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CedricN said:
Interesting, do you guys work with of the shelf software like GT suite etc for engine and dynamic simulations etc or is it in house developed? Or maybe both?
Yes I've seen off the shelf stuff used, particularly in the early days of simulation. Over time most teams have moved to in-house or opensource based codes now, I believe.
Gillard36 said:
How do you feel about refuelling in F1?
I don't think we will ever see it again because cars re fueling is a "bad image" for the environment. I think it is a shame as it takes away so many tactical opportunities.
I'm personally all for it, as it adds another variable to the pitstop process, and more pitstops, I think. I suspect it's fallen out of favour for safety reasons mainly.I don't think we will ever see it again because cars re fueling is a "bad image" for the environment. I think it is a shame as it takes away so many tactical opportunities.
jimPH said:
Do you think drivers asking for lots of money could be better spent on the car/team, especially with budget caps coming in. Has your team felt the pinch?
It's a marketplace - the drivers can ask, it's up to the teams what they want to pay. I'm not sure what the current grid of drivers earn, but since the end of the noughties salaried drivers have become the minority. Driver's pay is outside of the new cost caps I believe.
jimPH said:
Have you ever successfully cheated pushed the limit of the regs?
Pushed to the limit, of course. Cheated absolutely not.garypotter said:
Thank you OP for your honest and interesting replies.
1 question - are you aware if any ideas come from outside the team, such as a fan emailing a crazy idea? or an five year old sending in a crayon drawing that has resulted in an item ended up on one of your race cars?
You're welcome. Not to my knowledge.1 question - are you aware if any ideas come from outside the team, such as a fan emailing a crazy idea? or an five year old sending in a crayon drawing that has resulted in an item ended up on one of your race cars?
Hugo Stiglitz said:
Damon Hill, Schumacher and others were well known for developing and setting up the cars, giving feedback along the way. Damon was a test driver for Williams first as well.
OP are you saying nowadays it's more about the car, really?
No, not at all. The cars are far more complicated now than the ones Damon and Michael drove. In particular, driver's are challenged on more cognitive levels (example, adjustments on steering wheel, whilst receiving/transmitting information on radio, whilst driving wheel to wheel on the open lap on cold tyres/high fuel). The best driver is one who can excel at all these things, at the same time.OP are you saying nowadays it's more about the car, really?
Hugo Stiglitz said:
Lewis literally turns up at pre season testing and adjusts it to his taste?
Possibly. Although usually a driver would be in the factory ahead of the season start for a number of things - seat, steering wheel and chassis fitting/ergonomics, simulator, discussions with engineers, promotional work. Hugo Stiglitz said:
Hes not in the factory at all, doing any test miles when it's out of the box raw and doesn't sit in extensive briefings?
Edited by AnonymousF1 on Saturday 20th March 12:43
Total loss said:
I don't know about the fronts, they could be still fully mechanical, I've read before about F1 brakes being electrically activated, I assumed both front & rear?
I was being very simplistic with my explanation, probably too much, yes pedal feel is everything, not all drivers preferring the same set up, when you have different drivers driving the same car, some will say alls good and another will say the brakes require too much effort or the pedal is too long!
Fronts are conventional hydraulic operation, rears are hydraulically operated but via electronic control. This is known as BBW = Brake By Wire. It is regulatory and the same for every team.I was being very simplistic with my explanation, probably too much, yes pedal feel is everything, not all drivers preferring the same set up, when you have different drivers driving the same car, some will say alls good and another will say the brakes require too much effort or the pedal is too long!
andburg said:
As far as i can decipher drivers have up to 3 pedal mappings for the accelerator (dry / wet / intermediate) but these can be shaped to each drivers requirements. How much do these differ between drivers?
Many more, with multiple dimensions. Across drivers in each team, not much. Across teams/engine suppliers, very much.A1Diego said:
My son is 11 and an absolute car geek and he so much wants to be an engineer in the motor industry and ideally F1.
By the time he is working in the car industry, combustion engines will be on the way out - do you think this will affects the skills and qualifications the next generation of F1/car engineers should be focusing on?
I shouldn't worry too much about this, the education that universities/academic institutions give your son will tailor their courses to suit the demands of the industry. In any case, gaining a good quality engineering education is about learning the basics/fundamentals/principles - these can then be applied to any engineering challenge.By the time he is working in the car industry, combustion engines will be on the way out - do you think this will affects the skills and qualifications the next generation of F1/car engineers should be focusing on?
Dashnine said:
Just picking up this topic again, it’d interesting that you can see how little work the rear brakes do on an F1 car from the white wheels of the AlphaTauri car during testing in Bahrain. After a few laps the front wheels are black from brake dust, the rears are still pristine white.
On the front axle, the air that flows over/through the brakes exit across the wheel spokes. On the rear axle this air exits inboard of the wheel, i.e. dusty brake air does not travel across the rear wheel spokes. Hence the clean rear wheels on the car you mention.
The rear brake duct exits can be seen in most images of the cars from the rear. In the below image it is the vertical duct exit adjacent to the tyre:
anonymous said:
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I believe you mean one of the 'Paddock Palaces' as opposed to a motorhome the driver may stay in. If so, usually a couple of days at each circuit for each team.anonymous said:
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No, they are used for hospitality, engineers offices, drivers rooms, parts storage, etcetera. The drivers may stay at the circuit in a conventional motorhome occassionally.anonymous said:
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Yes, sometimes. It depends on which circuit it is, which one is next, and the result that day.anonymous said:
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Yes very much so, the paddock is a a fairly small community.A1Diego said:
Thank you ! Are there other routes into the automotive industry - for example, through some sort of apprenticeship schemes or is the best thing to do to focus on getting a good quality degree? For the latter, are there any particular institutions with good links? I’m thinking Warwick, Coventry, Birmingham may have good links with JLR / Aston? Milton Keynes with Red Bull etc.
It depends what level your son would like to work at/get to eventually. Apprenticeships or college route are available e.g. OCVC at Bicester. Some teams operate an apprenticeship type scheme of their own. With the right experience, this will get you in at Mechanic/Technician level.Engineer level will require a degree minimum. Graduate/less experienced positions are fiercely competitive so picking an institution that has a proven record of supplying graduates to the industry is key, e.g. Oxford Brookes for design engineers, Southampton for aerodynamicists. Teams tend to have strong affiliations with particular universities too, taking students for placements throughout their degrees and then as graduates. Example: - Red Bull and Loughborough.
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