21 replies to this topic

[David Adams]

OK, we all know traction control si gone and that the drivers now need to do manual starts setting the clutch bite at the correct placement.

I have been pondering for quite some weeks however, how the heck do they do this? I've never seen a knob on the steering wheel for setting the clutch, the drivers don't have a clutch pedal, so how the heck do they do it?

Last season was easy, high revs and push a button when the lights go green, now though its revs and ....x ?

Any thoughts people?

[Autumnpuma]

In the past it was done with a button on the steering wheel. I would assume it's the same this season.

[JayStorm]

But even if that is the case.

We should see much more interesting starts.

Qualifying means slightly less and that's good as before, it almost decided the race.

---

Hope we see Kimi kick a## tomorrow.

[DOF_power]

2 clutch paddles on the steering wheel.

The driver again won't much the difference as teams found new clever ways of eliminating that. McLaren found a way to launch control their car by a solution of much lower RPMS required (9000) vs. the rest.
So don't be surprised to see Hekki blast pass Kubica.

[David Adams]

Clutch paddles, now that makes good sense.

Great feedback as ever DOF, I suppose the other comments are valid too though.

I wonder if the electronics can help with the clutch at all then? The dashboard displays gear change times so wonder if the same option is available with the clutch bite. I doubt its quite as easy as finding the biting point in your general road car, at 9k revs the clutch can burn very easy or be way too low/high without noticing.

On the point of dashboard display for gear changes, anyone else notice that Hamiltons car didn't display the gear change time throughout his whole lap? I watched several onboard shots and could only ever see the lights showing up at the end of the lap along the main straight, so I wonder if it was turned off or he was under revving each gear? Must be some pretty good speed in that McLaren if they can under rev on quali laps...

[Autumnpuma]

Hm...clutch paddles do seem familiar..a small paddle on the top of the gear change paddle. DOF, did they use that years ago as well? For some reason the button sticks in my memory...perhaps I'm just remembering what JV used to use. He was always one to use unorthodox controls.

As for the launch, DOF is correct. The teams have developed ways to compensate. There will still be some driver input and skill involved, but not like everyone seems to think. It's on corner exit that you'll notice the lack of electronics.

[Rainmaster]

The start was bloody chaotic.

[Autumnpuma]

Rainmaster, on Mar 16 2008, 06:44 AM, said:

The start was bloody chaotic.

Hm...I seem to remember far more chaotic starts in the past. This start seemed pretty ordinary to me. For that matter, the first corner chaos seemed pretty ordinary too.

[Elizabeth Sterling]

People do seem to have forgotten what old F1 was like, they're too used to the uber-professionalism of the last few years.

[Rainmaster]

Autumnpuma, on Mar 16 2008, 05:13 PM, said:

Hm...I seem to remember far more chaotic starts in the past. This start seemed pretty ordinary to me. For that matter, the first corner chaos seemed pretty ordinary too.

Yeah I agree, thinking about it - it wasn't that bad. Must be the lack of F1 for so long I'd forgotten how chaotic the starts usually are.

[DOF_power]

It's true that it brought back some of the good ol' days of reliably unreliable cars & drivers making mistakes and being overly-enthusiastic.  
But the main problem poor-aero/dirty-air + improper tires + racing line car has remained painfully obvious. Only rains cancels the racing line and partially or entirely the aero.

The lack of TC and EBS has made overtaking even worse as the car/driver in the back is the one suffering.


Here's some good ol' fashion races:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph4Q2I326qQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROktzWzrc4o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6UmfyYRA_c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcYI1KaOOZo

[mikathegreat2]

Only had been bothered to watch the 82 Monaco GP but what a race, pity the 2 Renaults retired cos they would've dominated, as for the Brabham, heard that the 1982 model had a turbocharged 1.5litre BMW straight-4 engine that produced 1500bhp!!!!!!! It could've been Top Gear magazine lying as they did an insane road & race car special last month.

[DOF_power]

It was the later (86 or 87) qualifcation specials with WWII rocket fuel that put 1300 to 1500 hp, not the race versions. The dyno showed they could squezze upto 1800 hp.

[mikathegreat2]

DOF_Renault_BMW, on Mar 17 2008, 01:16 PM, said:

It was the later (86 or 87) qualifcation specials with WWII rocket fuel that put 1300 to 1500 hp, not the race versions. The dyno showed they could squezze upto 1800 hp.

Jesus!! Love to see 1800bhp in Kimi's Ferrari or in all of the F1 cars on the grid !

[JayStorm]

Probably wouldn't make the first bend. It'd just shoot straight off and through the wall.

Probably do donuts.

I've tried putting a lot of power through cars on Gran Turismo, it doesn't work.

[mikathegreat2]

JayStorm, on Mar 18 2008, 12:50 PM, said:

Probably wouldn't make the first bend. It'd just shoot straight off and through the wall.

Probably do donuts.

I've tried putting a lot of power through cars on Gran Turismo, it doesn't work.

Try putting over 1000bhp in a Nissan R92CP, never did it except in time trial mode in the Nurburgring, man it's funny ut not as funny as putting maximum power into the Caterham, tried that out in the Nurburgring in career mode, could'nt stop going into the air   !

[Elizabeth Sterling]

JayStorm, on Mar 18 2008, 01:50 PM, said:

Probably wouldn't make the first bend. It'd just shoot straight off and through the wall.

Probably do donuts.

I've tried putting a lot of power through cars on Gran Turismo, it doesn't work.

Nah, it's all turbo power so the acceleration was actually pretty weak until they'd gotten in to higher gears.

[Yoda McFly]

Personally, I'd like to see them rev-limited to around 10-12k ... Let 'em have more displacement.  More torque=better acceleration and "drivability" ...

And turbos, depending on how they're set up can put up pretty impressive low-end power.  There's a reason they've been banned in the NHRA for a long time.

[DOF_power]

mikathegreat2, on Mar 17 2008, 10:31 PM, said:

Jesus!! Love to see 1800bhp in Kimi's Ferrari or in all of the F1 cars on the grid !

Difficult to drive cars do not overtake each other unless they have:
- a slipstream overtaking track (the dumb-dumb non-technical old Monza = overtaking spree; while technicals like Monaco or the old Ring = disasters)
and/or
- issues like: badly worn tires, cracked exhaust pipes, fuel economy issues, big performance differences at least for sectors of the track


Every decission done by the FIA to make cars like in the old days (groves, narrow track, smaller and poorly positioned wings, ban on electronics, ban on turbos, reduction of the ground effect downforce), improve their reliability and bring them closer toghether have resulted in a constant and consistent reduction in overtakings.

With today's turbulent and turbulence sensitive cars, 1800 hp would not make things better as the more the cars drift the more they'll have keep the drivers busy from overtaking each other.

Give the cars plenty of ground effect downforce, push to pass buttons/engines, plenty of electronics TC + ABS + Active Suspensions and you'll see more overtaking.

[kenneli]

F1 is fast becoming a farce. Is it time for Mclaren and other teams to start a new series?



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[Pucky the Whale]

Yes, good idea.  McLaren should start a series and mandate all cars be built with Ford F150 parts from your site.

[JHS]

kenneli, on 12 August 2010 - 03:46 AM, said:

F1 is fast becoming a farce. Is it time for Mclaren and other teams to start a new series?



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No.