I've just been watching a F1 crash compilation. In particular there was one where Grosjean span in the middle of the track. His car was concealed by the smoke generated by the tyres locking up and someone crashed into him. Smoke in general is, of course, very dangerous for following cars as it impedes visibility. Has any work been done to reduce the smoke generated?
I don't think they tend to smoke much just from a lock up.
I recall Grosjean doing what was in effect a massive burnout/doughnut once when spinning but there's not much you can do when a driver keeps his foot planted and spins the wheels up like that.
I recall Grosjean doing what was in effect a massive burnout/doughnut once when spinning but there's not much you can do when a driver keeps his foot planted and spins the wheels up like that.
Soldato
Are you referring to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPjf-jtXMQU
If so, that's because he dumped the throttle to try and keep the car spinning out of the way of traffic, but it had the opposite effect. The amount of smoke generated will be a function of wheel speed and also the track surface grip level. Normal lock ups don't usually cause any visibility problems.
If so, that's because he dumped the throttle to try and keep the car spinning out of the way of traffic, but it had the opposite effect. The amount of smoke generated will be a function of wheel speed and also the track surface grip level. Normal lock ups don't usually cause any visibility problems.
Yes, that's the Grosjean incident, but please don't fixate on that one incident. There are plenty of incidents which generated significant smoke.
Soldato
I doubt there's much that can be done about it. It's down to the materials in the tyre causing the smoke when superheated, which would be pretty much impossible to change without making the tyres pretty useless in terms of grip.
I don't think it's enough of an issue to warrant reinventing the tyre.
I don't think it's enough of an issue to warrant reinventing the tyre.
Wasn't much the same said before the introduction of the halo, before when Massa nearly got killed?
Why? Rubber is just a vulcanised hydrocarbon (isoprene), isn't it? And hydrocarbons decompose to water and CO2, the latter of which is invisible.. So I wonder if vulcanising with something other than sulphur might be beneficial?
You say not to fixate on the Grosjean example but I don't really recall excess tyre smoke being an issue when you don't have drivers spinning the wheels up like that.
As we saw today with Leclerc - simply spinning off doesn't really generate much smoke.
As we saw today with Leclerc - simply spinning off doesn't really generate much smoke.
I've seen other incidents where locking up has generated significant smoke which has impacted drivers behind. Not necessarily causing crashes, but more than enough to impact visibility.
Heh. The email address on their website - [email protected] - gives a non-delivery report.
Man of Honour
Maybe we could look at reducing the smoke from flares rather than tyres?
This is a non starter even is someone was killed directly from tyre smoke impeding visibility as a one off. It would be extremely rare for just tyre smoke to contribute directly to a big incident. I can't remember one even happening. It's usually gravel/dust from going off track which causes visibility issues. I remember a really bad one where a car rolled etc, and then kind of finished on the racing line but among a dust cloud blowing across the track and then someone collected him bad. I still think they all survived. Don't think it was F1.