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Dat teammate work
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Fun race. Mixed condition yield lots of action vs dry. Amazed Merc was still superior in the wet vs RedBull. I sense a weakness now in the RedBull the last 2-3 races. Have they stopped updates now and focus on next year? Mercedes have not brought anything since Silverstone race.
US GP should be another even match. Mexico should be solid RedBull. More fun awaits. Weather could be a factor in US GP. Not summer now! |
No matter what happend with LH on the radio or tires - this is the news out of the last 2 weeks. Mercedes seem to have the POWER back.
Red Bull surprised at "significant" Mercedes F1 power boost By: Jonathan Noble Oct 11, 2021, 4:47 AM Red Bull says a "surprising" engine power step from Mercedes has left it struggling for answers about how best to stop its Formula 1 title rival pulling clear. In the wake of Max Verstappen having no answer for the pace of Valtteri Bottas in the Turkish Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner thinks that the competitive picture between the two F1 title rivals has shifted in recent weeks. Whereas Red Bull appeared to hold a pace advantage heading in to the summer break, he believes that the arrival of Mercedes' latest specification of engines at Spa has boosted the German car manufacturers' straightline speed. And, while previously Red Bull could counter any top speed advantage from Mercedes by running a lower downforce configuration, now Horner says the gap between the two teams is too big to be able to do that. Proof of that came in the way that Lewis Hamilton was able to draft past Sergio Perez on the back straight in Turkey at one point in the race, despite running a higher downforce rear wing. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/re...boost/6684975/ |
Did I hear they were seeing a 15-20 kph gap at the end of the straights? That's more than RB can make up with DRS active. Uh-oh lol
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I'm not gonna lie, i slept through most of the race and I'm kinda glad I did. Looked like a snooze fest.
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BBC reports on the power issue -- https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/58870237
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has expressed his "surprise" at gains he says Mercedes have made with their engine performance. Under Formula 1's rules, the title rivals are not allowed to improve the power of their engines in-season. Horner said Mercedes' straight-line speed "has taken a significant step recently". "It's surprising they appear to have made the step they have with the power-unit," he added. Mercedes reject Red Bull's claims, saying nothing has changed in their engine apart from fitting a new one to Hamilton's car for last weekend's Turkish Grand Prix. Both Hamilton and title rival Max Verstappen of Red Bull have taken new engines - at the cost of grid penalties - over the last two races, Verstappen at the previous race in Russia, Hamilton in Turkey. Verstappen leads Hamilton by six points with six races to go after the Dutchman finished second in Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix and Hamilton in fifth. Internal combustion engines always degrade over time, so Hamilton's new engine will have provided a small performance advantage over the one he was using previously. Red Bull's claims echo similar ones Hamilton himself made about his rival's Honda engine earlier in the season. Red Bull made an apparent step forward in performance around the time of the French Grand Prix in early summer, and Hamilton publicly questioned how they had been able to do that. Red Bull's explanation at the time was that aerodynamic upgrades to their car had allowed them to run smaller rear wings, reducing drag and boosting straight-line speed, without harming cornering performance. Horner said: "We could match them with smaller [rear] wings previously; now we can't get near. And we saw that particularly at this circuit, where Lewis had a straight-line advantage with a bigger rear wing on the car." Horner added that reliability problems with the Mercedes engine could also be affecting impressions of performance. "You can see across all their teams Mercedes obviously have some reliability issues they are managing, which is unusual for Mercedes," Horner said. "But their performance is still incredibly impressive. "Whether one comes at the expense of the other, I don't know, but if you look at some of the speed deltas on the back straight at some points it was 15-20km/h, which is more than if there had been DRS (overtaking aid in use)." Mercedes say they are puzzled by Horner's suggestions, saying they are not borne out in the data. Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff admitted the company were managing reliability against performance with their engines. "When you start to push the boundaries with power-unit performance, at a certain stage you will experience some obstacles," he said. "Our power-units have been the most reliable since the introduction of the hybrid engines in 2014 and and because the boundaries are being pushed we have seen examples of, let's say, unusual noises within the combustion engine that aren't completely understood at that stage yet. "They caused some troubles in the past; we had some engines that basically failed and now it's about containing the problem because changing parts is not something you would tackle." Mercedes appear to have made a step forward in overall performance compared to Red Bull since F1 reconvened following its summer break. Over the first half of the season, Red Bull had an average advantage in qualifying of 0.026%. In the three dry qualifying sessions in the second half of the season so far, Mercedes have had an advantage of 0.286%. However, the three tracks in question - Monza, Sochi and Istanbul Park - are regarded as favouring Mercedes, whereas two of the remaining six races - Mexico and Brazil - are expected to significantly advantage Red Bull. |
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/70...ext-two-years/
Ewan Gale Tuesday 12 October 2021 11:50 Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has labelled the extended partnership with Honda past the end of the year as "great news" for the team and revealed power unit parts will be made in Japan through 2023. Despite Honda's withdrawal from F1 at the end of the season, the two parties agreed to a prolonged partnership covering all motorsport activities and the junior programmes for both Red Bull and Honda. Red Bull takes over Honda's PU IP for 2022 onwards but had already said the Japanese manufacturer would supply engines from Sakura for the first year of the Red Bull Powertrains initiative. Horner has suggested, however, the manufacturing of parts will remain in Japan until at least 2024. |
I guess Red Bull Powertrains won't be ready for a while yet.
That's one heck of a commitment to Formula racing from Red Bull. Wonder if they will try to offer engines to other teams, or if their contract with Honda locks them into only their two teams? Does this extend to F2 powerplants as well? I haven't been paying attention. And will this affect the rumoured addition of VAG in 2026, I wonder? Were they considering running a team (and if so, buying one of the existing 10, or starting #11), or just supplying engines? Seems that the market for engines just got 20% smaller. RBR isn't going to make this investment for only 4 years. Ferrari and Mercedes aren't going anywhere, and Renault/Alpine won't likely buy an outsourced engine unless the parent company merges in future. |
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RedBull appear to be 'hedging' their intent to be a builder. Extend unofficially Honda and hope some group from VAG arrives?? Games of F1 lol :) |
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https://racingnews365.com/horner-pro...trains-project Horner provides update on Red Bull Powertrains project (Sept 19, 2021) Team Principal Christian Horner has revealed the construction of the new Red Bull Powertrains engine development facility at its Milton Keynes factory is "on target". Red Bull will take on the running of Honda's power units next year as an engine freeze is introduced to Formula 1. However, Honda will continue to supply Red Bull's Formula 1 engines from its base in Sakura in 2022 before a full handover to Red Bull in 2023. "The Red Bull Powertrains project is gathering pace with every week," said Horner. "The construction is on target and it's great to see the building really taking shape. "All the roofing is going on and the dyno will start arriving next month. It's really starting to come together and the effort going into it is impressive. "We're attracting some great talent and we also have a strong youth policy to bring in some graduates and students into the programme." Since the formation of Red Bull Powertrains, Red Bull have signed multiple Mercedes engineers for their growing operation. Horner says the new project will also give an opportunity to younger engineers, with Helmut Marko announcing there will be 300-500 people who are part of Red Bull Powertrains. "We want to give youth a chance and are looking for candidates who think differently and come from all spectrums and backgrounds," added Horner. "We'll have a number of scholarships and apprenticeships. It really is a great opportunity and seeing the appeal of this project, with the calibre of individuals we're attracting, is so exciting." Yes, it is coming out of Horner's mouth, and I washed my hands after cutting and pasting that BS. But I think that there is more to it this time. And with the cost cap screws tightening, and development costs of the engine already behind them, this might make more sense than it has in past years. Certainly, the Renault engine was a huge letdown in 2019. I don't think that they had both cars finish more than three races in a row that season. With two teams to shop for, neither MB nor Ferrari could supply the Red Bull organization without chopping one of their current customer teams. So, what else can they do now but go out on their own and plead with Honda to help them out until they are up to speed. |
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https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/58918353
Chinese Grand Prix: Shanghai race expected to be dropped from 2022 F1 calendar The Chinese Grand Prix is expected to be dropped from the 2022 Formula 1 calendar when next year's schedule is published on Friday. The Shanghai race has not been held since the coronavirus pandemic began and restrictions surrounding Covid in China mean holding it is impossible. It will be replaced by the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola on 24 April. F1 is set to publish a record 23-race calendar with all the other established events absent this season reinstated. |
Guess it's already time for the 2022 thread.
No expectation - here is the calendar as it stands, with 4 contracts remaining to be signed... and no China. https://scontent.fyzd1-3.fna.fbcdn.n...07&oe=618F961D |
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Date Grand Prix Circuit 20 March Bahrain Bahrain Sakhir 27 March Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia Jeddah 10 April Australia Australia Melbourne 24 April Emilia Romagna Italy Imola 8 May Miami United States Miami 22 May Spain Spain Barcelona 29 May Monaco Monaco Monte Carlo 12 June Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Baku 19 June Canada Canada Montreal 3 July Great Britain United Kingdom Silverstone 10 July Austria Austria Spielberg 24 July France France Le Castellet 31 July Hungary Hungary Budapest 28 August Belgium Belgium Spa-Francorchamps 4 September Netherlands Netherlands Zandvoort 11 September Italy Italy Monza 25 September Russia Russian Federation Sochi 2 October Singapore Singapore Marina Bay 9 October Japan Japan Suzuka 23 October USA United States Austin 30 October Mexico Mexico Mexico City 13 November Brazil Brazil Sao Paulo 20 November Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Yas Marina |
Austin bumps set to "complicate" USA F1 weekend, says Gasly
By: Jonathan Noble Oct 19, 2021, 5:24 AM Formula 1 drivers should brace themselves for a "complicated"' weekend at the United States Grand Prix, with bumps at the Circuit of the Americas forcing setup compromises, reckons Pierre Gasly. [ Bumps at the Austin venue have been an ever-present during F1's tenure there, with instability of the land on which the circuit is built leading to an uneven surface. While work has been regularly done on the track to try to improve the situation, the COTA bumps were a major talking point at the recent MotoGP race there as riders complained about them. A request has been put in for a track resurfacing of the worst affected areas from Turns 2 to 10 for 2022 prior to MotoGP returning there. In the wake of the MotoGP issues, F1 race director Michael Masi has been in contact with the circuit and has asked for some work to be done on grinding down the worst of the bumps. But with the problem unlikely to be eradicated completely, Gasly thinks that the Austin weekend could be an especially tricky one, especially as the bumps were already quite bad when F1 last visited in 2019. "I think it could be quite complicated this weekend," said the Frenchman. "Having watched MotoGP a few weeks back, the bumps which were already pretty bad last time we raced there, seem even more severe now. "It will require some sort of compromise on setup, but we won't really know until we get there. "I'm not particularly worried about it, because our car is working well everywhere at the moment and we just have to avoid any problems waiting to ambush us, so that we can continue to close in on Alpine in the championship." A scenic view of the circuit COTA was recently visited on behalf of the FIA by experienced US racing official Tony Cotman, who has overseen the design of several IndyCar circuits. Masi said that work was set to be done on grinding down the bumps to make things better for F1's visit. "What we have actually done is that since the 2019 F1 event a large part of the circuit was resurfaced to counter some of the issues that we saw in 2019," explained Masi. "The areas that were raised by the bikes are different areas to those that were resurfaced. "And Tony Cotman, who's one of the FIA platinum circuit inspectors, has been out to Austin already during the week, and done a report. "And the circuit doing some changes for us to sort of address some of the concerns. "They'll grind some bumps and so forth. But we've got some time to do it. So they'll do what they can within the timeframe." |
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https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1...users/6688980/
F1 2022 innovations less obvious than double diffusers By: Jonathan Noble Oct 19, 2021, 10:35 AM Formula 1's most clever ideas for the new 2022 regulations will be far less obvious than the famous double diffusers, reckons McLaren technical chief James Key. the-2022-formula-1-car-launch-.jpg With teams having pretty much switched off development of their current challengers, factories are now almost entirely focused on making sure they hit the ground running with the new rules era next year. Amid such a major regulations overhaul, teams will be looking to try to exploit any potential grey areas and unlock the kind of performance advantage that Brawn GP had in 2009 when it led the way with double diffusers. However, F1 chiefs have worked extra hard to make the 2022 rule framework much more watertight when it comes to loopholes, with teams unable to innovate in many areas that they could previously. And for Key, while that means there won't be any headline-grabbing tricks that will be obvious, that does not mean there are not a lot of smaller concepts that can still be rolled out. "I think there's a lot of subtleties in there to be exploited," he explained. "And that's going to be the journey I think in 2022. "You're not going to see double diffusers and that sort of huge kind of innovation with these regs. They are too restrictive for that. "But there'll be other clever ideas and ways of approaching things which we'll begin to spot as these cars get released. So I think there's probably less traps there." One of F1 owner Liberty Media's ambitions with its new era of grand prix racing is to level up the playing field, and offer hope for midfield teams to gun for the occasional win. Key reckons that some elements of the new rules, like the weighted aero development regulations that hand more wind tunnel and CFD time to the slowest teams, could prove important in helping those further back. "It's really difficult to say where it's going to play out," said Key. "When you've got new regs like this, the most terrifying part of the year is that first qualifying session where everyone actually shows how quick they are. "I guess we're not going to know until qualifying in Bahrain, ultimately, next year, exactly where people appear to stand. And even that can throw you a few oddballs at times. "But I think there's several advantages for being further back in the championship, with the CFD and wind tunnel benefit that you get from that, which is really important for a 2022 car. "It was great to finish third last year, but it did have a minor effect on how much development we can do with our tools compared, to an eighth, ninth or 10th position team. So they've definitely got a little advantage there." the-2022-formula-1-car-launch--1.jpg The 2022 Formula 1 car launch event on the Silverstone grid. Rear detail Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images But Key still has faith that the quality of the staff at the top outfits will be enough to keep them ahead when the 2022 cars hit the track. "The infrastructures, the legacy, the methods, knowledge and culture that you have in a winning team does give a little bit of an advantage," he explained. "You've got that kind of belief and confidence, you've got the tools that you believe in, and are tapped into those tools. "I think some of the legacy of what larger teams have, even though they have to cut their budgets, all the investment that has gone on before and all the research that's allowed them to do well, will still give a bit of a buffer and a bit of an advantage. "So I suspect the pecking order will probably be reasonably similar. But hopefully it will be closer. "I suspect it'll be a bit spread out to begin with because I'm sure everyone is still kind of immature with their knowledge of these cars when they get launched. "But hopefully, as time goes on, and with a slightly more restrictive regs, it will draw things closer, and we'll see how that pecking order drops out." |
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1...flags/6697216/
F1 drivers welcome plan to delete lap times set under double yellow flags By: Adam Cooper Oct 21, 2021, 3:11 PM Formula 1 drivers have welcomed the FIA’s plan to delete any lap times achieved by cars that pass through a double waved yellow zone in practice and in qualifying. As previously reported the idea of deleting times emerged in Turkey after Fernando Alonso controversially escaped sanction following a post-qualifying investigation of a yellow flag offence. After informal discussions between teams and race director Michael Masi on the morning of the race in Istanbul, the subject was debated further in a sporting advisory group meeting last week, when all teams agreed that it would be a good solution. Masi has now formally confirmed that the system, similar to that for track limits offences, will be used from this weekend’s US GP. His race director’s notes for the Austin weekend read: “Any driver passing through a double waved yellow marshalling sector must reduce speed significantly and be prepared to change direction or stop. “In order for the stewards to be satisfied that any such driver has complied with these requirements it must be clear that he has not attempted to set a meaningful lap time. For practical purposes any driver in a double yellow sector will have that lap time deleted." A section reading “this means the driver should abandon the lap (this does not necessarily mean he has to pit as the track could well be clear the following lap)” has been removed. Drivers agree that the new initiative is a positive one. |
This Epstein boss sounds like an idiot a touch. MotoGp riders almost revolted. Fix it. Long known problem.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/co...aints/6699286/ By: Alex Kalinauckas Oct 22, 2021, 5:15 AM Austin circuit boss Bobby Epstein says bumps “aren't an issue” for Formula 1 cars, following concerns about the surface being expressed by drivers ahead of the 2021 US Grand Prix. AlphaTauri racer Pierre Gasly said ahead of the Texas race that the event “could be quite complicated” for drivers because Austin’s bumps, which have always been encountered at the Circuit of the Americas track because it is built on shifting land, “seem even more severe now” after he watched the recent MotoGP event at the same venue. The topic was much discussed in the drivers’ pre-event press conferences at Austin on Thursday, but Epstein dismissed the concerns – particularly after FIA-mandated work to mill the track surface at the depression between Turn 2 and Turn 3 and the depressions at Turns 4, 6, 10 and 14 had been completed in the run up to the event. When asked by Autosport if COTA would have to complete additional work to address concerns about its track surface, Epstein replied: “Gasly may have said something, but he hasn't driven the track. “So, the bumps aren't an issue for the cars first [of all]. “And Michael Masi [F1 race director] has been out and sent people and they've checked it and they asked us to grind two or three areas of concern. “And that work was done already Monday and Tuesday this week. “So, it's still a problem for bikes – there's two sort of dip areas – but cars have no problem. “I think if you ask [Gasly] after he drives he'll say they've done a lot harder surfaces than this. Epstein added that his track will “resurface for the bikes by April” to add to work completed since F1 last visited Texas in 2019, which led to resurfacing at the pit exit and run to the first corner, plus the runs between Turns 9 and 10 and Turns 11-12, as well as from midway through Turn 15 to halfway through Turn 19. “We're closing for three weeks in January,” Epstein continued. “We've already resurfaced a lot, we did a lot last year so there's more to do. “But we should ask Gasly after he goes out, can you drive this? Ask him how Monaco was.” |
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To answer your question, YES Bobby Epstein is an Idiot. Drivers from all forums of racing have complained about how rough & bumpy the track is. Epstein would rather put money towards his FALED Soccer venue than the track which brings in the money. He is also the same Idiot that forgot the pay the F1 fees on time a few years ago. :icon14: |
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https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/wh...gains/6702848/
What's behind Mercedes' F1 straightline performance gains? By: Jake Boxall-Legge Oct 23, 2021, 4:13 AM Mercedes has dismissed the idea that it is running a ride-height control device on its W12 Formula 1 car, although the rear has been seen lowering during the straights. Having shown excellent straightline speed in recent rounds, particularly at the Turkish Grand Prix, Mercedes came under fire from Red Bull team boss Christian Horner – who suggested that the team was “obviously optimising a straightline device” to Sky F1. Those claims were refuted by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who said that the team’s performance on the straights were a culmination of “all the small gains, marginal gains that have been added and bring performance.” However, video footage of the Mercedes W12 shows a marginal squatting of the rear during the high-speed areas of the track, with the ride-height rising as the car brakes for a corner. Mercedes already runs a low-rake package, which means that the rear is raised significantly less relative to the front compared to cars like the Red Bull, which runs at a very high rake. Although a higher rake is an advantage in the corners, in which the airflow under the floor can be accelerated and the effective diffuser space opened up to reduce the pressure under the car, it is a hindrance in the straights. This is due to the greater amount of drag it produces, as the air is worked harder by the floor – and the frontal area of the car increases as the rear of the bodywork runs higher. If a team can reduce the rear ride-height, then it can reduce the drag as a result, and thus unlock greater straightline speed. It appears as though Mercedes has found a set-up which allows the rear to drop as the car accelerates, thus yielding that effect of reduced drag which means the car’s maximum velocity is greater. Although it is currently unknown how the car produces this effect, one method of running a passive system is to install a spring setting that allows the rear of the car to compress as downforce at the rear increases, and then relent as the downforce reduces. Using a softer spring will also cope with the changes in elevation experienced at the Istanbul Park circuit, and thus prove useful for delivering consistent grip around the bumpy Circuit of the Americas surface. It can also produce a stall in the diffuser, which is something that teams often try to employ at a certain speed to improve acceleration, owing to the lower position. One difficulty to consider is that when the car returns to its natural position in the braking zones, the airflow must reattach sufficiently to ensure that the diffuser works to produce the downforce required for the corners. It seems that the W12 makes a gradual return to its regular rake once the driver gets off the accelerator, ensuring that the airflow has plenty of opportunity to assume its desired position. Mercedes seems incredibly confident in its set-up changes and, given the pressure placed on the team by its need to introduce new engines in the previous few rounds, it seems that the straightline gains tally with the team’s claims that it has found a “sweet spot” with its suspension configuration rather than finding extra performance from the powertrain |
Checo looking good out there. Hope he gets a good launch either to have his own race or be able to hold Mercedes back.
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Good Sunday Morning All. 90* for the high today with a 0% chance of rain. :bowdown: Going to be a warm one for those out at the Track today. My Cowboys are off this week but we have the F1 US Grand Prix this afternoon. :happydance: Hope you all have a Great Sunday. Stay Safe, Stay Positive and Keep Washing those Hands. :tup:
PS: Steaks are on the Menu tonight!! :yum: |
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exciting race today, also some action through the mid-field others....
hope the rest of the races are just as good.... |
mmmm today delivered.
I'm rooting Max for the WC, but Lewis was solo on his start and gave him a race. Both of them were like 40+sec on everyone else. Ferrari boiz doing some racing with McLaren Lonzo and Vettel having some charges. Alfa had some racing to do as well. I'm a moron for not trying to be out there. |
Fernando vs The FIA
That's the real battle. |
Mercedes just didnt have the pace. Track position is king. Hard to pass with car that hates unstable airflow.
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Looked like the F1 Rodeo out there with those cars bucking around like that! |
I was at the track this weekend having my own fun so I watched the race yesterday after work. The outcome was not to my liking but the race and pre-race antics lived up to the hype. All in all it was a big win for F1. Great drive by Max and Lewis both. Neither made any mistakes!
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https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1...lties/6721345/
F1 team bosses see no alternative to power unit grid penalties By: Adam Cooper Oct 28, 2021, 11:50 AM Several Formula 1 team bosses say they cannot think of an alternative to the current grid penalty system for using more than three engines per season. Penalties have once again become a talking point this year, with title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen both having taken fourth power units and the associated move down the grid. Many observers fear that another change and thus a penalty for either man over the final five races of the season could have a decisive impact on the title battle. But Mercedes boss Toto Wolff argues it would be difficult to have a system that penalises only the team and not the driver. “I think the penalty system on power units is pretty robust,” he said when asked by Autosport if it was time to revisit the concept of grid penalties. “Because what we need to avoid is that we are building power units in a way that they perform at peak performance for only a few races. “And if you change regulations, and you say okay, there is no grid penalty for the driver, but just constructor points, it will still mean that teams, if you're in a fight for a driver championship, will just throw engines at that car. “I think if we come up with good solutions definitely it is worth looking at. It's confusing for the new fans why, out of the driver’s responsibility, an engine penalty puts him at the back of the grid, or 10 or five places away. And that's clearly not great, but I haven't got the solutions.” Red Bull, which will become an engine manufacturer when Honda leaves after 2021, is not a fan of the three engine limit per season. Photo by: Giorgio Piola Like Wolff, McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl cautioned that raising the limit would only encourage manufacturers to push the boundaries further. “I obviously get the point that it is not ideal having all these penalties,” he said when quizzed on the topic by Autosport. “But to be honest, I do not really see a straightforward solution to that because for example if you will decide let's go to four engines instead of three. We will end up all with five engines, because we would just crank up the engines.” “In the end, it just shows that all the manufacturers teams are pushing each other so hard that we all push the technology we're using to the absolute limit or beyond and that's what ends then in issues or problems. So we simply have to accept that at the moment, and get on with it.” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, whose organisation becomes an engine manufacturer when it takes over the Honda project in 2022, believes that the current limit is too low. "I've never been a fan of two engines or three engines,” Horner added. “For me you end up using four pretty much in a season anyway. So it's something we need to look out for the future. “I mean, there's talk of going down to two engines, which I think would be a mistake. So it needs to be a sensible balance.” |
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The secrets of preparing for a new F1 circuit
Autosport Plus Formula 1 Special feature The secrets of preparing for a new F1 circuit By: GP Racing Oct 29, 2021, 7:07 AM No Formula 1 team arrives at a ‘new’ circuit entirely unfamiliar with it. As PAT SYMONDS explains, simulation and artificial intelligence does the hard work even before the driver takes their turn The 2020 and 2021 seasons will be remembered for many things, including the significant disruption caused by a calendar that often shifted in response to an ever-changing pandemic. While nothing good came out of the global crisis, F1 fans were at least able to enjoy their sport and see some variety compared with the formulaic calendars of the previous few years. Imola and Istanbul were reintroduced in 2020, while F1 raced at Mugello and Portimao for the first time. This season, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Losail in Qatar have been added, as well as returning again to Imola, Zandvoort, Istanbul and Portimao to help achieve a 22-race championship. One might argue that Imola and Istanbul are not new to F1, and cars have tested at Mugello and Portimao in recent years, but while historic data provides an indication of what may be expected of a track, cars and the tyres have changed so much in the intervening period that much of the data is comparative and anecdotal, not quantitative. So how does a team go about preparing for a new circuits? The answer, of course, lies in simulation – but the initial work will not be done on a simulator, it will be done on a computer with a ‘virtual’ driver so that set-ups and driving lines can be optimised without the initial distraction of subjectivity. In order to start this simulation, the standard car model will be used, generally with a known set-up that might have been used at another circuit with similar corner speeds and lengths of straights. This will provide a good starting point for the iterations that are needed to get close to an ideal set-up. The car model itself will be extremely sophisticated. Such is the computing power available these days, that is no problem. The first lap time simulation I used was in 1986 and, although it only optimised about five different aero levels and the gear ratios, it took all night to run. Today the simulation will analyse a lap in much less time than it takes to drive it. This first simulation sweep will still concentrate on wing levels to get the right compromise between downforce and drag, but will now be able to adjust all the other settings on the car – such as rideheights and spring stiffnesses – to obtain an optimum. Unlike our early simulations, which always drove the car over a racing line that the engineer would determine by eye, these days the minimum lap time algorithms will seek the ideal racing line for each different set-up to ensure maximum performance. Of course a good car model and an ‘artificial intelligence’ driver are of no use if we can’t accurately describe the track itself, and in these early runs we may not have particularly sophisticated track information. For a new circuit, the first information the teams will get is a 2D architectural map which they then have to digitise, converting the track limits to X-Y coordinates over the entire area. This early map may or may not have elevation information as well – often this comes in a later version. As the map will generally be based on what the architect intends for the circuit, long before it is actually built, it certainly won’t have all the details of the kerbs so the simulation will generally assume the car stays entirely within track limits. The first stage of the investigation will generally look at a multi-factor optimisation. For this, the engineer will set certain bounds of a number of parameters that can be altered. For example, they may set the front rideheight to be investigated between 15mm and 20mm, the front roll stiffness between 1 and 1.2 Newton meters per radian, and the downforce to be in the entire range the wings designed for the car can obtain. It would not be unusual to allow nine or 10 set-up parameters to be investigated this way. The simulation then automatically runs many combinations of the variables and presents the results in a specific type of diagram (below), where each of the input parameters is displayed in multiple axes alongside the output parameters such as lap time, maximum speed and end of straight rideheights. At first sight this might look like a spider's web, but a little inspection shows the trade-offs between lap time and end of straight speed, to name but two. From this, a basic set-up is adopted and it’s time to move to the full simulator. This is sometimes known as the ‘driver-in-the-loop’ simulator, as the inputs and line seeking algorithms of the first simulations are replaced by a driver using visual and vestibular feedback to drive the car. At this stage a lot more detail is needed, and lidar scans of the circuit are used to give photo-realistic scenery and track markings. This adds a lot to the computing power needed, as does simulating the engine and transmission dynamic responses – which will be done by a control unit identical to that used in the real car. The driver now works with the engineer to hone the set-up to his or her liking. Lap time is the ultimate goal, but using the same data analysis tools as they would use trackside, the engineering team will also examine factors such as stability, tyre energies and even, if the scenery detail is good enough, practice the pit entry for faster pitstops. Simulation is a double-edged sword. Teams love it as they strive for perfection in a controlled environment, but that reduces jeopardy, which in turn reduces the appeal for spectators. However, the genie is out of the bottle. Simulations will only become more sophisticated in the years to come. |
USGP was awesome!
Hey Y'all! Been while. What can I say, COTA was awesome! What a FANTASTIC race weekend.
Brought my 15-30mm 2.8, 70-200mm 2.8, and 200-500 5.6 Warning: Lot's of pics on the way. Hope you enjoy them. And please, let me know what you think about these shots. [IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...217c171b_h.jpg_8504062-1 by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG] [IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...51b8d328_h.jpg_8505790-1 by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG] https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fbbda4bb_h.jpg_8505826-1 by Raf, on Flickr [IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9a3f403c_h.jpg_8504038-1 by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG] |
LH 44 Race and Garage
Lewis
[IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...99ed7e55_h.jpg_8505930-1-2 by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG] [IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...153f5ac6_h.jpg_8507119-1 by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG] [IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...52bfca4e_h.jpg_8506596-1 by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG] [IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...72eebe8d_h.jpg_8506618-1 by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG] [IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6ba18c09_h.jpg_8506937-1 by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG] Bonus [IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fe543392_h.jpg_8505119 (2) by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG] [IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6b850c74_h.jpg_8505127 (3) by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG] [IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3c447591_h.jpg_8505153 (2) by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG] |
Great pictures!
Definitely looks like an awesome event and I hope to attend someday soon. By the looks of Austin (and the celebrity show out), Miami is going to be nuts! |
Great photos, Raf :tup:
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