Australian Grand Prix 2013, Melbourne - Race 1/19

True, but there is a window and I don't think it's big enough. They might need 20mm clearance to not aquaplane but anything over 10mm destroys all their downforce making the car undriveable.

Either way, its not that they don't go out just cos there all wimps, and fixing the problem isn't as simple as just jacking them up.
 
Yeh, he is rubbish.

He went all mental when Button went fastest stating how bad the Mclaren had been but now they are on top e.t.c....but it was only because he was ghe first to set a time on inters.
 
Skeeter said:
Sorry frank, I meant it makes the actual height of what is the proper bottom of the car, I.e. the plank, 5mm above the road. Its based on the assumption that with the plank the cars true ride height is 0mm, they touch the floor. Making it 5mm when there's 10mm puddles isn't really going to help.
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How is that any different to say 96? I'm sure the cars are getting more aero downforce than ever but the cars ran just as low with a plank and just as likely to get picked up by a puddle as we saw many times.
 
I dunno, what's the significance of 1996?

I'm talking about people claiming that just making the cars 20mm higher would fix it, which it wouldnt. It would cause other bigger problems.
 
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Skeeter said:
I dunno, what's the significance of 1996?

I'm talking about people claiming that just making the cars 20mm higher would fix it, which it wouldnt. It would cause other bigger problems.
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Well in 96 they drove with a similar plank mm from the ground with the same wear restrictions on clearance with cars that generated lower downforce and no one complained like they do now. A couple of times in 96 they drove in heavy rain and cars still ran the same issues with aqua planning.

They just got the hell on with it though. It's now become an excuse easy to peddle out like when they all used to use the impossible to overtake or my qualifying run was ruined by traffic.

They should get on with it and drive to the conditions and man the **** up. The plank and ride height is nothing new. Plenty of cars used to gamble on conditions and race with dry settings and ride height even before parc ferme rules.

:D
 
mpledge52 said:
Anyone know how long it takes the BBC to get things up on the iPlayer?

On the BBC website it says they'll be showing 'part 2' of the qualifying highlights at 5:15am tomorrow morning. I'm going to struggle to make that, but I want to see the qualify before the race coverage starts at 2:20pm.
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I'd like to know this as well. I help my girlfriend with her Sunday morning cleaning round a local Royal British Legion, which her nan helps run, and they have Sky+HD [and the sports package]. I won't have the opportunity to watch the race live or see the BBC's highlights of qualifying, but I will be able to catch Sky Sports F1's highlights of the race at 11am I believe it is. So I'm hoping I can watch qualifying highlights on iPlayer using my tablet and then watch the race afterwards.
 
Were no sessions or races postponed or stopped in the 90s due to rain?

The bar is definately lower now, which is a bit of a joke. There are times when they are over cautious. People coming in for inters once the SC has gone in is just pathetic, but there are still times when conditions mean F1 cars simply don't work. Telling them to just get on with it isn't the answer.

The delays today were stupid though, I agree. There were points where they needed a delay, but they waited far to long, then created more delays with recovering cars, and then simply ran out of time.
 
Here's an idea, how about they allow the removal of the plank once in parc ferme? They can't change the ride heights once they are in, but it would effectively give them 10mm more ground clearance? If a session is wet at the start they can remove it. If the race after is dry it has to go back on?

Although I can't imagine its just a bolted on piece and I expect its fully intergrated into the cars floor aero.
 
I'm sure flibster or jrs with better memories than me can remember if one has been cancelled or postponed in the 90s but I can't remember one other than the split race at spa or suzuka iirc. I'm talking from after Sennas death when it was introduced.

As I say this plank is nothing new but they just got on with it and accepted the losses of a few cars aqua planning. The 1998 spa gp wouldn't even have happened with this bunch of girls. ;)
 
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They did have higher height gains in the wet tyres and less working of the air under the floor back then. I imagine Newey has nightmares about how a 5mm ride height change would upset his aerodynamics :p.

But look at Q1. We had 5 cars crash in 20 minutes. In extrapolating that it would mean the whole grid crashing in a 90 minute race. Would you want to watch that? The winner being the last driver left and a race filled with safety cars? There comes a point where the rain stops being an exciting challenge and becomes the primary deciding factor in the race. There was enough uproar about the random tyres last year. The FIA clearly haven't got the balance right, but just saying they should all just get on with it whatever the weather isn't the answer. I want to watch racing, not a weather lottery.
 
thought id leave this thread for abit.

come back to find a rant again about the rain. ur not the only ones, jezza of top gear was taking the mick about f1 in asociation with the rugby. haha :)
 
dannyjo22 said:
I'm sure flibster or jrs with better memories than me can remember if one has been cancelled or postponed in the 90s but I can't remember one other than the split race at spa or suzuka iirc. I'm talking from after Sennas death when it was introduced.
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Indeed, Japan '94 was a split race and was decided on aggregate times. Hill had to beat Schumacher by a certain time (forget how much) to win; wasn't a case of just being in front.

As for postponed quali, don't really remember one event although do seem to recall one time they went on fri times once way back in the day when we just had a session on fri and one sat. Please correct me if my memory is wrong!
 
Skeeter said:
They did have higher height gains in the wet tyres and less working of the air under the floor back then. I imagine Newey has nightmares about how a 5mm ride height change would upset his aerodynamics :p.

But look at Q1. We had 5 cars crash in 20 minutes. In extrapolating that it would mean the whole grid crashing in a 90 minute race. Would you want to watch that? The winner being the last driver left and a race filled with safety cars? There comes a point where the rain stops being an exciting challenge and becomes the primary deciding factor in the race. There was enough uproar about the random tyres last year. The FIA clearly haven't got the balance right, but just saying they should all just get on with it whatever the weather isn't the answer. I want to watch racing, not a weather lottery.
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Thats quite some exageration given that imo some cars are more prone (for one reason or another) to aquaplaning - or certainly more "nervouis" and therefore harder to catch during the same level of aquaplaning

IE just because a lotus aquaplanes it doesnt mean a McLaren or Merc will retire for the same reason (taking any driver skill in catching each car out of the equation)

Fluid being what it is its impossible to know for sure - but in a lot of the thoroughly wet races I have seen, within seconds of each other on the same spot some cars just look more likely to skid off (for want of a better phrase) than others.
 
Yeah I know, but racing in pouring rain is never going to be proper racing is it. Its going to be safety car processions while clearing up crashes, then when the SC pulls in just waiting to see who crashes next.

Look at Canada 2011. If they hadn't stopped that race it would have been slow cars, crash, safety car, repeat. Yeah we all got a bit annoyed at the waiting around, but then we got some epic racing after.

Stopping or postponing races (or extending SC sessions) because the FIA are to slow to react is indeed pathetic though, and happens a lot. They clearly want everyone to finish. Same deal with the tarmac runoffs.
 
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