sauber's 2014 Steering Wheel diagram
sauber's 2014 Steering Wheel diagram
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Discussion

Pixelpeep

Original Poster:

8,600 posts

163 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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Love this sort of stuff smile


NRS

24,933 posts

222 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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And people complain about the Ferrari road cars, hehe

zac510

5,546 posts

227 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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Way too much stuff on there, seriously! Can the driver really be expected to control those all during a race? Could they not be condensed into 2 or 3 knobs that control 90% of the features? I just look at all those controls and think of all the different ways they could be set wrong!

Although I like that it has an ignition advance knob, just like a pre-war Bugatti.

Vaud

57,450 posts

176 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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zac510 said:
Way too much stuff on there, seriously! Can the driver really be expected to control those all during a race? Could they not be condensed into 2 or 3 knobs that control 90% of the features? I just look at all those controls and think of all the different ways they could be set wrong!

Although I like that it has an ignition advance knob, just like a pre-war Bugatti.
Think about it. If you have to control that many features, then you need many buttons, or few buttons but many menus. Now look at an advanced aircraft cockpit and see what they have.

If you need to react fast, or have limited brain cycles, many buttons is faster than submenus.

The question really is, should a driver be faced with that many control variables in the first place, regardless of how they are selected? It's been getting worse every season?

Jasandjules

71,794 posts

250 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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Ouch.


zac510

5,546 posts

227 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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Vaud said:
Think about it. If you have to control that many features, then you need many buttons, or few buttons but many menus. Now look at an advanced aircraft cockpit and see what they have.

If you need to react fast, or have limited brain cycles, many buttons is faster than submenus.

The question really is, should a driver be faced with that many control variables in the first place, regardless of how they are selected? It's been getting worse every season?
But do you really *need* to control that many functions? I think that people think they do, it gives a feeling of empowerment and control. In most people's minds more == better. I can understand that. There could be some kind of placebo effect going on.
I do remember last year being quite surprised that after joining Mercedes Lewis asked for the number of knobs on his steering wheel to be reduced and I quite liked the idea that he was very focused on what he needed to do his job and aware of the limitations of his brain. I thought it was in all driver's and engineer's minds for more knobs to be more better after M Schu started the craze in the early 2000s.

Vaud

57,450 posts

176 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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zac510 said:
But do you really *need* to control that many functions? I think that people think they do, it gives a feeling of empowerment and control. In most people's minds more == better. I can understand that. There could be some kind of placebo effect going on.
I do remember last year being quite surprised that after joining Mercedes Lewis asked for the number of knobs on his steering wheel to be reduced and I quite liked the idea that he was very focused on what he needed to do his job and aware of the limitations of his brain. I thought it was in all driver's and engineer's minds for more knobs to be more better after M Schu started the craze in the early 2000s.
1) I don't think Schumacher started the craze, I think the majority was driven by the removal of pit to car telemetry.

2) Given the increased complexity of engines and systems, it's an inevitability... sadly.

3) No placebo, they are all important. If they were all banned it would not change the spectacle, but fewer variables would be changeable if that makes sense.

anonymous-user

75 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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It's time to re-introduce pits to car control systems, its ridiculous the driver has to deal with all that "stuff", most of the time the engineer tells the driver over the radio comms what to set anyway, so what's the difference?

I would think if you lose pits to car radio, you would be pretty stuffed to even finish a race this year.

Vaud

57,450 posts

176 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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jsf said:
It's time to re-introduce pits to car control systems, its ridiculous the driver has to deal with all that "stuff", most of the time the engineer tells the driver over the radio comms what to set anyway, so what's the difference?

I would think if you lose pits to car radio, you would be pretty stuffed to even finish a race this year.
I agree, or allow more "machine learning /AI" control systems linked to gps - which might even be road relevant...

greygoose

9,289 posts

216 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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Do the Mercedes cars just have one stalk replacing all those buttons?

MissChief

7,772 posts

189 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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They don't HAVE to have that many buttons and dials but doing so allows them to maximise performance throughout the race. I believe Lewis asked for some of the buttons and dials to be removed from his wheel.

chonok

1,161 posts

256 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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Cruise Control?????

WTF?

Does an F1 car really need cruise control??

chonok

1,161 posts

256 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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Another thing, looking how close the radio button is to the pit limiter, I can't believe that we haven't seen someone knock on their pit limiter during a race!

What would happen if they did this down a straight at 200mph?

MissChief

7,772 posts

189 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
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Nothing I believe. No doubt it's set in such a way that unless you're in third or second gear it probably wouldn't activate.

Mikey G

4,848 posts

261 months

Friday 11th April 2014
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Didn't somebody accidentally hit it last year? One of the lower teams, may have been Max?

And what do you do when you make a selection on the MFRS? Surely there is another dial to make an adjustment to whatever you have selected?

Edit, think I see it now, the 10-1+ button seems to do it...

Edited by Mikey G on Friday 11th April 00:14

G0ldfysh

3,317 posts

278 months

Friday 11th April 2014
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Vaud said:
I agree, or allow more "machine learning /AI" control systems linked to gps - which might even be road relevant...
Is there anything in the rules that would restrict teams from having cars that knew where they are on the track and select the gear engine mapping etc to suit the corner?
Driver goes out does a quick lap then just has to steer if makes it to the front and the cars brakes and accelerates based on what has been taught. Would work in theory for the guy in front at least. pipe dream or possible?

Vaud

57,450 posts

176 months

Friday 11th April 2014
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G0ldfysh said:
Is there anything in the rules that would restrict teams from having cars that knew where they are on the track and select the gear engine mapping etc to suit the corner?
Driver goes out does a quick lap then just has to steer if makes it to the front and the cars brakes and accelerates based on what has been taught. Would work in theory for the guy in front at least. pipe dream or possible?
They were heading that way a few years ago with a lot of pit control based on car telemetry.

I think they still found the driver is quicker based on current tech.

bigandclever

14,181 posts

259 months

Friday 11th April 2014
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chonok said:
Cruise Control?????

WTF?

Does an F1 car really need cruise control??
It's very useful during testing to keep a repeatable, constant speed, if the engineers are fiddling with aero settings for instance.

NISaxoVTR

268 posts

190 months

Friday 11th April 2014
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jsf said:
It's time to re-introduce pits to car control systems..
Think of all the paranoid drivers thinking their car was being turned down, Maldonado would have a fit!

kambites

70,352 posts

242 months

Friday 11th April 2014
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NISaxoVTR said:
jsf said:
It's time to re-introduce pits to car control systems..
Think of all the paranoid drivers thinking their car was being turned down, Maldonado would have a fit!
Useful for Williams, though. Next time they can just turn off Massa's engine for a few seconds.