And then there is this... 5.5.1 The only means by which the driver may control the engine torque is via a single chassis mounted foot (accelerator) pedal.
This reminds me of a yearly event where I would watch a fellow Texan pedal through a European country. Each time I would say "He is a machine, how can he possibly be that much better than everyone else?" Now we know how Lance did it and this RB issue will likely unfold in time.
I noticed that the RB sounds drastically different deceleration when I was at the Singapore race. I tried to capture the difference on the camera but it won't pick up. That backfiring sound is a lot louder and a lot more rapid. You could tell that the RB is coming before even seeing it. It was less drastic during the race. The Marussia also sounded similar. Anyone know the reason?
I don't think it's been in use the whole season, but the last 2-3 races, they've been on another planet and we know that experienced F1 aficionados have suspected traction control since the Singapore race. I do believe they've been working on it the whole season though, based on their frequent KERS failures.
Doesn't matter...they can't equip any device/system that controls wheel speed under acceleration per the rules (9.3, as listed in a previous post)
Sure, and that is exactly what the chassis mounted accelerator pedal controls... ENGINE torque... So, how might they control the KERS... Why with the brake pedal, of course.. So you can just let the engine run off the throttle, just like it for everybody else.. With the brake pedal you put some travel before you actuate the hydraulics, with a fairly stiff spring... Within that travel you measure position, and modulate KERS according to brake pedal position. (aside, there are other ways to do this too, you could do it with the brake pedal and control the hydraulics not to act unless the pressure is above a certain point and modulate the KERS below that, but that's just one way of doing it).. You can also program the KERS not to act on the modulated brake pedal if the gas pedal isn't depressed, so under real braking the KERS acts just like it always did... With that kind of setup you can push down on the gas and left foot brake and in the early part of the travel, the brake pedal will only modulate the KERS. It would be very much like left foot braking, and if you have ever learned to do it, it's takes some driver learning, but I'm sure an F1 ace could handle it. Heck if this autocrosser can do it, Vettel can... Anyway, pushing the brake harder saps off more power and the lout pedal controls ENGINE torque just as the rules say it should. Meets the letter of the rules. If you don't want KERS to work on acceleration you need to put it into the rules. I don't see anything contrary to the rules here...
Maybe 5.5.1 will come into play if some cylinders are being cut out. The only way I can see them getting away with 9.3 is to say that everyone has KERS which is the device "capable" of controlling traction, but it also says "system or device" which would make their system illegal. Boy I hope they are doing one of these things and it gets revealed. I just listened to the audio and the comparison audio from the traction control era. It's uncanny.
Very ingenious. Assuming it's true,... Webber must really suck if he cant drive a car with traction control faster than several teams w/o it.
Or he's not getting what Vettel is. This might also explain his mysterious mech. failures as well. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but if the car that Web gets is identical to Seb's then I can't imagine that he wouldn't be putting it in second week after week.
I think I'm wrong. It would be the amount of braking effort the KERS unit can administer that would be the important part for using it as a traction control device ... I now think, ie. as you originally said . Pete
Seb is better than Weber but not by much. Do a lap time comparison for the Korean GP ... very close. I say again, the team are playing Number 1 card by ensuring Weber has faults through the season so Vettel can start without worrying about Weber getting too excited and causing a collision. This resolves the on the track issue as Weber has to run a different strategy ... as with RB using KERS for traction control this is a thinking outside the square way of resolving number 1 driver preference issues. Ferrari isn't smart enough to do this either ... but then again their drivers are not normally that close in performance. After a few races Vettel has such a large points lead it takes the wind out of Weber's sails and he falls more happily into the number 2 role. And in regards to the WCC, RB will still get a good bag of points because Weber usually works his way up, plus they are so dominant they can get away with this. Pete
If you hear hoofbeats think horses not zebras. It makes little sense for RB to be sabotaging Webber. Much more likely that they've tuned the handling to favor Seb's style. I'm dubious that they've done something so easily noticed as reintroducing a form of traction control. More likely to be an aero tweak that makes their diffuser more effective. Sauber has obviously come up with such an enhancement and no one thinks that they've a hidden traction control system.
But they haven't as again I repeat the lap times are near identical. In this case Weber got a 10 (?) grid place reprimand due to catching a lift with Alonso ... can't blame RB for that, but look at how many gearbox issues the guy has had, and I don't believe anybody else has had a single gearbox failure all season. Doesn't add up. And look where he finished: 2nd. So Weber starting mid pack finishes 2nd or with good points and this takes the pain or stress out of the start if he was on pole or 2nd ... RB win ther WDC with Vettel and still win the WCC as their car is so dominant Weber could start from the pits and still score points. But I do agree that they would be designing the car to suit Vettel, just like Ferrari designed their car to suit MS. Pete
I suspect that the enhancements have great effects on only some tracks. Those with corners, or sequences of corners, where the diffusers are most effective. On those tracks Seb's advantage over Webber will be greater. On the rest of the circuits their performance will be closer.
+1 Pitpass quotes a German fans blog in a recent story; Obviously won't placate the TFHB, but there's the data.... No bull, Webber receives equal treatment - Pitpass.com Who KERS...: The tale of the disadvantaged Australian Cheers, Ian
Ian, Thanks for the facts. Sure does not seem that way from my couch, but facts are facts. Oh, and please let's not return to the WCC = $'s debate. I've already disproved that in another thread, as sponsorship money is > than WCC money and that WCC money only matters for the lesser teams that are struggling ... RB is not for money or results. RB are in it for the top price, the WDC ... the WCC is a bonus (for them). Pete
How many innocent souls in this forum. If they weren't advantaging Seb I would say they weren't doing their job properly. And if they had such a system known to a driver rumoured to be leaving for the opposition, they wouldn't be doing their job properly either. But if it makes you feel better, believe in Santa Claus. Mark Webber Funny Interview 2010 - YouTube
Guys, I guess we could be wrong, but I'm with Florian on this one - I just don't think anything "worthwhile" can be done by playing with KERS input. As for using the brake pedal, or anything else in the cockpit, here's the relevant rules; So, *if* they're doing any fancy footwork (no pun intended ) the FIA already know about it. Cheers, Ian
Seb's dominance is so huge that we tend to think that there must be massive subterfuge. It might just be that he's that good and that Newey's just that smart that they don't need to cheat.
I don't know but Mark seemed a bit edgy! He held himself together but that glass of water is a bit of an indicator. hmmm
