for the moment.
Does that mean there will not be blanket limits across all makes of engine?
A lot of it depends on engine architecture. For example, we have to be very careful not to disadvantage barrel throttles versus butterfly throttles, because they have a distinctly different way of working. In answer to the question, if it's clear that in 2009 one engine with a butterfly throttle only needed 15 percent [at zero pedal] but another engine using a barrel throttle needed 20 percent, we could make a distinction. We don't want to put a figure across the board which will affect one team in a different way to another.
Why will this ban appear at Silverstone? Why not earlier?
Our argument is that there is a strong case to suggest they [blown diffusers] are illegal. Ultimately, the stewards will decide.
We have not had protests yet. I think we got close to a protest in Monaco. I gave the team in question an assurance that we were going to follow this through, we weren't going to give it up. On that basis we haven't had any protests yet, though I have always emphasised to the teams that this option is open to them.
I think everyone is doing the same thing, to some degree, so I think we need to be sensible about this and approach it in a pragmatic way to get the situation under control.
There is a perception that decisions like this are political rather than technical, and damage the image of F1. What is your opinion?
I'm aware of some stories being written, but to be frank with you, I know it's not a political decision. I know it's purely a technical intervention on our side and I feel perfectly comfortable with that.
In recent years both the F-Duct and the double diffuser have been banned, but not until the end of the season. Would it not be simpler to allow the current technology to stay in place until the end of this year?
No, because the double diffuser and the F-Duct were legal. [In those cases] during the course of the season the teams got together with us and we decided they weren't good for F1 and weren't needed, so we wrote laws to outlaw them. But they complied with the rules, which is why they were allowed to stay until the end of the season. They were completely different to the situation we have now.
Safety Cars and race stoppages
Regarding the Canadian Grand Prix, the Safety Car starts, Safety Car periods and the red flag, did everything operate as you wished it to there?
The decisions that needed to be taken weren't particularly hard. When it rained it was quite clear we needed to stop the race.
I think there are two things we've learned from suspending a race this year. One is we need to discuss with the teams whether or not working on cars should be allowed and whether a change of tyres should be allowed during a [race] suspension.
Also, and I never would have thought it, we maybe need to think about a maximum time for the race. At the moment, as you know, the time for any suspension is added onto the two hours [maximum race time], that's why we ran for four hours and four minutes. We're going to discuss that with the teams.
I think the procedures worked perfectly well. Unfortunately, quite a few spectators left. I don't know what happened with television broadcasts, that must have been quite difficult for TV companies, to know when to cut to something else and how long it was going to be. It would be nice to have been able to say during the suspension how long it might be, but it was almost impossible to say, because apart from knowing when the rain was likely to stop there was the problem of clearing up water on the track, which was quite serious. I think the guys that did hang around got a good show.
How do you decide between a racing start and a Safety Car start?
We look at what the likelihood of bad visibility is. That's the main thing. We have to make a call as to whether we think visibility is acceptable or not. [In Canada] we didn't think it was. I think the conditions were quite bad and when we actually got the race underway it was on the limit for visibility. My personal view is that this was the right decision.
I know we can all go back 25 years and remember worse conditions but I think we are expected to do things slightly differently these days. As far as the race resumption is concerned, I think we did eight laps behind the Safety car. It's always going to be a judgement call and we have to make that judgement but I think it's better to err on the side of safety. I maintain that it was the right decision to start the race with the Safety car. I'm not expecting everyone to agree.
Are you looking again at the rule that would put lapped cars to the back of the field to allow the leaders to race cleanly at the front?
Yes, it's on the agenda. We've attempted this before, as you know, but the procedure then was a bit complicated. I think there are simpler ways of doing it and we've discussed a few, but we haven't been able to agree on anything.
I agree that when the restart comes you don't want lapped cars there as it dilutes the field.
Do you take into account what the drivers are saying on the radio when making these decisions?
We listen to all the drivers' conversations [and consider] a selection of opinions from drivers' whose opinions we think count. We also take account of what position they're in.
In Canada, we were listening and you get the odd driver, usually the same one or two, who say 'Oh come on let's go, let's go', and then there are others who say it's not ready yet. We usually take their advice. It's very worthwhile listening to the drivers.
A good example of that was in Korea last year, where it was getting dark towards the end of the race. We were listening to the top six drivers, only two of whom were complaining. One of those two, his rear tyres had completely gone, so he had another reason for wanting the race stopped.
DRS
What was your feeling about the double DRS zone in Canada. Did it work, are we likely to see it feature again in the races after Valencia?
I don't think it worked in Canada. We weren't really expecting it to. It was more an experiment, as the second section was too short. One of the things that has emerged from it is that, if a driver passes in the first sector he's then able to use the wing again in the second. We were aware of this, of course, but we've had a chat with the drivers about this and the general feeling is that we shouldn't allow the driver to use it for a second time if he has passed in the first sector.
It isn't a trivial matter to get that to happen automatically, so we're still discussing it. We are going to try to use two sectors more but I think we do need to address this point.
Are you looking at having two detection zones in the future? Are there technological problems with doing this?
If we had two detection points we would need two notification points and two activation points. It doubles the chance of something going wrong, and we have had a few problems because it all relies on loops and beacons beside the track. That's the only thing I'm a little wary of.
[The idea of] having two zones emerged in discussions after Australia, where the first straight wasn't quite long enough. Obviously in Canada the first activation zone was sufficient and the second one was really a bit of a bonus. I don't think it worked out as intended. I think it could work here [in Valencia] because we have two decent sized zones.
But yes, in answer to the question, we could do it with two of each but it doubles the amount of work and it double the chance of something going wrong.
Excerpts from Charlie Whiting's press conference at the Valencia Street Circuit,
Engine map change restrictions
Simply put, what are teams now banned from doing under parc ferme conditions?
The teams are not allowed to make any changes with a computer that they plug in. The drivers are still allowed to change things from the steering wheel [however] the single ECU only supports fine adjustments from the steering wheel.
In very general terms, anything that can be done from the wheel is OK, anything they need to connect a computer for is not.
We are on the verge of issuing a note to the teams to give them a list of things that they can change when they connect their computers but that will be a very limited list.
What will happen if the weather conditions change between qualifying and the race?
We will allow certain changes to be made for ambient conditions. Normally, we only announce a change of climatic conditions if one [session] is dry and one is wet, but we have indicated to the teams that if there is a change in ambient temperature of more than 10¡C between qualifying and the race, we would allow them to compensate for that. But that's all.
What is the goal of implementing this change?
A team can't have a base map in the ECU that is only good for a few laps. If you want to use it, you have to use it for the whole race.
There isn't anything to prevent [a team] from exploiting the use of their exhaust gasses, providing those exhaust gasses are there for the genuine reason of engine combustion.
Will this affect every team equally, or will some suffer a greater penalty?
It is not for us to say whether or not one team will be penalised more than another. If depends how extreme they're going [with their previous map]. I've certainly seen evidence of maps from a number of teams that are 'extremely' extreme. And it's not confined to one team.
Why do you want to see this stopped?
Because it's illegal.
How big an effect will this have on qualifying lap times?
It isn't something that we concern ourselves with and it's impossible for us to quantify it. However, during discussions I've heard that the most extreme maps may give you half a second a lap, but that would vary from car to car.
Blown diffusers
Why will the off-throttle blown diffusers be banned from Silverstone onwards?
We know exhaust gasses have an influence on the aerodynamic performance of the car and we accept that. The point is that a design should not attempt to use the exhaust for a completely different reason [aerodynamics as a primary, rather than a secondary effect].
What are the new operating conditions with regard to throttle opening and spark?
We only want to target this one specific issue, what we think is illegal use of maps for aero reasons. We don't want to influence the perfectly legitimate systems on the car, engine braking for example. We're happy for them to use that, but we want to be sure it isn't being abused.
We're saying that if a driver comes off the throttle, zero pedal, then the throttles have got to be [maximum] 10 percent open at 12,000rpm and [maximum] 20 percent open at 18,000rpm.
One engine manufacturer is asking for a little bit more, for what appear to be genuine reasons. We have the ability to go back on this particular point, to look at 2009 maps, when [teams] did not have in place the exhausts that they have now. If they needed 28 percent throttle in order to achieve 0Nm at 18,000rpm back then, then that would appear to be a perfectly reasonable request.
The engines haven't changed, they are homologated engines and identical to the ones we have used from 2007 onwards.
Similarly, we will look at any extreme use of ignition. We will know what the team used to do with regard to fuelling and ignition. If we see a clear imbalance then I think we will suspect it is being done for different reasons [other than delivering torque].
We haven't put clear limits, we haven't put plus or minus 20¡, for example, for a given torque demand. We have just said the set up that you use for fuelling and ignition must be normal for the demanded torque. We are looking for anything abnormal. I think that's the best we can do for the moment.
Does that mean there will not be blanket limits across all makes of engine?
A lot of it depends on engine architecture. For example, we have to be very careful not to disadvantage barrel throttles versus butterfly throttles, because they have a distinctly different way of working. In answer to the question, if it's clear that in 2009 one engine with a butterfly throttle only needed 15 percent [at zero pedal] but another engine using a barrel throttle needed 20 percent, we could make a distinction. We don't want to put a figure across the board which will affect one team in a different way to another.
Why will this ban appear at Silverstone? Why not earlier?
Our argument is that there is a strong case to suggest they [blown diffusers] are illegal. Ultimately, the stewards will decide.
We have not had protests yet. I think we got close to a protest in Monaco. I gave the team in question an assurance that we were going to follow this through, we weren't going to give it up. On that basis we haven't had any protests yet, though I have always emphasised to the teams that this option is open to them.
I think everyone is doing the same thing, to some degree, so I think we need to be sensible about this and approach it in a pragmatic way to get the situation under control.
There is a perception that decisions like this are political rather than technical, and damage the image of F1. What is your opinion?
I'm aware of some stories being written, but to be frank with you, I know it's not a political decision. I know it's purely a technical intervention on our side and I feel perfectly comfortable with that.
In recent years both the F-Duct and the double diffuser have been banned, but not until the end of the season. Would it not be simpler to allow the current technology to stay in place until the end of this year?
No, because the double diffuser and the F-Duct were legal. [In those cases] during the course of the season the teams got together with us and we decided they weren't good for F1 and weren't needed, so we wrote laws to outlaw them. But they complied with the rules, which is why they were allowed to stay until the end of the season. They were completely different to the situation we have now.
Safety Cars and race stoppages
Regarding the Canadian Grand Prix, the Safety Car starts, Safety Car periods and the red flag, did everything operate as you wished it to there?
The decisions that needed to be taken weren't particularly hard. When it rained it was quite clear we needed to stop the race.
I think there are two things we've learned from suspending a race this year. One is we need to discuss with the teams whether or not working on cars should be allowed and whether a change of tyres should be allowed during a [race] suspension.
Also, and I never would have thought it, we maybe need to think about a maximum time for the race. At the moment, as you know, the time for any suspension is added onto the two hours [maximum race time], that's why we ran for four hours and four minutes. We're going to discuss that with the teams.
I think the procedures worked perfectly well. Unfortunately, quite a few spectators left. I don't know what happened with television broadcasts, that must have been quite difficult for TV companies, to know when to cut to something else and how long it was going to be. It would be nice to have been able to say during the suspension how long it might be, but it was almost impossible to say, because apart from knowing when the rain was likely to stop there was the problem of clearing up water on the track, which was quite serious. I think the guys that did hang around got a good show.
How do you decide between a racing start and a Safety Car start?
We look at what the likelihood of bad visibility is. That's the main thing. We have to make a call as to whether we think visibility is acceptable or not. [In Canada] we didn't think it was. I think the conditions were quite bad and when we actually got the race underway it was on the limit for visibility. My personal view is that this was the right decision.
I know we can all go back 25 years and remember worse conditions but I think we are expected to do things slightly differently these days. As far as the race resumption is concerned, I think we did eight laps behind the Safety car. It's always going to be a judgement call and we have to make that judgement but I think it's better to err on the side of safety. I maintain that it was the right decision to start the race with the Safety car. I'm not expecting everyone to agree.
Are you looking again at the rule that would put lapped cars to the back of the field to allow the leaders to race cleanly at the front?
Yes, it's on the agenda. We've attempted this before, as you know, but the procedure then was a bit complicated. I think there are simpler ways of doing it and we've discussed a few, but we haven't been able to agree on anything.
I agree that when the restart comes you don't want lapped cars there as it dilutes the field.
Do you take into account what the drivers are saying on the radio when making these decisions?
We listen to all the drivers' conversations [and consider] a selection of opinions from drivers' whose opinions we think count. We also take account of what position they're in.
In Canada, we were listening and you get the odd driver, usually the same one or two, who say 'Oh come on let's go, let's go', and then there are others who say it's not ready yet. We usually take their advice. It's very worthwhile listening to the drivers.
A good example of that was in Korea last year, where it was getting dark towards the end of the race. We were listening to the top six drivers, only two of whom were complaining. One of those two, his rear tyres had completely gone, so he had another reason for wanting the race stopped.
DRS
What was your feeling about the double DRS zone in Canada. Did it work, are we likely to see it feature again in the races after Valencia?
I don't think it worked in Canada. We weren't really expecting it to. It was more an experiment, as the second section was too short. One of the things that has emerged from it is that, if a driver passes in the first sector he's then able to use the wing again in the second. We were aware of this, of course, but we've had a chat with the drivers about this and the general feeling is that we shouldn't allow the driver to use it for a second time if he has passed in the first sector.
It isn't a trivial matter to get that to happen automatically, so we're still discussing it. We are going to try to use two sectors more but I think we do need to address this point.
Are you looking at having two detection zones in the future? Are there technological problems with doing this?
If we had two detection points we would need two notification points and two activation points. It doubles the chance of something going wrong, and we have had a few problems because it all relies on loops and beacons beside the track. That's the only thing I'm a little wary of.
[The idea of] having two zones emerged in discussions after Australia, where the first straight wasn't quite long enough. Obviously in Canada the first activation zone was sufficient and the second one was really a bit of a bonus. I don't think it worked out as intended. I think it could work here [in Valencia] because we have two decent sized zones.
But yes, in answer to the question, we could do it with two of each but it doubles the amount of work and it double the chance of something going wrong.
Pete McCluskey.
Lifetime Supporter
Very interesting David, thanks for posting. It looks like Siverstone will be worth watching.
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
From the Telegraph:
European Grand Prix 2011: Sebastian Vettel dominating Formula One in manner not seen since Schumacher
Time to dust off the record books; it looks as if they may need to be rewritten. Sebastian Vettel’s sixth win in eight races this year has extended the German’s lead in the title race to a massive 77 points.
It has also raised the deeply unwelcome prospect that we may be dealing with the deadest of dead rubbers by the time we leave Europe for the Far East this autumn.
Slowly, inexorably, Vettel’s grip on this world championship grows ever more vice-like.
Such is the 23 year-old’s lead he could set off on his summer holidays now and still be leading by the time we visit Spa in late August. The German could even take Lewis Hamilton's towel for his sun lounger; the McLaren driver threw his in yesterday, noting that Red Bull's cars “would need to fall off the track” for him to stand a chance at present.
We are entering dangerous territory here; slow death by asphyxiation. Not since Michael Schumacher bored everyone into submission in 2004 have fans been forced to contemplate hegemony on this scale.
Schumacher won 13 of 18 races that year in his Ferrari, giving him a 72 per cent success rate. The man they call Baby Schumi is currently ticking along at 75 per cent and, in any case, has an extra race in which to break his compatriot’s record for wins in a season.
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Vettel’s consistency is frightening. He came second in the two races he didn’t win this year and has claimed 186 points out of a possible 200. To coin a Hamilton phrase, it is getting “frickin’ ridiculous”.
Jenson Button won six of the first seven races in 2009 before his Brawn car stuttered. But even without winning another race that year the Englishman still claimed the title with something to spare. Red Bull, by contrast, are showing no signs of falling away. On the contrary. As Mark Webber pointed out: “Valencia is probably one of our three weakest tracks of the year – and we didn’t do too badly today.”
No indeed. The race was not expected to be a classic – Valencia’s street circuit is singularly dull – but with the regulation changes this year there was some hope that it would not be another classic bore. Unfortunately that was what we got.
Vettel roared off into the lead from pole and was never seen again, Webber claimed second behind him, while Hamilton, starting third, got a poor start and was overtaken by both Ferraris.
The Briton, who has come under fire in recent weeks for his aggressive driving, seemed just a touch tentative as he ceded room into the first corner. He did not dispute that he was trying to keep his nose clean.
“I got a bad launch,” he explained. “I was under fire. I tried to protect and stay out of trouble.”
Hamilton pitted early to try to undercut the Ferraris but that only meant he was eating into his fresh rubber before everyone else. He eventually finished nearly 50 seconds back. Hamilton’s team-mate Button was sixth with Force India's Paul di Resta rounding off a disappointing day for the Brits with 14th.
Still, the 85,000-strong crowd did have something to cheer. Home favourite Fernando Alonso fought a running battle with Webber for second place, eventually winning it when he undercut Red Bull’s Australian at the final round of pit stops.
“I was really pleased to taste champagne again,” Alonso admitted, “but if anyone thinks we can win the championship with a car 0.8 seconds slower than Red Bull they maybe don’t understand Formula One.” When even Alonso chucks in the towel, you know the writing is on the wall.
Next up is the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, a track that Red Bull, appropriately enough for a team based in nearby Milton Keynes, have made their own for the last two years. Vettel will be the red-hot favourite to grab another piece of history; hastening the death of the season.
It’s not his fault, of course. The index-finger waggling celebration is becoming irksome but only because he is jabbing it in our faces every fortnight.
Vettel, who only turns 24 a week today, is a brilliant young driver whose relentless quest for perfection is impressive. It escaped no one’s notice that he set the fastest lap of the race when under no pressure, while bearing down on victory near the end of the race.
He did not need to take the risk. He did it simply because he could; because he likes records.
As he crossed the finish line yesterday – his victory greeted by deafening silence in the multinational media centre – Vettel squealed over the radio: “Fantastic boys, I can't tell you how good this feels. This was such a nice race.”
At least he was happy.
European Grand Prix 2011: Sebastian Vettel dominating Formula One in manner not seen since Schumacher
Time to dust off the record books; it looks as if they may need to be rewritten. Sebastian Vettel’s sixth win in eight races this year has extended the German’s lead in the title race to a massive 77 points.
It has also raised the deeply unwelcome prospect that we may be dealing with the deadest of dead rubbers by the time we leave Europe for the Far East this autumn.
Slowly, inexorably, Vettel’s grip on this world championship grows ever more vice-like.
Such is the 23 year-old’s lead he could set off on his summer holidays now and still be leading by the time we visit Spa in late August. The German could even take Lewis Hamilton's towel for his sun lounger; the McLaren driver threw his in yesterday, noting that Red Bull's cars “would need to fall off the track” for him to stand a chance at present.
We are entering dangerous territory here; slow death by asphyxiation. Not since Michael Schumacher bored everyone into submission in 2004 have fans been forced to contemplate hegemony on this scale.
Schumacher won 13 of 18 races that year in his Ferrari, giving him a 72 per cent success rate. The man they call Baby Schumi is currently ticking along at 75 per cent and, in any case, has an extra race in which to break his compatriot’s record for wins in a season.
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- F1 2011: standings 26 Jun 2011
Vettel’s consistency is frightening. He came second in the two races he didn’t win this year and has claimed 186 points out of a possible 200. To coin a Hamilton phrase, it is getting “frickin’ ridiculous”.
Jenson Button won six of the first seven races in 2009 before his Brawn car stuttered. But even without winning another race that year the Englishman still claimed the title with something to spare. Red Bull, by contrast, are showing no signs of falling away. On the contrary. As Mark Webber pointed out: “Valencia is probably one of our three weakest tracks of the year – and we didn’t do too badly today.”
No indeed. The race was not expected to be a classic – Valencia’s street circuit is singularly dull – but with the regulation changes this year there was some hope that it would not be another classic bore. Unfortunately that was what we got.
Vettel roared off into the lead from pole and was never seen again, Webber claimed second behind him, while Hamilton, starting third, got a poor start and was overtaken by both Ferraris.
The Briton, who has come under fire in recent weeks for his aggressive driving, seemed just a touch tentative as he ceded room into the first corner. He did not dispute that he was trying to keep his nose clean.
“I got a bad launch,” he explained. “I was under fire. I tried to protect and stay out of trouble.”
Hamilton pitted early to try to undercut the Ferraris but that only meant he was eating into his fresh rubber before everyone else. He eventually finished nearly 50 seconds back. Hamilton’s team-mate Button was sixth with Force India's Paul di Resta rounding off a disappointing day for the Brits with 14th.
Still, the 85,000-strong crowd did have something to cheer. Home favourite Fernando Alonso fought a running battle with Webber for second place, eventually winning it when he undercut Red Bull’s Australian at the final round of pit stops.
“I was really pleased to taste champagne again,” Alonso admitted, “but if anyone thinks we can win the championship with a car 0.8 seconds slower than Red Bull they maybe don’t understand Formula One.” When even Alonso chucks in the towel, you know the writing is on the wall.
Next up is the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, a track that Red Bull, appropriately enough for a team based in nearby Milton Keynes, have made their own for the last two years. Vettel will be the red-hot favourite to grab another piece of history; hastening the death of the season.
It’s not his fault, of course. The index-finger waggling celebration is becoming irksome but only because he is jabbing it in our faces every fortnight.
Vettel, who only turns 24 a week today, is a brilliant young driver whose relentless quest for perfection is impressive. It escaped no one’s notice that he set the fastest lap of the race when under no pressure, while bearing down on victory near the end of the race.
He did not need to take the risk. He did it simply because he could; because he likes records.
As he crossed the finish line yesterday – his victory greeted by deafening silence in the multinational media centre – Vettel squealed over the radio: “Fantastic boys, I can't tell you how good this feels. This was such a nice race.”
At least he was happy.
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
Duplicated post so deleted.
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
Indeed.
Such a beautiful morning with thunder and forked lightning all around from 05:00hrs. Quite spectacular.
Anyway, lets talk about ex DTM star Paul Di Resta. My opnion is he should replace
the uber kraut at fat norberts play group. Will fat norbert carry in in F1 or will he throw his toys out and go rallying instead? I can't see the uber k lasting much longer than Spa.. Hint.......
Such a beautiful morning with thunder and forked lightning all around from 05:00hrs. Quite spectacular.
Anyway, lets talk about ex DTM star Paul Di Resta. My opnion is he should replace
the uber kraut at fat norberts play group. Will fat norbert carry in in F1 or will he throw his toys out and go rallying instead? I can't see the uber k lasting much longer than Spa.. Hint.......
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
Yes indeed. The Bramaputra second flush pickings have been exhausted now so I am resorting to Assam Hattiali from Fortnums. Incidentally if you're in town, F&M are doing a superb fish pie along with quails egg salad. Sort of bordering on outrageously good. I'm probably in town this evening going to a bar near the 2 I's on Old Compton so I may well be at the Fountain at F&M on Jermyn/ Duke Street.
Fancy a night on the town?
Tha last time I had fish pie as good was at a pub on the broads near Coltishall in Norfolk. I think it was fresh water fish as well. Probably Pike.
I digress.....
There is still time for him to resign before Silverstone if Valencia was Spain???
Fancy a night on the town?
Tha last time I had fish pie as good was at a pub on the broads near Coltishall in Norfolk. I think it was fresh water fish as well. Probably Pike.
I digress.....
There is still time for him to resign before Silverstone if Valencia was Spain???
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
Apparently Hamilton has uttered words to the effect that he can catch Vettel in the championship and can pass Vettels points total for the lead. I wonder what he takes or smokes to come out with such nonsense. He might be on theat Khat stuff again.
Valencia, yawn.
Terry Oxandale
Skinny Man
...then snore!
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
Absolutely. What a total yawn. I started looking at the inside of my eyelids at about lap 10. I had to look on my pc to find the result.
Pete McCluskey.
Lifetime Supporter
So has Alonso, perhaps they were smoking the same pipe!
It is possible if the anointed one crashes hurts himself and cant race for the rest of the season. Not likely my dear Watson.
Speaking of Vettel.
He added to his tally of fastest laps for the first time this year and now has seven. He was on pole position for the seventh time this year – the 22nd of his career.
His 16th career victory gives him as many as Stirling Moss – and one more than Lewis Hamilton. It was his tenth podium finish in a row.
Out of 499 laps raced this year, Vettel has led 408 of them – 81.8%. The next highest lap leader is Jenson Button, with 31.
Vettel’s tally of 186 points means he has scored more in eight races this year than he did in 15 last year.
Vettel, Button and Mark Webber all scored points for the tenth race in a row.
It was the 50th consecutive points-scoring finish for a Renault-powered car – a streak which goes back to the 2008 European Grand Prix. Mercedes- and Ferrari-powered cars have been in the points for the last 46 and 30 races respectively.
Kamui Kobayashi failed to score points for the first time since the Australian Grand Prix (where he finished eighth but was disqualified).
Alonso and Vitantonio Liuzzi are the only drivers to have out-qualified their team mates in every race this year. Alonso has started in front of Massa for the last 14 races in a row.
The European Grand Prix set a new record for most drivers to finish a race, with all 24 taking the chequered flag. The record was broken earlier this season in China, where 23 drivers finished.
This also meant Narain Karthikeyan became the first driver to finish a race in 24th place.
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David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
Only one race in spain in 2012 - Valencia. The Crcuit de Catalunya venue has been dropped and the race in Valncia should be a lot earlier on the list for next year.
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
A couple of the F1 GOBs (Good Old Boys) have suggested that Vettel might not compete in the last four races. I guess what they are saying is that he might not have to compete and that he will have the championship in the bag by then.
Also that Schumachers Manager says he has a watertight contract for 2012. I would not be so sure miss. Sorry. Fräulein.
Also that Schumachers Manager says he has a watertight contract for 2012. I would not be so sure miss. Sorry. Fräulein.
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
Hot gossip - Renault chosen by RBR for engines in 2012.
Weber still not in the frame for 2012 at RBR. - but v close. (wouldn't Horner be really stupid not to ! )
And Mark Weber wants to be a pilot so QANTAS are supervising and mentoring him with as much free simulator time as he wants. Probably going to be the first time anybody will have the A380 in part 1 of his PPL licence. Mere mortals usually have the PA28, a Cub, or a C150 or something bog simple.
Weber still not in the frame for 2012 at RBR. - but v close. (wouldn't Horner be really stupid not to ! )
And Mark Weber wants to be a pilot so QANTAS are supervising and mentoring him with as much free simulator time as he wants. Probably going to be the first time anybody will have the A380 in part 1 of his PPL licence. Mere mortals usually have the PA28, a Cub, or a C150 or something bog simple.
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