F1 Testing 2020: Week 1 Barcelona (19th - 21st)

But surely they take an idea to the rule makers first before they start developing it? So if they have and it was cleared then it’s just down to them to compare the implementation to what they originally suggested?

Or they are showing us this to take our attention away from something more interesting going on... :o:cool:
 
Dup said:
I assume it's for reducing tyre wear on the straights rather than for performance in the corners. A problem owing to the length of the car I wouild guess, they need the toe for cornering but on straghts it probably causes issues with wear. Potentially this is the best of both worlds.

Nice to see something new and interesting being tested anyway.
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Toe in and toe out have been used on cars for decades and decades. You're probably looking at the 50s before they realised that not having perfectly aligned wheels actually creates stability (cars tend to dart about without toe in or out, which is probably why this appears to be a gradual change rather than the relative instantaneous change you'd usually see in F1, like the DRS activation/deactivation).

The car will still be set up with the standard toe for cornering as it was last year, when the steering wheel is in usual ('pushed') position. All this will do is lessen or completely remove the toe setting which will decrease rolling resistance (so more straight line speed and less tyre wear and heating. In theory it will even improve aero efficiency on the straights by a tiny margin... but that's what F1 is all about - tiny margins.

I wonder if it affects the rear wheels too.



CaptainRAVE said:
There are going to be many tears from red bull and Ferrari. I can’t wait for horners take on it.
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Horner apparently said early on on the broadcast that it appeared to be legal. The issue will be the high cost and months spent adapting cars to take advantage (if it's deemed enough of a upgrade for the resources required).
 
From: https://www.racefans.net/2020/02/20...rns-over-legality-of-new-das-steering-system/

Racefans said:
Asked whether he was concerned it could be ruled illegal, Allison said “not really.”

“This isn’t news to the FIA,” he added. “It’s something we have been talking to them about for some time. The rules are pretty clear about what’s permitted on steering systems and we feel confident that it matches all of those requirements.”
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So looking more likely that the system is legal so now a question of if or how much of a benefit it is to Merc. It's also going to be interesting whether any other teams try to copy it with it being the last year of these regulations.
 
Greboth said:
From: https://www.racefans.net/2020/02/20...rns-over-legality-of-new-das-steering-system/



So looking more likely that the system is legal so now a question of if or how much of a benefit it is to Merc. It's also going to be interesting whether any other teams try to copy it with it being the last year of these regulations.
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Huge I would have thought over both quali and race distance.

I’m more worried about the F1 game, I’m already overwhelmed with all the things to do :p
 
I'd imagine Codemasters are more worried about having to actually make some changes to the code this year, instead of just updating the liveries :D
 
Greboth said:
So looking more likely that the system is legal so now a question of if or how much of a benefit it is to Merc. It's also going to be interesting whether any other teams try to copy it with it being the last year of these regulations.
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Clearly Mercedes think it's worth the extra weight it will entail as hydraulic systems aren't light, so it must have a measurable performance gain (maybe less than a tenth per lap in pure speed, but more so in races with better tyre management and wear - somewhere Mercedes were already well ahead of most teams).

Given it will take the best part of half a season to create their own suspension adaptations and new chassis (including crash tests) I suspect both championships will largely be sewn up if it creates enough of an advantage to make it worth the mid-season dev time. Teams will have already started trying to estimate whether it's worth it or not - Renault engineers were shown on TV studying the action and making notes.

I suspect we're more likely to see it in 2021 on other cars though in all honesty I think that particularly loophole will be closed for next season for cost purposes.
 
Interestingly no other team so far has shown signs of kicking off in protest, more so 'ah that's ruddy smart' and 'that's going to be difficult to copy'.

Similar in a way to the F-duct which was allowed for 2010 and then banned for the following season. I imagine the same will happen with this.
 
They can't protest anything during testing. A team could run an 8 wheeled car this week, if they wanted, so long as it was safe enough to drive and didn't endanger marshalls or spectators.

Protests can only be lodged when the first race weekend begins.
 
Spunkey said:
They can't protest anything during testing. A team could run an 8 wheeled car this week, if they wanted, so long as it was safe enough to drive and didn't endanger marshalls or spectators.

Protests can only be lodged when the first race weekend begins.
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Not sure an 8 wheeled car would be allowed, doesn't it still have to pass scrutineering by the FIA?
Andi.
 
Nope, there's no scrutineering:

With the exception of passing crash tests prior to running, there are no real rules governing the cars during testing. There is no scrutineering and teams could, in theory, test parts that are illegal under the regulations (although there would be little advantage to gain by doing so). In 2013, Caterham and Williams ran small bits of bodywork to divert exhaust gasses towards the diffuser which would have been illegal under the regulations but allowed them to gain a greater understanding of the sensitive area in testing.
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https://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/28723281/a-comprehensive-guide-formula-one-preseason-testing
 
CaptainRAVE said:
I’m surprised they’ve shown it so early, but they’ll be well ahead in its implementation.
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It looks like the kind of system you'd want to get test data on, not least proper driver feedback on how it feels in use. Even if the other teams manage their own implementation, Hamilton and Bottas will have the benefit of time on track experimenting with what this new system can do for them.
 
This is one of the things I genuinely I love about F1. That completely out of the box innovative thinking to exploit holes and grey areas in regulations. Never fails to impress me.
 
As long as the movement is to power assisted it seems to clear all rules
Power assist can only be aided to steer the car I think.

No rules on turning the wheels in other ways as long as only 2 wheels are turned.
 
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