• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Formula 1 - F1 - Current Season Discussion

ianGP

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
817
Reaction score
1,392
Interesting read as to why Merc has been teh suckage:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19064856


Also:
McLaren to follow Ferrari’s ‘pull-rod’ lead in 2013

Another publication is reporting rumours McLaren will follow Ferrari’s lead in opting for innovative pull-rod front and rear suspension for its 2013 car.

A little more than a month ago, the Spanish sports daily Marca said the British team’s MP4-28 – like Ferrari’s current F2012 – will have pull-rod front suspension.

Until 2012, the configuration had not been seen since Fernando Alonso raced a Minardi more than a decade ago.

Ferrari struggled initially this season, but Marca said the Italian team’s giant strides of progress since then piqued the interest of McLaren’s technical director, Paddy Lowe.

“Obviously, at the start, after the winter tests, we were a bit behind,” Ferrari’s British technical director, the former McLaren man Pat Fry, said this week.

“I think we learned a lot in this period and used that later on.

“In my opinion, we have overtaken a large part of the other teams in terms of development over the season — we staged a good recovery, but there is still a long way to go.”

Similar information about McLaren’s pull-rod approach for 2013 is now being reported by Autosprint, the authoritative Italian motor racing weekly.

“A few months ago it would have been unthinkable,” said the publication’s Alberto Antonini.

Antonini also said it is “likely” Ferrari will keep the pull-rod layout for its 2013 car.


And Paddy knows his stuff
 

Joffrey

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Jun 18, 2006
Messages
12,309
Reaction score
1,555

Interesting read as to why Merc has been teh suckage:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19064856
Also:
And Paddy knows his stuff


Interesting problem for Mercedes. Similar attempt at innovation hurt Lotus last year. Anyone mind explaining the benefits of pull rod over push rod? Why was it abandoned for so long and what has changed to make some teams consider it again?
 
Last edited:

Joffrey

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Jun 18, 2006
Messages
12,309
Reaction score
1,555
Ah, so the FIA can ban it now!

Love scarbs work.
 

A Y

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2006
Messages
6,081
Reaction score
1,037
Red Bull's been using pull-rod on the rear since 2009. The use in the rear is different than what Scarbs reports for the front. In the rear, it's to make room for the diff and the diffuser, so they can have the best aero shape. Scarbs talks about Red Bull's use of it, as well as more generally, the advantages and disadvantages of it:

http://scarbsf1.com/blog1/2011/04/07/red-bull-pull-rod-suspension-detailed/
http://scarbsf1.com/blog1/2010/10/1...t-is-looks-like-how-it-benefits-aerodynamics/

The year that Brawn won the championship with its double diffuser, the Red Bull was pretty notable in how wasp-waisted the rear of its body work was --- it looked like it went down to a point at the rear, and was much more elegant looking than the rest of the field. The RB car was also the only car that could keep up with the Brawns.

It's "pull", because when the wheel is in bump (ie. hits a bump and moves up), the rod pulls on the suspension. Push rods push on the suspension when the wheel is in bump. Both work just as well for controlling wheel motion. It comes down to packaging which one you use.
 

ianGP

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
817
Reaction score
1,392
Thanks for that A Y! Good suspension tech reads.



http://www.autosport.com/news/grapevine.php/id/101785
A planned 'hero's homecoming' Formula 1 street demo for Williams driver Pastor Maldonado in the Venezuelan capital Caracas was cut short on Sunday when he spun and damaged the car on only his second lap.

Maldonado, visiting his home country for the first time since becoming Venezuela's first grand prix winner, was due to complete a 12-lap run on the Fuerte Tiunas military parade ground in front of 20,000 fans and numerous political and military VIPs, with team owner Sir Frank Williams and shareholder Toto Wolff also present.

But Maldonado was caught out by the extremely bumpy surface of the show ground and spun his Williams FW33, damaging its suspension on the roadside kerbing.

The run had been planned as the highlight of a day of national sporting celebration, during which Venezuela's top sportsmen, including Olympic gold-medal winning fencer Ruben Limardo and IndyCar racer EJ Viso, were paraded before the assembled crowd.

However, fellow PDVSA-backed driver Rodolfo Gonzalez saved the situation by performing an eight-lap demonstration run in his GP2 car.

A violent electrical storm shortly after Gonzalez completed his demo ended thoughts of repairing Maldonado's car to resume running.


He fails even when he's not racing.
 

ianGP

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
817
Reaction score
1,392
Found vid:

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]
 
Last edited:

Joffrey

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Jun 18, 2006
Messages
12,309
Reaction score
1,555
Ha, saw that before. It befuddles me because bumpy surface or not, he was the only one (asfaik) to have that problem.
 

ianGP

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
817
Reaction score
1,392

http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/f1_media/articles/Pages/belgium-thurs-drs.aspx

Race director Charlie Whiting has announced that the DRS will be deactivated through the notoriously difficult Eau Rouge section of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit for this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

While the DRS is only used on one section of track during the race, in practice and qualifying sessions it is usually available around the entire circuit at the discretion of the driver. Following a similar restriction put in place earlier this year in the Monaco tunnel, the decision has been taken to electronically exclude Eau Rouge from this.

“We’re not going to allow DRS to be used through Eau Rouge during practice,” confirmed Whiting. “We think this is the correct safety measure to have taken at such a fast, demanding corner.”

During the race the DRS detection point will be after the La Source hairpin on the run down to Eau Rouge, with the activation zone on the Kemmel straight, finishing before the Les Combes corner.

Another safety featured this weekend is the widening of the track at the Turn Eight – aka Rivage – hairpin, and the replacement of the gravel trap with an asphalt run-off. Since its revamp in 2006/2007, Spa-Francorchamp has implemented a programme of upgrading it’s run-off zones in this manner.


F1-2012-Belgium-GP-DRS-Banned-Zone.jpg

thursday-drs-main.jpg



I get the whole safety thing but why now? and why only during practice? *at least it's only during practice*
Drivers have been going flat out through there...
I wonder what the driver's take on this and if it has any impact in the opening laps of the race.
 

A Y

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2006
Messages
6,081
Reaction score
1,037
From how I read that press release, it sounds like they cannot use DRS in Eau Rouge in the race, but during practice they can normally use DRS anywhere on the track. However, for safety, they are not allowing DRS during practice either in just that section.
 

sugarbutch

Bearded Prick
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Dec 10, 2010
Messages
24,594
Reaction score
35,588
The concerns were raised last year: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/14615926

It was never allowed through Eau Rouge during the race, though, so no impact on the opening laps. Personally, I'd prefer that they reduce the maximum angle of attack on the wings and free up the underbody then get rid of DRS. At least KERS can be used by the driver whenever he chooses and in defense of position if necessary.
 

idfnl

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Dec 6, 2008
Messages
17,305
Reaction score
1,260
I dont understand why they make a big deal out of eau rouge anymore, its a flat corner. Tighten it so there is a lift, lets see some real bravery in that corner again.

I also dont understand the point of DRS during anything but practice and race conditions. DRS is to facilitate passing, not improve quali lap times. It should be a moot point.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,162
Messages
10,579,053
Members
223,883
Latest member
Darru
Top