Jezz guys.. Its for testing- TESTING. You can do pretty much anything you want within reason at a test. There is no way you can do a Pitstop at a race with those
It's cooler looking than the painted hubcaps the F2008 is using. I guess BBS isn't a big fan of the technology. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'd have thought that if they had aerodynamic benefits they'd have to meet the regulations relating to aerodynamic parts, whether or not they are primarily part of another system. I don't know exactly what these things do but since they are outboard on the wheels and not on the brakes it seems to me it's unlikely they are part of the braking system, other than perhaps to aid cooling in some way.
Aren't they pretty much the same sort of ducts (in Essence) that have existed on the other side of the wheel forever?
Agree ... as I said McLaren will not be allowed to be competitive this year. The brake steer system was no more illegal than Ferrari's adjustable brake bias, but ofcourse Ferrari have Max in their team. Pete
Pete I believe that the adjustable brake bias is done manualy at every turn. Correct me if im wrong but the brakes steer did not need much driver input.
This is not their "new" wheel cover. They have sensors inside of the block part. It is not legal because protrudes out of the wheel itself, which is illegal. Surprised no one has mentioned this yet.... EDIT: closer pic here: http://www.f1today.nl/fotos/fxbe2uow2.jpg
I think that if FIA allows this wheel covers, they would effectively enforce the "don't race LH or else" rule (remember Kubica's penalty) These things look like tire shredders. Besides as mentioned here, they look a lot like wings of sorts to me which is against the rules. I remember that there were teams crying "bloody murder" when Ferrari introduced their rear wheel caps and it went into an investigation to prove whether they were in fact aero pieces or not. I remember a drawing about how it routes the air from inside the wheel through the brakes and out the wheel. The McLaren's covers look like taking the airflow in the opposite direction.
Not 100% sure about the Ferrari bias, so will not dispute that one ... but the McLaren one had a split brake pedal so they could manually control the pressure on each side ... if I ofcourse remember correctly . Pete
They are the new wheel covers, take a look again and you will see that they are very different. http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/photolarge.php?photoID=92136&catID=3105 http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/photolarge.php?photoID=92121&catID=3105
This might be splitting hairs but every aero part is "moving" simply because the car is moving. I suspect the rule is concerned with "movable" aero parts i.e. aero parts that can be adjusted while the car is in motion.
From that first pic I can see a lot of aero modifications under the air intake that I hadn't noticed before. Cool pictures.
I think that the ban on "moveable" aerodynamic devices dates back to the late sixties or early seventies when the failure of wings linked to brakes caused a number of crashes. The Lotus 49 comes to mind. Anyone with a more specific memory?
Edit: Hi VIZSLA, you beat me to it! The rule specifies that any aero part must not move with respect to the chassis. The original reason was to ban attaching wings directly to the uprights, as seen here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/graphics/2004/07/13/lotus2a.jpg After several failures, this type of setup was deemed unsafe and wings were required to be mounted rigidly to the chassis instead. That ruling is a whole different thread, but the legacy is the rule that says any aero device must be "fixed" and immovable with respect to the chassis. If you're interested all the rules are posted on the official FIA website. http://www.fia.com/sport/Regulations/f1regs.html
I am not referring to the origin of "moveable" aeros, I am only talking about the introduction of wheel covers which as far as I know, was introduced by Ferrari in 2006. Other F1 team protested, mainly Renault as FA/Renault and MS/Ferrai were in a tight title fight at the time.
Actually the Ferrari 641/2 of 1990 designed by Steve Nichols had them but for qualifying only. In 2006 they first appeared at the year's first race in Baharain. A ruling on the configuration of brake ducts in 2005 was cited as precedent and they were allowed. Toyota and Torro Rosso quickly followed Ferrari's lead. Over the next few races the wheel cover/brake ducts expanded in size until only a hole large enough to fit an air gun was left.
I did not remember the 641/2 car having them on, I guess with them being used only during qualifying had a lot to do with my memory gap. Thanks ! Q: Shouldn't that be the 1991 season, with Prost & Alesi at Ferrari and Prost being fired in mid-season ? I remember how disappointing I was that year, especially with how the 1990 season ended. IIRC, Steve Nichols was in charge of the 1991 car and was let go after that one year. Barnard was in charge of the F1-89 and the 641.
it looks ugly like hell. i think FIA will ban it, imagine doing wheel to wheel racing, and some wheel banging, i think it'll surely damage the opponent's tires..
