Manual gearchanges in F1?

[HearingAidBeige]

I seem to recall a few drivers manual shifting gear in (I think)the 2004 season? can anybody verify this, or was I just dreaming?? :confused:

[rubystone]

Yes you were. Sure, the teams agreed to ban automatic changes last year - drivers have to use the paddles to change up and down, but the shift points are still determined by electronics.

[HearingAidBeige]

Ah,I see.

So does this mean that when the driver flicks the paddle to change up/down gear, the car wont shift till it reaches a pre-determined rpm?

[rubystone]

Not necessarily, although I guess that may well be the case with some teams. What I meant was that if a driver downshifts and the systems detect that this would lunch the engine, the shift wouldn't be made until the revs had dropped sufficiently to allow it to take place.