Technical F1 question
Discussion
Watching an old Top Gear the other day JC was explaining that although his Audi could get round a certain bend at 90 and an F1 car at 160 or so, the F1 car couldn’t get round at 90 due to the lack of downforce.
Now I appreciate that lack of downforce can mean that an F1 car can fail to corner at certain speeds when it could at higher speeds. But can it really not get round at the speed a road car could manage or is that just a JCism? Even without benefit of aerodynamic downforce it seems unlikely that it would have less grip than a road car.
Now I appreciate that lack of downforce can mean that an F1 car can fail to corner at certain speeds when it could at higher speeds. But can it really not get round at the speed a road car could manage or is that just a JCism? Even without benefit of aerodynamic downforce it seems unlikely that it would have less grip than a road car.
Look at F1 cars when there behind the safety car, they have no real issue at low speeds. It just that there not very good a low speeds. However that said, if there is enough water on the track they often have to tell the safety car to slow down as the F1 cars are aquaplaning all over the shop.
zeduffman said:
There are a lot of variables to consider but the situation is plausible.
Have you seen the clip where Hammond is put in a Renault F1 car? He kept spinning out because he wasn't going fast enough for either the aero to work or for the slick tyres to warm up properly.
Although it's true that the aero wouldn't have been working fully, I'm not convinced that going faster would have helped Hammond, I reckon he just didn't have the talent for it. I'm sure any average F1 driver could have driven around following Hammond without crashing. Have you seen the clip where Hammond is put in a Renault F1 car? He kept spinning out because he wasn't going fast enough for either the aero to work or for the slick tyres to warm up properly.
Papa Hotel said:
zeduffman said:
There are a lot of variables to consider but the situation is plausible.
Have you seen the clip where Hammond is put in a Renault F1 car? He kept spinning out because he wasn't going fast enough for either the aero to work or for the slick tyres to warm up properly.
Although it's true that the aero wouldn't have been working fully, I'm not convinced that going faster would have helped Hammond, I reckon he just didn't have the talent for it. I'm sure any average F1 driver could have driven around following Hammond without crashing. Have you seen the clip where Hammond is put in a Renault F1 car? He kept spinning out because he wasn't going fast enough for either the aero to work or for the slick tyres to warm up properly.
Papa Hotel said:
Although it's true that the aero wouldn't have been working fully, I'm not convinced that going faster would have helped Hammond, I reckon he just didn't have the talent for it. I'm sure any average F1 driver could have driven around following Hammond without crashing.
Grosjean & Pastor M. excludedcuprabob said:
Papa Hotel said:
Although it's true that the aero wouldn't have been working fully, I'm not convinced that going faster would have helped Hammond, I reckon he just didn't have the talent for it. I'm sure any average F1 driver could have driven around following Hammond without crashing into him.
Grosjean & Pastor M. excluded
You have to remember that 90mph may not sound a lot for a F1 car, it is still pretty bloody fast, fast enough for the wings and diffuser to be generating downforce. The Safety Car in F1 will still push on towards 150 mph on fast sections of the track, and be driving at well above what you'd consider a 'normal' speed for traffic given the need for the following F1 cars to keep their tyre pressures and brake temperatures up. So it is feasible to think that the statement is correct, but it would probably have to be a F1 car on, as others have said, cold tyres and driven by Pastor Maldonado (he can crash anything, anywhere). A F1 car is designed and set up to work within a specific range, and if it's outside that range, like any other car it won't work very well. Added to this, the faster the car goes (in principle) the more downforce and therefore aerodynamic grip it generates.
Having said that, clearly a F1 car can take the various slow corners of a track like Monaco at 50-60 mph - assuming it is set up to do so. A F1 car in Monza spec is likely to struggle to get close to that level of grip and turning performance, but I'd suggest that a competent driver would be able to drive around Monaco in a Monza aero-spec F1 car at a very slow speed (assuming the ride height and steering lock physically allowed him to do so).
Having said that, clearly a F1 car can take the various slow corners of a track like Monaco at 50-60 mph - assuming it is set up to do so. A F1 car in Monza spec is likely to struggle to get close to that level of grip and turning performance, but I'd suggest that a competent driver would be able to drive around Monaco in a Monza aero-spec F1 car at a very slow speed (assuming the ride height and steering lock physically allowed him to do so).
Sexual Chocolate said:
BoRED S2upid said:
Very uninteresting it has a big wooden plank and little else.
So there is no channels filtering air to different sections of the car? They would be really interesting, if the regs permitted it, but they don't.
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