Oh, it's starting....(Ferrari and RBR may protest McLaren wing)

Skeeter · 11 Mar 2010 at 19:20

elmuzzy66. said:
Do they have to check it before a race weekend. Just thought they could send someone with the regulations and ave it sorted. Its a recepie for chaos

A car only has to be legal when used at a competitive weekend. While testing or anything pre season or between events a car can have 11 wheels and 47 wings if it likes. Its only when a car is within the timeframes of an event covered by scrutenering that it can be protested. Scruteniering is Thursday of a race weekend, so no team can complain about anything untill then.

Duke · 11 Mar 2010 at 19:22

pingwing said:
And if they win it'll be standard by the 2nd gp....

Or if Ferrari can't get it right, it will be the sole reason they lost the championship

Flibster · 11 Mar 2010 at 20:35

Duke said:
All the cars are checked at each race to ensure they are within the rules, limites, sizes, weights etc but a team can protest something if they think it is bending the rules too much.

Like the Lotus 88

100% completely legal - but banned.

Stormrider · 11 Mar 2010 at 20:38

Flibster said:
Like the Lotus 88

100% completely legal - but banned.

I was waiting for the stewards to deem it illegal, despite Charlie saying all was OK.

Though it does look like the stewards have some experience in their midsts - Prost is joining them for Bahrain, and an ex-driver will be there for every GP!

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82000

Fr0dders · 11 Mar 2010 at 21:15

Stormrider said:
I was waiting for the stewards to deem it illegal, despite Charlie saying all was OK.

Though it does look like the stewards have some experience in their midsts - Prost is joining them for Bahrain, and an ex-driver will be there for every GP!

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82000

started a thread about this over the break but it got kinda lost

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18089932

we have jean todt to thank for that. Hopefully this season will be different.

Skeeter · 11 Mar 2010 at 22:12

A serious step in the right direction for race stewarding. Now they just need to make decisions quicker.

NathanE · 11 Mar 2010 at 22:50

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82001

Interview with MW about the rear wing stalling concept. Seems that McLaren are pretty smug with themselves

It appears that the tub is used to channel the airflow and also the drivers leg seems to play a role. If the tub is critical in making it work and work well then I doubt anyone can copy it because of homologation!!!

Come on LH and JB

xen_ · 11 Mar 2010 at 22:57

Sounds really clever, I love it when interesting ideas come up like this. Ferrari have a similar advantage from the homologation rules preventing the other teams copying their substitute for the wheel spinners.

Sparky · 12 Mar 2010 at 07:31

Sounds like Renault are going to protest the wing.

JRS · 12 Mar 2010 at 07:47

CS||nuTs said:
Sounds like Renault are going to protest the wing.

Uh oh. That doesn't sound good, given the free ride Renault has gotten from the FIA in the last couple of years.

From another thread on here:

JRS said:
Renault have access to McLaren technical data - no real punishment. Renault release a car out of the pits knowing that one of the wheels will fall off - no real punishment. Renault effectively force one of their drivers to crash so the other driver can win - no real punishment.

Renault International Assistance!

Expect McLaren's immediate disqualification from the championship, and a sackful of cash to go to Renault as a fee for all their help....

PinkFloyd · 12 Mar 2010 at 08:45

lol JRS.

Look forward to seeing how this unfolds. Hope the FIA stick by their current decision.

Type_R · 12 Mar 2010 at 09:07

It is pure genius by Mclaren (although personally I think it probably is a little against the spirit of the rules - but if you don't come up with something new you don't win!).

The homologation process means that unless people have the right holes in their monocoque they won't be able to implement the system as effectively. Seems like Mclaren is onto a winner.

However Im a little more smug about the fact that even without all this stalling business Ferrari are able to more than match Mclaren (so far) with a car that looks super simple.

Only time will tell in qualy who really is the class of the field for 2010! Oh yeah and Renault looking quite handy out there themselves!

Sparky · 13 Mar 2010 at 22:53

I would expect McLarens wing to have more of a impact at colder venues with longer straights. I love it and think the FIA should be encouraging teams to think outside the box to develop such cost effective solutions.

Flibster · 14 Mar 2010 at 00:18

CS||nuTs said:
I love it and think the FIA should be encouraging teams to think outside the box to develop such cost effective solutions.

Sadly they're not.

Several teams diffusers are going to have to be modified before the next race due to a 'clarification' issued by the FIA

http://en.espnf1.com/bahrain/motorsport/story/11176.html

*sigh*

Sukh · 15 Mar 2010 at 09:56

Type_R said:
The homologation process means that unless people have the right holes in their monocoque they won't be able to implement the system as effectively. Seems like Mclaren is onto a winner.

What this homolagation business, and what does it have to do with wheel spinners?
I thought it was when rally cars need a road going equivalent?

Wicksta · 15 Mar 2010 at 15:30

Sukh said:
What this homolagation business, and what does it have to do with wheel spinners?
I thought it was when rally cars need a road going equivalent?

You're getting confused with just one part of the required homologation rules for rally and some other production car series and obviously that particular rule won't apply to F1 homologation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homologation

Perhaps the closest this word comes to everyday usage is in reference to racing vehicles. In motorsports a vehicle must be homologated by the sanctioning body to race in a given league, such as NASCAR, World Superbikes, International Level Kart Racing or other sportscar racing series.

Where a racing class requires that the cars raced be production vehicles only slightly adapted for racing, manufacturers typically produce a limited run of such vehicles for public sale so that they can legitimately race them in the class. These cars are commonly called "homologation specials"[1].

However, I'm not sure how the F1 rules would be a problem in this case so maybe NathanE could expand? From the sounds of it most other teams will be developing similar systems so I don't think there is a homologation issue.

Demon · 15 Mar 2010 at 15:39

From the comments made by Brundle et al,

I believe the issue may be that the chassis/tub cannot be changed without resubmitting for crash testing, so if to implement the Mclaren Wing Stalling device it requires new holes in the cockpit to route the air through etc, the teams would (if they can mid season?) have to re crash test their cars.

Or was that just journo speculation?

Alibaba99 · 15 Mar 2010 at 18:37

I don't think the central monocoque can be changed at all now other than for safety reasons, so if the required holes aren't present that's it.

Stormrider · 15 Mar 2010 at 18:51

knicked from:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/02/...es-post-race-penalties-and-fuel-declarations/

Homologation

Team must now homologate certain parts of their cars at the start of the championship which they cannot change.

28.7 a) One specification of each of the following parts must be homologated prior to the first Event of the Championship season:
– survival cell;
– principal and second roll structures;
– front, rear and side impact structures ;
– front wheel;
– rear wheel.
Once homologated, changes to the these parts will only be permitted for clear safety or reliability reasons following written approval from the FIA.

So basically you need to have the holes there already, or show some safety or reliability reason for adding them.