2018 Formula One Season ***Possible Spoilers***

POSTED BY: LUKE MURPHY | 24 APR 2018 | 2:23 PM GMT | 37 COMMENTS
As the events of the past few weeks have proven, F1 teams operate on fine margins with the pit stops. They are an important event in any Grand Prix and symbolise the notion of teamwork and self-improvement.

But when they go wrong – or the envelope is pushed too far – people get hurt.

Following a period of assessment by the FIA into the various pit stop failures early in the season, Formula One’s race director Charlie Whiting is poised to present solutions to the F1 teams.

Whilst pit stop errors occasionally happen in Formula One, there has been a high level of unsafe pit releases in the first few weekends of the season, which had prompted the FIA to investigate the causes and potentially present solutions to the teams.

What errors have occurred?

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso encountered a wheel detachment during pre-season testing (worryingly this occurred after four laps of running), whilst his team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne also suffered a similar fate during free practice for the Chinese Grand Prix.

In the Australian Grand Prix, Haas were denied a huge double-points score after Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean were forced to pull over with loose wheels following their pit stops.

However, the worst moment of the season occurred during the Bahrain Grand Prix where a Ferrari mechanic’s leg was broken after a Kimi Raikkonen was released from his pit box prematurely. Raikkonen also had a wheel detachment during one of the free practice sessions earlier in that weekend.



What caused the failures?

Speaking ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, Whiting explained that there had been a mix of problems with pit stops and that they weren’t necessarily a replication of the same issue.

“The two incidences in Melbourne were quite clearly wheelgun operator error,” said Whiting. “They cross threaded the nuts and thought it was tight, came off and then realised a little too late it wasn’t.

“[With Raikkonen’s incident in Bahrain], the guy hadn’t even taken the wheel off, which is slightly perplexing.”

Whiting added that McLaren had investigated the reasons for Alonso’s wheel detachment in pre-season testing and presented a report to the FIA.

“What happened was that the design of the nose piece that goes into the axle, that is the thing that holds the two-stage retention mechanism. But the way that is fixed into the axle was not quite strong enough so the wheel was a little bit loose, it worked itself loose because it had done four laps prior to that.

“So when the wheel started to tip a little bit, it put abnormal loads into the things that were holding the nose in and once the nose came out, there was no retention.”



The solution? Mandatory sensors to be used by all teams

The array of problems in the pit stops mean that a ‘blanket’ solution to prevent all problems in one swoop is unlikely to be suggested, and any solutions by the FIA at this stage are likely to be in the form of additional checks.

Even though suggestions will be put to the teams, Whiting added that the FIA would likely still permit teams to mostly come up with their own solutions in the battle for pit stop domination. He initially suggested an increase in the number of sensors required during a pit stop.

“I don’t think there’s any reason to standardise [the system]. We need to make sure among other things that there is no possibility for the guy to give the OK until those two conditions have been met,” said Whiting.

“Some teams have a torque sensor on the gun and they have a position sensor. If you only have the torque sensor, you can gun the nut on and it can be cross-threaded and it’ll show the required torque but it won’t be tight, which is what happened to both Haas cars for example and the McLaren on Friday [in China].

“So some teams have got that as well as a position sensor, so if it gets to the required torque and it hasn’t moved the right amount, then it says it’s not done.

“So you’re using two sensors in order to tell the operator that it’s actually done up. Then he presses the button, the jack drops and the car goes.”

All photos: Motorsport Images

 

A few good ones here.

 

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/43775631

 

The Australian's strong start to the campaign has thrust the Chinese GP winner into the centre of the 2019 driver market situation, with rivals Ferrari and Mercedes both options for him.
But after recent reports claiming that he had signed some form of pre-contract option with Ferrari to exclusively only deal with them for a set period, Ricciardo has categorically stated that is not the case.
"That is not true. I can say that," he said in Baku.
Despite the possibilities that are on offer for next year, with his Red Bull contract up at the end of this season, Ricciardo is clear that so far discussions have only taken place with his current bosses.
"I've only had talks with Red Bull," he said. "Even already last year we have been pretty open with each other and through the media as well they say they are interested in keeping me. We have had some talks regarding this.
"I am aware of other reports, but there hasn't been anything else. They are not true. At least not up until now. Certainly not."
Ricciardo is clear that he wants to get himself into a car in 2019 that he can win the championship with.
And following suggestions that Ferrari appears focused solely around Sebastian Vettel, judging by the strategy it put Kimi Raikkonen on in China, Ricciardo says that he will not accept playing second fiddle to anyone else.
"These are certainly things I would, wherever I may be or go, I would always make sure there was some clarity," he said.
"I wouldn't want to go somewhere where I didn't feel I had a chance. At the moment what I am chasing, to try to be world champion, it is my goal and dream and something I really believe I am capable of.
"If someone said, 'we will let you here but you can't to this', that is not an attractive option to me. Is that the case somewhere? I honestly don't know what is going on with other teams.
"At Red Bull there has always been really good clarity and fairness since 2014, since I have been there, so that has been certainly a nice environment and I would expect that environment everywhere."
Ricciardo reckoned that the summer break was likely the time when he would make a call on what he was doing in 2019.
"For sure, the summer seems fine," he said. "I guess I don't really fear not having a seat next year so I don't feel I need to sign something tomorrow or I have nothing.
"So for that reason I feel I can wait until the summer...I don't feel I need to push anything until then."
When asked by Motorsport.com if the curiosity to see what life was like at another team would get the better of him, Ricciardo said: "I don't know. I think the curiosity will not overcome the facts, in terms of what options I will have and which car is ultimately the fastest, that is really the top of my list.
"I wouldn't just go somewhere else for a change. If I did move on, I would make sure I felt it was potentially better, that is all."