Ask an F1 Engineer anything

[AnonymousF1]

JulietRomeo said:

Any staff perks around being able to have a go in previous gen simulators? (In your own time...)

Not at all - "previous gen simulators" aren't really a thing.

[AnonymousF1]

shirt said:

What's the piece of work that you're most proud of. As in you had full responsibility, so I don't expect it to be a full car. Could be a part that gave a performance edge, or could be having to do a lot with very little. I'm sure one or two things stick out more than the rest.

There's many pieces of work I'm personally proud of, but even more pieces of work - created by a team of people - that I'm the most proudest of.

shirt said:

What's the most cringeworthy post you have read in the F1 forum?

I don't read forums too much - forums to me are a knowledge source, for asking questions and getting answers, or searching for them.

Sometimes someone will spot a piece of analysis or discussion online, about a part we've designed or worked on, and those can be interesting to see what level the general knowledge outside of F1 is at. Sometimes surprisingly high.

[AnonymousF1]

Benrad said:

So for the benchmarking you can do, has it proven useful in your experience or just sent you up blind alleys trying to copy a concept you either don't fully understand or perhaps that doesn't suit the rest of your car?

Both Benrad, and you've summarised the reason for the latter very well.

[AnonymousF1]

Muzzer79 said:

What was travelling to races and being at events like?

Transfer > flight > transfer > hotel or track. Then during the event hotel > track > hotel > track > hotel > track, etcetera.

Muzzer79 said:

Was it all done as cheaply as possible for the 'lower' staff? (economy flights, cheap hotels)

Mixture, and dependant on team. Local/intra continent flights will be whatever, booked en mass. Or sometimes a drive if it's within a days journey. Long haul flights are better. Drivers and their entourage rarely travel with the team.

Muzzer79 said:

I assume there was some almighty piss-ups in various places around the world? Where was best for this and did the drivers ever join you?

Yes, it's good to take the opportunity to celebrate when you can.

Muzzer79 said:

What was your biggest personal cock-up on the job and did you get away with it?

There are many! 'Getting away with it' isn't part of the culture - the sooner you realise and put your hands-up, the sooner it can be fixed.

[AnonymousF1]

mantis84 said:

Favourite and least favourite track?

Favourite's hard as I like lots for different reasons: how technical they are, the mixture of corner types, ability to give a good race, atmosphere, facilities. Silverstone has the best blend of those I'd say, but this year I enjoyed Mugello and Turkey the most, for a different mixture of those reasons.

mantis84 said:

Any tracks no longer on the calendar that you'd like to go back to?

Turkey and Portimao.

[AnonymousF1]

Mr Pointy said:

What did you think of Mercedes DAS system? Brilliant engineering or cheating scumbags?

Very innovative.

[AnonymousF1]

SturdyHSV said:

Which of the current teams would you most like to work for, and why?

(I figure you might already work there and we wouldn't know either way so it's an answerable question )

The one I currently work for is always my favourite.

[AnonymousF1]

Mark A S said:

What was Jenson like to work with ?

By all accounts a mixture across his (long) F1 career. Most recently I'd say he was a true professional and carried the corporate culture he was in, well.

[AnonymousF1]

rdjohn said:

Are there still any Eureka moments in F1 design?

Occasionally, but by their very nature short lived before it's been surpassed by something else novel.

rdjohn said:

At the beginning of a new season car design process, do you ever start with a clean-sheet design brief from the technical director, or is every new car just the latest iteration of everything that everyone already knows minus design cul-de-sacs?

Mix of evolution and revolution, the bigger changes are usually promptly mainly by reg changes. 'Ironing-out' perceived weaknesses of the last car plays a big part too, as you say.

rdjohn said:

If the latter, does it irk you when a car is described as “the fabulous Adrian Newey design”, or whoever the TD happens to be?

No, it doesn't irk me.

[AnonymousF1]

anonymous said:

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You're welcome!

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Hard to say as they are all fast and have their days. Raw pace comes through, but the 'fastest' driver is one that has this and can manage a lot of other things at the same time.

anonymous said:

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They are all extremely hard working. I enjoyed the PR of Lando working on a car last year.

anonymous said:

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There's lots that never make it in to the public domain. These are usually the ones I 'like' the most because of that and the uniqueness of that situation to F1. Most other design lead industries would promote their inventions or try to protect them from being copied (e.g. patent).

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I would imagine the wheelbase of all the cars is within a few percent of each other. The level of rake the cars run is a byproduct of the evolution of the car's aerodynamics and setup - you have to go back years to find the developments and subsequent decisions that ultimately lead to how the car 'appears' to run today.

[AnonymousF1]

Second Best said:

Possibly a little sensitive, but do you find that subcontractor companies who get an F1 contract typically ask for tickets/merch/tours etc?

I'd hope they're usually professional enough to know it's about them supplying a service in exchange for payment. Anything on top of that would be part of a relationship so outside of my realm.

[AnonymousF1]

CheesecakeRunner said:

Great thread.

What idea, or solution to a problem do you wish you’d thought of?

Thanks. Sorry, I don't understand the question.

[AnonymousF1]

Oilchange said:

Great idea for a thread, thanks for stepping up!

Also, well done all in F1 for making 2020 happen, quite an achievement considering but the season being so eventful was really something.

Q. I managed to get to Portugal this year and nothing would please me more than F1 pitching up there for GPs in years to come. How likely is this in your opinion?

I enjoyed it too! And hope we go back soon. However I don't know when or if, that's up to the people who manage the commercial aspects of the sport.

[AnonymousF1]

entropy said:

How much does the driver influence car development today? Is it biased towards the lead/particular driver.

How much influence can be taken from driver's subjectivity against objective data?

I think I've answered the first part already.

The driver's opinion is often used to give direction for what to look for in the data. The data is then used to substantiate what's going on and offer potential directions to develop the car and its setup.

[AnonymousF1]

CheesecakeRunner said:

No problem. I work as a software engineer, and often a novel solution to a problem will be produced and I sit back an think “Wow, I wish I’d come up with that”. Is there anything like that for you?

Yes, regularly. You spend a lot of time developing, designing and iterating a concept ahead of the solution making it to the track. Sometimes you'll see a competitor turn-up one race event earlier with a design that does a similar thing, in a neater fashion and think 'if only we'd done that'. Sometimes you'll be first to track with something, only for a competitor to copy, re-engineer and be at the track with their version in a much shorter lead time.

[AnonymousF1]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Not sure I agree. Ant Davidson is a fantastic driver in his own rights. Not sure he ever got a decent opportunity in F1?

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Very. Usually it's a case of compromising another part of the lap to give them what they want where they feel it's weakest. Then they complain about the bit you had to compromise...

anonymous said:

[redacted]

They do.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Chicken or egg? Usually you take a car apart to replace something that's broken or not performing as you wish. If you have a reliable platform you don't need to take it apart so often.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yes, they always stand-out - in the same way fans/spectators would notice.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

No idea. Perhaps they fancied a change?

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I don't believe that's a usual measure of a driver's performance. In Q the drivers will drive at the peak of their ability to minimise lap time. In the race they have to manage cooling, tyres, fuel and a host of other parameters. I think Kimi is famous for his 'just leave me alone/let me get on with it' attitude, but he still has to do all the above.

[AnonymousF1]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

The mapping of the engine is exceptionally highly tuned, and variable across engines, cars, drivers preferences. It's impossible to say.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Very. I'm sure they compete outside of F1 on things like running times, etc.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I think he's fitter than you think, or lets on.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

There are various driver-selectable throttle maps available, and lots of development goes in to pedal shaping. I think the current regs prevent ones that alter the throttle response by corner, automatically.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yes. If you watch a race live at the track you see how much more the cars 'move around' as your point of reference/viewing frame is very different to a camera following the car's motion.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Firstly - experience, built from a young age. Then physical training (gym/stamina/high altitude/etcetera), but they also train hard mentally. I think the Netflix series gives good insight to what they do behind the scenes/in the off-season.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Through simulation and computer modelling.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

It's different for every team, and sometimes different per employee, but I think it's mostly common to reward based on championship position these days.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yes. I think the Banks pulling out after the credit crunch was a bigger issue.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I don't believe coming second only to Lewis is 'struggling'.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

That would be more of a personal opinion, there's no official 'insiders' view. I think anyone who's WDC and beat Lewis is extremely good.

[AnonymousF1]

Fantomas said:

Couple of questions...
Do drivers tent to mix with crew/engineers “off duty” during Grand Prix weekend or the majority of them sticks together ?

Away from the circuit, not so much. They tend to have their own entourage of family, personal trainers, manager, etc.

Fantomas said:

During your career have you ever been good pale with particular drivers ?

Yes, I'd like to think so.

[AnonymousF1]

Gary C said:

How much sleep do you get over a race weekend

Not as bad as it used to be since the curfews were added to the Sporting Regs. Without the curfews, very little.

[AnonymousF1]

robinessex said:

I'm always reading of the sensitivity of the cars to aero, and ride height. Why then do the drivers then promptly take them out, and fly 6" high over the kerbs?

Usually aggressive kerb riding only happens in low speed corners where aero load is low, and net laptime benefit is positive.

(Good question and good pictures, by the way)