Crown

Well, there's a 4 week gap until the next race at Spa-Francorchamps. Hopefully, it will be full of excitement - Spa is one of my favourite tracks

Schumi has a 10 place grid penalty following his dangerous driving at the Hungaroring.

By then, we should also know the outcome of the Hockenheim 'team orders' controversy surrounding Ferrari.

And maybe there will be some more developments in the Red Bull flexi front wing controversy.

I wonder whether teams like McLaren can catch Red Bull and Ferrari. Seems to me like the shortlist of the main contenders for the Driver's title no longer includes Hamilton and Button. Looks to me like it's a straight fight involving just Vettel, Webber and Alonso who have the equipment to do the job.

Still, F1 is unpredictable so let's hope for more surprises to keep the excitement high

 
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easy_rider911:

I wonder whether teams like McLaren can catch Red Bull and Ferrari. Seems to me like the shortlist of the main contenders for the Driver's title no longer includes Hamilton and Button. Looks to me like it's a straight fight involving just Vettel, Webber and Alonso who have the equipment to do the job.

Still, F1 is unpredictable so let's hope for more surprises to keep the excitement high

2010 Champion? My prediction: Unless Ferrari get heavily penalized for team orders and I doubt that even if they do, there will be points deducted from the driver(s), the title will go to Alonso. I expect him to join the small circle of 3 times champions this year.

"Form follows function"

I say Webber because of his kit and maturity..

throt

"I didn't do it"

throt:

I say Webber because of his kit and maturity..

The wing controversy might hurt RBR and somehow they find ways to make easy things difficult for themselves.

But I like Webber, although up to this year I never thought of him as a potential champion.

"Form follows function"

Webber +1

Vettel is very fast but still too unmature for becoming a champion.

Lord_Driftalot:

Webber +1

Vettel is very fast but still too unmature for becoming a champion.

And +1. 

FIA to increase test loads for front wing...

Following the complaints of a number of teams regarding the flexibility of the Red Bull Racing and Ferrari front wings, the FIA has moved to increase the requirements regarding the strength of the front wings to prevent them from flexing too much.

According to Autosport, the FIA wrote to teams after the Hungarian Grand Prix telling them it was going to attempt to clear up the issue.

It is said that as of the next event, the Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps, the new test will include putting a weight of 100kg on the wing whereby the wing will only be allowed a linear deflection of up to 20mm. Currently, weights of 50kg are used and the maximum movement of the endplates is 10mm.

Even though the current wings are found legal with the current test, worries by McLaren and Mercedes GP have urged the FIA to put into effect rule 3.17.8 of the technical regulations. The article states: "In order to ensure that the requirements of Article 3.15 are respected, the FIA reserves the right to introduce further load/deflection tests on any part of the bodywork which appears to be (or is suspected of), moving whilst the car is in motion."

There are suspicions that current teams are cleverly using a combination of materials that make the wing strong enough to pass the test, but beyond that flexing easier. As such, the mention of "linear deflection" in the new test.

The issue again rises questions about the methodology that the FIA is applying to set the rules. Careful consideration at the time when the minimum height of the front wings was reduced would have shown the possibility to design wings that bend more, because they are particularly interesting because of their ground effect.

Instead, now the test is likely to be enforced, requiring some of the teams now to spend more money redesigning their wings, whereas they were legal in the first place.

FIA-to-increase-test-loads-for-front-wing_F1-Technical-news

F1 Analysis: "Flexible friends: redux"

(3 August 2010)

"Until we saw your pictures we had no idea at all..."

That’s quite an honest (and rare in the know-it-all world of Formula 1) admission to make – especially when it comes from a very high-up director of a title-challenging team.

Even the television pundits who dismissed the flexible wing story as a “red herring” at Hockenheim had to take it seriously in Hungary!

How could they not?

The Red Bull RB6 was a monstrous machine at the Hungaroring, demonstrating physics-defying levels of grip and speed. All that, combined with its sheer poise and ability to change direction, resulted in a 1.2-second Q3 advantage over the nearest non-RBR car.

The nose/front wing section introduced at Silverstone played its part, so let’s look at the details.

When designing a formula car it’s a given that a stiff front wing should give better handling consistency than a flexible one; but with subsequent analysis and control, flex can be applied with both bend and twist employed to keep a consistent balance.

Both the RB6 and Ferrari F10 appear to have wings that increase in flex as the car’s speed builds, but it would be interesting to know if the movement takes place at a fairly low speed up to an end stop, so that the gain is always there, resulting in increased aero efficiency and grip levels.

Interest is also focused on the Red Bull front crash structure.

After the new wing failed on Sebastian Vettel’s car during practice at Silverstone, Red Bull cited circuit bumps for the breakage – but certain switched-on F1 insiders suspected something different.

At speed and under heavy aero load the nose appears to droop, which would suggest that they are either running a pivoting nose, or some device to allow the front of the flat bottom – known as the bib – to flex up and away from the ground so that they can run an overall lower front ride height.

If this part of the car is not measured during scrutineering, a preloaded pivot of the nose would not show as excessive deflection (when measuring the front wing flex), meaning the car is passed as legal.

Perhaps Red Bull should paint the RB6’s nose section blue and not yellow, since this only serves to highlight the Concorde–like droop!

Of course, running the front low will give a big gain, probably at least 0.1 seconds per millimetre, but since the new way of measuring the permitted clearance was introduced it’s been very difficult for designers to find legal ways of getting back to where they were.

Ferrari (the F10 runs very low at the front, too) and Red Bull have perhaps found an ingenious way to get around the measuring procedure while doing something quite different when the car is on track.

Now that the FIA has announced that front wing deflection tests will be ramped up for the Belgian Grand Prix it will be very interesting to see the results of any changes made.

If the governing body only reduces the amount of permitted front wing flex, the difference in lap times will be small – but if they also stop any flexing of the bib, the difference will be big.

Watch that space.

Flexible-friends-redux_Darren-Heath-article

BBC Sport: "Mark Webber defends Red Bull's front wing development..."

(3 August 2010)

Mark Webber has told his rivals to stop finding fault in the Red Bull car that has given him the championship lead. Red Bull's latest design concept, the front wing, has come under scrutiny over its flexibility at high speed when it is supposed to remain static.

But Webber, who leads McLaren's Lewis Hamilton by four points, said: "The car has always been passed by the FIA."

"When people don't like what they see on the stopwatch, they have to justify their own positions sometimes."

The UK-based Australian, 33, added: "Our guys have broken their balls to design a car in the spirit of the regulations, but when there's pressure on people to perform and they're getting destroyed, that's how it is."

"Some teams have done certain things, other teams have done other things. McLaren incorporated the F-duct, which is a sensational idea."

"We've turned the world upside down to try and do that, which is not without resource difficulties - but that's Formula 1."

"We're more than happy with what we have on the car, and we're sleeping well at night. You should never penalise things that are ingenious, and people who are doing a good job. There's always something new to bring out of the cupboard."

Ferrari have also developed their own front wing, and although no team has lodged a protest there have been many complaints, despite the wings passing the FIA tests as they currently stand.

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn has, however, claimed the existing tests are "not correct", while McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh said it was "difficult to imagine" how some cars' wings could be legal.

Tests will be tightened ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix on 29 August.

Earlier in the season, Red Bull's innovative exhaust blown diffuser was also frowned upon - but it was deemed legal and other teams soon designed their own versions.

Meanwhile, Webber feels Red Bull should be allowed to equalise their engines in line with other teams. The engine supplied by Renault to Red Bull cannot provide the horsepower of the Mercedes used by the German manufacturer, plus McLaren and Force India.

Webber added: "We've been looking for engine parity for the last few years because we know we don't have the most powerful engine."

"When we go to a track where there are not many straights, the car is good because we've had to try incredibly hard to get the car performing on those circuits."

Mark-Webber-defends-Red-Bull-front-wing_BBC-Sport

Webber truly deserves a championship this season, he's been steady in the game for a long long time. Also it would be HUGE for RBR to pull it off after last season's upward trend. Still hoping for SV but he's so young and has true potential, he's very driven and his time will come. As for the wing, if the wings are passed by the FIA others should stop crying and adapt their cars, it's F1.

indeed shifting is ancient technology - so is a fuel burning engine..  I happen to like both :) 

Red Bull Will Not Alter Front Wing For Belgian Grand Prix...

(6 August 2010)

• Team manager confirmed Red Bull will not alter wing
• The FIA flexibility tests have changed
• Other teams may be forced to alter their wings

Image: Red Bull RB6

Although many are expecting to see the Red Bull mechanics alter the configuration of their car's front wing/floor or whatever amid the new flexibility wing tests imposed by the International Automobile Federation (FIA), the Austrian team's manager Christian Horner insisted the RB6 will not be changed for the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix, at Spa.                 

“Based on the correspondence the FIA has sent us, we believe our car still meets those criteria,” Horner was quoted as saying to the print edition of Autosport magazine.

Amid suggestions that the front wings of Red Bull's RB6 and Ferrari's F10 move too close to the ground, the FIA altered the flexibility tests for these particular parts of the car, doubling the standards. This led many to believe that the majority of teams in the paddock, not only RBR and Ferrari, will have to change the design of their front wings.

Additionally, several other theories have surfaced in the media as to how Red Bull managed to obtain such an effect from their front wings.

Some theories suggest there is nothing wrong with the RB6 front wing, and that its desired downforce-enhancing effect comes from a special design of the entire nose or the front floor. That would indeed mean Red Bull will not have to make changes to its wing, unlike its rivals who will have to redesign it.

That would create an even bigger performance gap between RBR and their rivals – in Hungary, the Red Bull drivers put one second between them and their nearest rivals Ferrari – which would more than likely kill the championship. What we're saying is that the teams' protest in recent weeks could actually play in Red Bull's favour after all.

Red-Bull-Will-Not-Alter-Front-Wing_Auto-Evolution

Formula 1 Technology...

not surprised, Webber is a great guy, always has been.

indeed shifting is ancient technology - so is a fuel burning engine..  I happen to like both :) 

Nick Heidfeld is appointed a test driver for Pirelli who will be the sole tyre supplier for F1 in 2011

www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2010/8/11141.html

 
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easy_rider911:

Nick Heidfeld is appointed a test driver for Pirelli who will be the sole tyre supplier for F1 in 2011

www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2010/8/11141.html

 Which is a clever move, next year Nick will be the most experienced driver on the new tyres.

I hope to see him racing in a F1 car again soon.

Looking forward to Spa, it's an Epic track.  Hopefully no retiring from the race for Lewis and Jenson this year, but Vettel likes this track.  Although SV is extremely fast and certainly has ability I find it hard to warm to the guy and like a few have mentioned I found myself unintentionally supporting Webber, mainly due to his supreme drives under pressure this season.

Looking forward to this one and no rain please. :)

http://www.phrog.co.uk

Eunice:

easy_rider911:

Nick Heidfeld is appointed a test driver for Pirelli who will be the sole tyre supplier for F1 in 2011

www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2010/8/11141.html

 Which is a clever move, next year Nick will be the most experienced driver on the new tyres.

I hope to see him racing in a F1 car again soon.

+1
 

indeed shifting is ancient technology - so is a fuel burning engine..  I happen to like both :) 

Came across the website of superb motorsports and automotive photographer Schlegelmilch. Check out his pictures from Hungaroring, that might reduce the wait for the next race:

McLaren still baffled by Red Bull wing...

(25 August 2010)

McLaren has admitted that it has no better understanding of the Red Bull's low-riding front wing ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix than it did in Hungary.

Front wings have been a contentious issue at the last two rounds of the season where photos and video footage of the Red Bull and Ferrari showed the endplates running very low to the ground. By running the wing lower the car has more downforce and rival teams demanded a clearer ruling on the issue.

At this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix the wings will be subjected to more stringent tests during FIA scrutineering, but all of the teams appear to be confident that they will not have to make any changes. McLaren's managing director Jonathan Neale said his team had been working closely with the FIA to make sure the MP4-25 passed the test but admitted it would have to wait and see what happened with its rivals.

"To be honest, I've read all the trade magazines, I've seen all the footage on the FOM website - we can't explain at McLaren why the [Red Bull and Ferrari] cars operate in the way that they do," he told the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in. "We know that ours doesn't but I'm sure that we've spent a lot of time looking at the car and trying to figure out what is going on. But that is really just speculation on our part, that's a discussion for the FIA and those teams to have.

"I presume, because Charlie [Whiting the FIA's chief technical delegate] has issued some clarifications for the coming race, that he has some level of disquiet about what is happening or maybe what is about to happen, which is why he's taken the action that he's done. We're working with the FIA and our first job this weekend is to make sure that our car complies fully with all the regulations, so that's what we are doing."

He added: "There have been no big revelations since Hungary that I'm aware of."

McLaren's engineering director Paddy Lowe said the team will bring three front wings to the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps but did not go into any detail about the specifications.

"We are actually bringing quite a range of front wings to Spa, we'll be testing them on Friday and seeing which ones work out best," Lowe told journalists at the McLaren Technology Centre on Monday. "It's an unusual circuit in terms of downforce levels, so the wings we use are backed off quite a bit compared to normal levels. That means that you get different characteristics than you would ordinarily get with those wings so some of those characteristics are not predictable.

"A front wing is one of those things that ultimately we will still have to use a track test to discriminate between one and another. We have ideas about which one will work best but we'll try two or three out on Friday."

However, despite the media attention surrounding the front of the car, Lowe said McLaren's main focus for the remainder of the season was still on the rear, around the blown diffuser.

"The big one will still be exhaust and use of exhaust. Red Bull has set the standard in that area. We're working very hard to recover the difference there." 

McLaren-baffled-by-Red-Bull-wing_ESPN-F1-article

FIA to toughen up flexi-tests again...

(26 August 2010)

The FIA is to ramp up its flexi bodywork tests further for the Italian Grand Prix, AUTOSPORT has learned, in a move to stop teams gaining a potential unfair advantage.

Although it is widely known that the FIA is to increase the loads it uses to test deflection of the front wings from this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, sources have revealed that even more action is to be taken for the next event in Monza.

Amid mounting speculation that the lower front wings observed on the Red Bull Racing and Ferrari cars are being put into use through clever flexing of the car's floor, rather than the wings flexing down themselves, the FIA is to introduce extra tests on the underside area of the car.

In a document sent to teams during the summer break by Charlie Whiting, FIA technical chiefs have been informed that extra tests are to take place on the floor of the chassis - especially in the 'tea tray' area at the front edge.

The teams have not been told exactly what the tests will be - only that they will take place 380mm behind the front wheel centre line at points 100mm either side of the car centre line.

Furthermore, it is understood that the FIA is to revise the regulations regarding skid blocks, to ensure that joints in this area do not allow freedom that could help the floor to flex.

From the Italian Grand Prix it is understood that the skid block can comprise of no more than two pieces, and that no piece of the skid block can be less than one metre long. A number of teams are understood to use several sections of skid block on the underside of their floor.

To further ensure teams are not deflecting the floor, from Monza all joints, bearing pivots and any other form of articulation must also be fixed.

The move by the FIA comes on the back of weeks of controversy about flexible front wings - with Red Bull Racing and Ferrari's designs having come under intense scrutiny.

At the Hungarian Grand Prix, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said he was surprised by what he had observed on the Red Bull Racing and Ferrari cars.

"Clearly no wing can be infinitely rigid, but there are limits to which they should be allowed to flex," he said. "If you try to explain what is happening, either you can explain it by hugely raked cars - but if you do simple geometry then the ride height would be over 100mm and there is no evidence of that being the case.

"Or you do it by some means of the outer edge of the wings lowering down by more than we expect. Or the front of the floor is moving up further than we expect, because that is another part of bodywork that is intended to be rigidly attached.

"In truth we don't understand it and maybe there is another way but I, as a fairly simple engineer, can't think of anything other than those three explanations. If there is another one then I will be happy to hear it. It is surprising.

"I think the FIA has got to take a view now of what is acceptable, and if it is acceptable, to get the endplates down. Every millimetre is about one point of downforce at the front, although it also improves the rear. So 25-30mm of vertical lowering of the endplates is one second [per lap], so it is fairly substantial." 

FIA-to-toughen-up-flexi-tests-again_Autosport-article

Boxster Coupe GTS:

The photo may be deceptive but I am struggling to understand how this front wing can be legal?

 
RT Moderator - 997.1 Carrera S GT Silver/Cocoa, -20mm/LSD, PSE, short shifter, SportDesign rims, Zuffenhausen collection

 Notice the gap where the nose cone attaches to the main body. maybe its not a wing flexibility issue, but rather a whole nose piece design.

haha that one above is obviously not attached to the chassis properly. You can tell from the angle the wing makes to the ground. If anything it flexes the other way, down at the ends when looking head on.

indeed shifting is ancient technology - so is a fuel burning engine..  I happen to like both :) 

Vettel in qualifying for the 2010 Chinese F1 Grand Prix...

"Seems like a lot of front wing deflection on the RB6..."

Does anyone know how and to what extend the drivers are allowed to adjust the front-wing?

Red Bull bullish over rules clampdown...

(26 August 2010)

Christian Horner has warned Red Bull Racing's rivals that he does not expect his outfit's pace-setting form to be hit by a flexible bodywork clampdown being imposed by the FIA over the next two races.

As AUTOSPORT revealed this morning, beyond the stricter flexible wing deflection tests already introduced for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, further rule tweaks and tests will be imposed by the governing body for the next event in Monza.

And although the floor clarification will likely force a majority of teams to make changes to their cars, Horner says he does not expect his outfit to be unduly hindered by that or this weekend's new wing tests.

"The front wings we have here are the same as we had in Budapest," said Horner in Belgium when asked by AUTOSPORT about how he felt the new tests would impact his team. "We are happy they will meet the tests imposed by the FIA.

"But I am sure our performance advantage will be nowhere near as great as it was in Budapest because obviously the nature of this track is completely different, and horsepower will be a vital element here."

Speaking about the floor tweaks required for Monza, Horner said: "I can't say it will affect us any more or less than any other team. I haven't had a chance to look at the regulation in detail, and you would have to have a chat with Adrian [Newey, technical chief] about that, but I don't think it poses us any major concerns.

"We've been questioned so many times this year - whether it be ride-height systems, whether it be suspension, whether it be blown diffusers. It has been the front wing and now it is the floors, so our guys take it as a compliment that so much of the car has attracted so much attention. But it is understandable, when it [the car] has been as quick as it has, especially in Budapest."

Despite his confidence about rule tweaks not hampering his team, Horner believes that this weekend's race in Belgium and the next event in Monza will be tough for his outfit - because the long straights of Spa and Monza do not play to the strengths of the RB6.

However, he is well aware that each race is now getting more and more important when it comes to the world title situation.

"There are seven vital races, the next two are at tracks that perhaps don't suit the strengths of our car. The driver and team that is the most consistent, doesn't make any mistakes and is the quickest over the next seven races will come out on top.

"We think we are in a good position. We went into the summer break in the lead of both championships, which was a good lift for the team, and everyone has come back fully recharged and ready for the next seven races.

"I think we need to keep focusing on what we have been good at. We've won more races than any other team so far, we've won six grands prix, we could have won more and from every GP you learn something. We try and apply all those lessons into future races. We've got a very strong team, two great drivers and I think we are well set. But don't underestimate the challenge of the McLaren or Ferrari drivers."

He added: "It will come down to little things at the end of the day. It is like seven FA Cup finals from now on. That applies to the drivers, and the team. It means effectively 14 good starts, the minimum of 14 good pitstops, and 14 good qualifying sessions. So it is going to be a very exciting last third of the championship."

Red-Bull-bullish-over-rules-clampdown_Autosport-article

Webbers pole lap.

http://www.phrog.co.uk

Qualification lap times

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/results/8499297.stm

Grid positions

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/results/8499300.stm

 

 
RT Moderator - 997.1 Carrera S GT Silver/Cocoa, -20mm/LSD, PSE, short shifter, SportDesign rims, Zuffenhausen collection

Did I already say that I hate Vettel? 

The secret of life is to admire without desiring.