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Formula 1′s Leading Team Has a Big Secret

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Re: Formula 1′s Leading Team Has a Big Secret

#21

Post by brey »

bliti wrote: post #13
brey wrote: post #7

In an environment where innovation has been strictly regulated against (better engine management software? NOPE. better foil design? NOPE), the fine art of sticking to the letter of the law but totally bending the spirit of it is naturally where the bleeding edge of F1 design is going to lie.

Every new technology introduced to racing allows teams to develop a secret advantage. Rules are adjusted over time to balance things out. But you can be sure that by then another new technology will have been introduced. The KERS system is already producing lots of results that are trickling down to consumers. I can imagine how using the torque and resistance of the electric motor as a means to increase grip is somet…

oh, I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just that we shouldn't be surprised ;)

Re: Formula 1′s Leading Team Has a Big Secret

#22

Post by Oletros »

ChildOfChaos wrote: post #18
buster wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It could very well be that just in this race the technology was not working on Webbers car (as would be no surprise with new techology). Just wondering because of: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6532428

Well Mark Webber did end up retiring from the race so something was not right with his car...

> Well Mark Webber did end up retiring from the race so something was not right with his car...

Yes, what was not right was the car being in flames because a crash :P

Re: Formula 1′s Leading Team Has a Big Secret

#23

Post by TillE »

ye wrote: post #16
TillE wrote: post #14

The smeary tone of this article is really quite obvious and unpleasant, and I don't think qualifying it as a "conspiracy theory" makes up for that. For example the claim that "Christian Horner isn’t saying much", when in fact he's flatly denied any kind of rule breaking.

When one guy leads by 30+ seconds, while everyone else fights for fractions of a second, either there's a major breakthrough or somebody is cheating.

Vettel has won races by large margins before, without any accusations of cheating. The time difference of ONE LAP is under a second, but that adds up over the course of an entire race.

Red Bull have the best car, Vettel is the best driver, they do the fastest pit stops, and with a little luck this creates big wins.

Re: Formula 1′s Leading Team Has a Big Secret

#24

Post by sharkweek »

brey wrote: post #7

In an environment where innovation has been strictly regulated against (better engine management software? NOPE. better foil design? NOPE), the fine art of sticking to the letter of the law but totally bending the spirit of it is naturally where the bleeding edge of F1 design is going to lie.

Friends and I always enjoy debating this --

At what point does a scientific improvement become too great of an advantage for competing athletes

Re: Formula 1′s Leading Team Has a Big Secret

#25

Post by polymatter »

sharkweek wrote: post #24
brey wrote: post #7

In an environment where innovation has been strictly regulated against (better engine management software? NOPE. better foil design? NOPE), the fine art of sticking to the letter of the law but totally bending the spirit of it is naturally where the bleeding edge of F1 design is going to lie.

Friends and I always enjoy debating this -- At what point does a scientific improvement become too great of an advantage for competing athletes

when its no longer entertaining

Re: Formula 1′s Leading Team Has a Big Secret

#26

Post by alexeisadeski3 »

anonymous wrote: post #17

Couldn't it be some sort of new notification system for the driver which gives him instinctive feedback and lets him drive the engine the same way traction control would?

Nope. Humans can't react nearly quickly enough for such a notification system to be of any use.

Re: Formula 1′s Leading Team Has a Big Secret

#27

Post by jzzskijj »

anonymous wrote: post #17

Couldn't it be some sort of new notification system for the driver which gives him instinctive feedback and lets him drive the engine the same way traction control would?

F1 drivers surely have fast reactions, but could they really improve driver's reactions so much with a new kind of sound/light/tactile feedback, that a driver could replace TCS? Or be at least remarkably faster than drivers not using that notification technology. I find that quite unlikely.

I am not confident that they have cheated either.

Re: Formula 1′s Leading Team Has a Big Secret

#28

Post by adhipg »

buster wrote: post #12
anoother wrote: post #5

I find the justification presented for only Vettel having the technology a little strange. It's common to test new systems on one car before rolling them out across the team. If the technology works and is reliable, Webber will have it before the end of the season.

It could very well be that just in this race the technology was not working on Webbers car (as would be no surprise with new techology). Just wondering because of: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6532428

The article suggests that they are possibly linking the traction control to the KERS system.

Guess who's had the most issues with KERS in the last two years? Mark Webber.

Red Bull haven't been able to get either the weight distribution or something else right on his car to even get 'normal' KERS working reliably.

Re: Formula 1′s Leading Team Has a Big Secret

#29

Post by Shivetya »

brey wrote: post #7

In an environment where innovation has been strictly regulated against (better engine management software? NOPE. better foil design? NOPE), the fine art of sticking to the letter of the law but totally bending the spirit of it is naturally where the bleeding edge of F1 design is going to lie.

racing at most levels is highly regulated and innovation pretty much stifled. NASCAR almost ended themselves with the Car of Tomorrow and jellybean clones running down the tracks. About as much fun as watching IROC racing where cars were identical. The idea of subtle differences leading to a win is the source of drama and at times is very welcome in the sport

In other racing, the Nissan Deltawing racer has raised a ruckus, small engine yet very competent racer.

When tenths count its best to get as much of them from racer and pit screw skill which increases enjoyment of the fans and teams alike.

Re: Formula 1′s Leading Team Has a Big Secret

#30

Post by dolphenstein »

ye wrote: post #16
TillE wrote: post #14

The smeary tone of this article is really quite obvious and unpleasant, and I don't think qualifying it as a "conspiracy theory" makes up for that. For example the claim that "Christian Horner isn’t saying much", when in fact he's flatly denied any kind of rule breaking.

When one guy leads by 30+ seconds, while everyone else fights for fractions of a second, either there's a major breakthrough or somebody is cheating.

That statement in the article is quite disingenuous. 30 seconds is a comfortable win but not something to get excited about. The front runners routinely lap the poorer teams, so it's hardly "fractions of a second".
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