F1 Most liked posts in thread: F1 - 2013

Zapski · May 29, 2013

I... I have no words. There's a whole series of these.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxRgCutM-9E]MiniDrivers - Chapter 5x06 - 2013 Monaco Grand Prix - YouTube[/ame]

Zapski · May 29, 2013

And now back to more "serious" links.

Analysis: How Pirelli Montreal change will handicap ‘tyre-swapping’ teams | Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

An interesting twist to the Pirelli testing saga has emerged, and it throws a little more light on what Mercedes might or might not have done at Barcelona.

This blog can reveal that since the start of the season some teams have routinely being swapping the left and right rear tyres, having discovered – in some cases as early as winter testing – that they found an overall performance advantage by doing so.

The 2013 steel belt tyres are ‘handed,’ meaning that they are marked left and right and are intended by Pirelli to be used on that side of the car.

However there is nothing in the rules to stop teams from using them on the ‘wrong’ side, if they find it works better. However it’s not something that can be done without a considerable amount of attention to set-up and so on, in order to make the change work effectively.

Indeed in the case of some teams it even goes back to the design stage as they worked with data during the winter, having run prototype tyres in Brazil, and decided – in effect – that Pirelli had got its sums wrong in defining the left and right side tyres.

Intriguingly sources have told this blog that in Monaco Mercedes used the swapping technique for the first time – or at least it was the first time that it was spotted by keen-eyed observers.

It would thus be very easy to speculate that Mercedes took the opportunity of the Barcelona test to try swapping the rears around.

However while it may have helped Mercedes in Monaco, it might not do so in Montreal – assuming that Pirelli follows up on its promise to switch from steel belts back to Kevlar, as used last year.

As is well known, the move has been touted on safety grounds, as a result of several cases of delaminating treads, which have caused embarrassment to the Italian company – even though many observers consider that a delamination is potentially safer than a complete tyre disintegration, as it allows the driver to carry on back to the pits.

Pirelli has insisted that the change won’t have a major impact on the competition.

However, Kevlar belted tyres are not ‘handed’ meaning they are identical on both sides – in other words there is no point in swapping them around.

And that means the teams that have been routinely swapping will lose the advantage they currently have, and that in turn explains why they a) they are now fighting with Pirelli and the FIA over the planned change and b) why those teams who have not been able to make tyre swapping work, or have general tyre issues, are only too happy for it to go through…

It’s also clear that the change of belts represents a change of specification, which usually has to be cleared by all the teams.

If the change does happen it will provide further ammunition for Red Bull and Ferrari given that it is widely accepted that Mercedes tried the revised tyres in Barcelona, and thus have the huge advantage of being the only team to have already run 2013 Kevlar-belted tyres.

Inevitably the speculation is that Mercedes didn’t just try tyres in Barcelona, but also its own components. It’s even been suggested that the team ran a gearbox with revised suspension geometry in attempt to get to the bottom of its tyre problems. However a Mercedes spokesman says that no new parts were tried, and it was only about tyres.

This story is far from over yet…
Click to expand...

http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/05/29/photo-mercedes-with-rear-tyres-swapped-at-monaco/

Further to yesterday’s story about teams swapping left and right rear tyres, here is an official photo from the AMG Mercedes website, clearly showing a right rear tyre fitted on the left of a W04 at Monaco. Note the directional arrow, and the code ‘R22′.

Did Mercedes try this technique, already used by other teams, at the Barcelona test? It would be fascinating to find out. I’ve put the question to Pirelli and am awaiting an answer – a Mercedes spokesman was unable to comment on what the team did with tyres in Spain. [Update: After reading this story Mercedes F1 contacted me to say that they have been trying tyre swapping since as early as Melbourne.]
Click to expand...

B.A.D. · May 29, 2013

Could always have Sutil stab him with a broken champagne glass...

mrntd · May 29, 2013

Then Hamilton can say he didn't see anything

ScottinBend · May 29, 2013

This is an interesting read. All about the radio chatter during the Monaco race.

How the Monaco Grand Prix unfolded on team radio - F1 Fanatic

Zapski · May 29, 2013

Slight aside... this is how the GP2 race started this year at Monaco.

14 car pileup at turn 1... lap 1.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht-bfjcKJME]GP2 Monaco 2013 - Race Start Incident - YouTube[/ame]

Jason Montague · May 29, 2013

ScottinBend said: ↑

This is an interesting read. All about the radio chatter during the Monaco race.

How the Monaco Grand Prix unfolded on team radio - F1 Fanatic
Click to expand...

Zapski said: ↑

Slight aside... this is how the GP2 race started this year at Monaco.

14 car pileup at turn 1... lap 1.

GP2 Monaco 2013 - Race Start Incident - YouTube
Click to expand...

:eek6: Just wondering out loud. Could the distracting radio chatter have contributed to this pile up? What do y'all think?:idea::frown2:

Jason

Steve · May 31, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJGLx2gPUlY]Cutaway Insights - Episode 6: GPS Transmitter - Sauber F1 Team - YouTube[/ame]

Nathan · Jun 4, 2013

Canada 3D track experience

The tyre from a circuit point of view

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBzLuAVl31I]Canada 3D track experience - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jun 4, 2013

Prost: test limit biggest 2014 challenge (Racer.com)

Edd Straw, Jonathan Noble | June 04, 2013

Alain Prost believes that the lack of testing will make adapting to the new generation of Formula 1 engines an unprecedented challenge for drivers.

While next year's test plans have yet to be set in stone, there are set to be only three pre-season tests, although teams are working on pushing through a plan to allow a limited number of days of in-season running.

As it stands at present, 2014's move to 1.6-liter turbocharged engines will be the first time that F1 has implemented such an enormous technical shift without ample testing opportunities.

"In the old days when we had the new technology, we were doing a lot of tests," said Prost. "Today, it is going to be only three tests at the beginning of next year. That is going to be one of the biggest challenges â€“ it's very difficult."

The four-time world champion, who won 35 grands prix driving turbocharged engines produced by Renault, TAG Porsche and Honda, suspects that the new powerplants will change the way the tires must be managed. He is unsure of exactly how things will change because of uncertainty about the 2014 tires, but doubts there will be any parallels with F1's last generation of turbo cars.

"It depends on the tires next year, so we don't know," he said. "You cannot compare the turbo engines next year to the turbos we had in the past where we had an unbelievable lag.When you have extra power, the work of the tires can be a little bit different."

Prost also expects the new engines to favor the drivers who are more interested in the technical side of the sport. The man nicknamed "the professor" during his F1 career has tipped the more tech-savvy drivers to thrive under the new regulations.

"The cars next year will be very interesting," said Prost. "You are going to see some drivers with different skills being more curious, [getting] closer to the engineers and technology. Maybe they could get an advantage, or better understanding than others."

This article originally appeared in Autosport.com
Click to expand...

Steve · Jun 4, 2013

New KERS regs for 2014 allow a tenfold increase in energy storage, double the current 80bhp output for 33.3sec over the course of a lap compared to 6.7sec today.

Hamilton and Rosberg explain the secrets of KERS (VIDEO) (motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com)

Keith Collantine | Jun 4, 2013, 12:24 PM EDT

Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems are being used by every car in the field for the first time this year.

Introduced in 2009, the hybrid engine systems convert energy that would otherwise be wasted during deceleration to give drivers an extra boost of performance they can use when needed.

In this video from Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg explain how KERS works and how they use it differently in a race scenario and when they are setting a hot lap in qualifying.

Hamilton was the first driver to win a race using KERS in the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, running Mercedesâ€™ system on his McLaren.

Drivers can adjust how much energy KERS harvests using controls on their steering wheel. This has a strong effect on the carâ€™s performance under braking, making it important for them to choose the right setting depending on the conditions.

The technology is set for an overhaul next year when teams will be allowed to use more sophisticated and more powerful Energy Recovery Systems. The maximum energy they can use will rise tenfold, from 400kJ to 4MJ. This will more than double the current power 80bhp power boost drivers get from KERS.

Drivers will have 33.3s of boost available per lap, up from 6.7s.
Click to expand...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqJ3q7iluIs]Hamilton and Rosberg explain how KERS works - YouTube[/ame]

Nathan · Jun 5, 2013

Two drivers, two paper planes. Nico and Lewis are designing, folding, testing. Which one of the drivers has a better knowledge of aerodynamics? Who's maybe using DRS?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCphqW7Lk4g]Grand Prix Insights - Aerodynamics - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jun 6, 2013

Massa: Monaco crashes totally different (Racer.com)

Jonathan Noble, Matt Beer | June 06, 2013

Felipe Massa says confirmation that his second Monaco accident was due to a suspension failure has not altered his belief that the first crash was a driver error.

The Ferrari driver had two near-identical accidents at Sainte Devote during the Monte Carlo weekend. The first occurred in final practice, ruling him out of qualifying due to the level of car damage, while the second ended his race.

Ferrari immediately suspected the race incident was caused by a technical problem. But Massa said despite the accidents' similarity, their causes were completely different and he took full responsibility for the first.

"It was two accidents which look really similar from the television but they were completely different accidents," he said. "The first one I had just locked wheels over the bumps and then went straight and hit the guardrail.

"In the second one I had a suspension problems. I had two accidents in the same place, that looked similar."

Massa was checked in hospital after the second crash, but said he was fully healed for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.

"The good thing is I am fine," he said. "I just felt a bit of pain in my neck afterward â€“ it was two crashes in the same direction â€“ but it was just muscles."

This article originally appeared in Autosport.com
Click to expand...

Steve · Jun 6, 2013

I haven't noticed a date yet for the tribunal. They get to keep racing in the meantime and everyone will, of course, continue to speculate.

Mercedes welcomes International Tribunal opportunity (GPUpdate.net)

6 June 2013

Mercedes have reacted to FIA's invitation for a hearing of the FIA International Tribunal. The team said in a statement it welcomes the opportunity to explain the full facts of the Pirelli test which took place after the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Mercedes statement said: â€œMercedes-Benz acknowledges the decision of the FIA to take the matter of the Pirelli Test before the International Tribunal. We welcome the opportunity to explain the full facts of the Pirelli test in an open and transparent manner at the International Tribunal.

â€œSporting integrity is of primary importance to Mercedes-Benz and we have the utmost confidence in the due process of the FIA.â€
Click to expand...

Crashton · Jun 6, 2013

They will certainly keep their win no matter what is decided.

Heck Alonso kept his win when Piquet crashed his car giving his team & Alonso the win. The show goes on....

mrntd · Jun 7, 2013

Rosberg may keep the win. But the team may loose it.

It looks like Rosberg spilled the beads to Vettel about the test on the Saturday after qualifying. Then Vettel blew the whistle.

Between the bad press Pirelli is getting, the test mess, and no new contract for next year I would not be surprised to see them leave at the end of the year. Now Lotus says they won't allow the new tires for Silverstone. Michelin, Bridgestone and Hankook have played down them coming in. Any new supplier is going to get the same BS Pirelli has gotten. So why bother. So what is F1 going to do for tires?

Zapski · Jun 7, 2013

mrntd said: ↑

So what is F1 going to do for tires?
Click to expand...

Crashton · Jun 7, 2013

I'm sure someone would step up & supply tires. I'd guess it would be a Korean or Chinese company. Who that is remains to be seen.

PS How STUPID is Rosberg???

minimark · Jun 9, 2013

(In my best english accent)

Well boys, tis about time to race and just about time to discover if MB's sudden and stunning lack of tire degradation at Monte Carlo was a mere fluke.....:what:

Minidave · Jun 9, 2013

Yep, a classic Vettel race, lead from the start and don't even bother to look back.

"What's behind me, is not important"!

But what was all that jeering and chanting during Jordan's interview? I think they were Alonso supporters, but the camera stayed off them so I'm not sure

Hell of a charge by Alonso tho, and the MBZ's are still 3rd place cars except for the odd fluke wekend. However, it was amazing to see DiResta do 50+ laps on one set of tires, and the mid pack is slowly catching up to the front runners. I think if they gave this formula one more year before they change the engines and everything, you'd see some really close racing. But, alas.....not to be.

Encouraging to see Mock Webba get a decent start for a change and he mounted a pretty good run too, just couldn't get it to the front to back up his teammate.

Can Vettel/Red Bull win it all again this year? At this rate, I would not bet against them.....

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