Indian GP Executive Summary

I hope you'll excuse the abbreviated version, it's a beautiful day here in New York City but the city was seriously wounded by this storm. We had to evacuate our building (you may have seen that dangling crane 75 stories up...) and as of now don't know when they will be able to resolve that situation.

Which brings me to F1 which along with doing two races myself this past week end was the last distraction from this mess.

QUICK GRADES:

Awesome first lap then essentially a procession of DRS passing in the same place. Buddh may be a cool technical track but racing turns out to be people racing the one second DRS interval rather than each other. Boring.

Vettel: you can have the best car but you need to still need to execute. That he did and as usual he managed to build a DRS proof gap in the first few laps. I would dearly love to see Vettel start from somewhere in the back and see him really fight for a victory in one of the final races.

Alonso: Star of the race, he too executed his plan and with help from Webber's failing KERS system (funny how things mostly fail on Webber's car...) was able to score as many points as possible behind Newey Vettel.

Mclarens mostrly fizzled, Senna made a cool pass and one bonehead move, Perez did not shine, Massa started and finished, that's about it. F1 needs to do something about tire cutting end plates. It's not possible that such minimal contuse completely shred tires.


Next week Abu Dabhi and hopefully something more exciting.... like being able to watch at home!

Shocker

Hurricane Sandy is beating us up pretty bad here in New York,  while we get back up to speed enjoy these videos about suspensions and shocks  courtesy of Caterham and Dyson Racing

Time for some slo-mo?

Australian V8s slam the curbs like  bosses!
(via Mattzell89)

What will a 2014 Formula 1 turbo engine look like?

There has been much rumbling and groaning recently over the 2014 engine formula change, from 2.4 L v8 to 1.6 L V6 turbo.  Bernie says he does not like it, smaller teams say it will be too expensive but like or not, it's coming.

This will be, depending on how you count, the ninth different engine configuration allowed in Formula 1 since 1954.  At times in the past there were capacity limits and equivalency formulas but manufacturers were free to come up with their own technical configuration that fit within that rule box.    The engine freeze of 2006 stopped much "big picture" creative engineering and manufacturers focused on optimization to make small gains in efficiency and drivability.

2014 will be a big change and again the internal combustion part of the engine will be tightly controlled, to the point of limiting fuel flow at specific RPM but , crucially,  the new Energy Recovery part of the power plant will allow for creative thinking by engine techs.

You will need to get familiar with a whole new alphabet soup,  Gone from F1 will be KERS and DDRS but we will get ERS-K  and ERS-H to play around with at cocktail parties!  

Energy Recovery System - Kinetic is essentially the same as today's KERS, kinetic energy is harvested from the engine during release and stored.
Energy Recovery System- Heat is energy harvested from the exhaust side.

What makes this interesting for engines is that there is flexibility in the rules as to how these two systems interact and  are used harvesting and releasing energy.    This will mean different manufacturers could choose different strategies to optimize their units and this will lead to very different engine behaviors.   ERS-H will charge the batteries but it will also be able to spool the turbo and finding the sweet spot in that given rule box will be crucial.

In these Renault renderings, the ERS-K is the turquoise  part on the bottom left of the block while the ERS-H is in the V between the banks.    Air is fed through the intake snorkel  to one side of the compressor and through the intercooler.  The turbo is driven by the hot exhausts but also by the ERS-H unit which, like today's KERS can work both as engine and generator.   You can imagine a strategy might be  to cut lag by using electricity to spool the turbine.     It will be interesting to see how different manufacturers implement strategies with these engines which are expected to produce about the same power as the current 2.4 V8 units.

Another interesting aspect will be how exhausts are handled,   as you know turbos make engines quieter and the exhaust flow has much less energy than a normally aspirated  car.   In turn this will make all this blown exhaust nonsense less effective  and crucial.

One thins that will not happen in 2014 will be full electric power in pit lane provision of the rules.  Manufacturers were unhappy with the extra weight and size of the batteries needed to make that happen so the whole thing has been kicked down the road the pit lane to 2017 by the FIA.

Use of Electric Power in the Pit Lane in 2014

One man's folly is another man's project.

Gianni Agnelli had Pininfarina make him this 365P so he could "ride with a blonde and a brunette"

Once upon a time, it was the fashion for very wealthy men to have fanciful buildings constructed on their vast estates, usually the opposite of utilitarian, oftern quite irrational,  built solely for the enjoyment of their owners and called, appropriately, follies.

In the 20th century, wealthy men had lavish custom "Fuoriserie" built by coach builders,  they were rebelling against a rising tide of...equality? They pursued their dreams simply because they could, just like James Glickenhaus can and has.

Today, one man's dream involved a Mclaren F1 or better, the lack of a Mclaren F1 because it turns out, not everything can be had when one desires it.
Undeterred in his pursuit of a car where, as in a big Mac, the driver sits in the middle,  this anonymous gentlemen first considered commissioning a center drive Lamborghini Gallardo but eventually settled on a Porsche 911 as a first step.

There is of course the not inconsequential matter of going from "folly" to reality...to produce a working folly. Enter Shawn Bayliff at Trinity Motorsports. Trinity is not somewhere in engineering breadbasket of southern England or in Emilia Romagna next to the Pagani factory, it is in Lima Ohio.

Shawn worked for over a year on the project, working out how to make this unique 911 look as "factory" as possible as you can imagine, not a simple task. Shawn's not one to shy away from any car related task, restoring an old BMW Picchio or stuffing a Daytona Prototype V8 into a Z3 MCoupe, the man loves a challenge.

Yeah, a center drive 911 is a bit nuts but isn't it a better world because there are still men who can turn someone's folly into a reality?

Photos by Zach Courter

The best 2012 Petit Le Mans video you will see

Please click on the full screen icon, feel the speed, smell the brake pads...smell the BBQ!

From ZfH Productions

Petit Big Shots

There's this trio of young shooters rocking the US motorsport scene, all have unusual names and unusual talent.  We're big fans!

Trevor Andrusko of Track9

Halston Pitman of MotorSportMedia

Camden Thrasher

No NJ GP but yes, you can bring your giant lens to Austin!

NJGP Pit complex construction in Weehacken. Photo by Freep

Many  are not surprised the NJ GP effort fell apart, at least for next year,  there had been management shakeup and though there has been work done on the pit complex in Weehacken,   you really have not heard that much about it here in NY since the announcement.  

Yes, Red Bull had their big PR stunt and yes Bernie will do whatever possible (short of losing money of course, you can't out-Tony Soprano Bernie!) to make what effectively be a NY Grand Prix happen but not in 2013 at least.    The stories about paving not being behind schedule are a smoke screen of course, surely it's money and politics.   NJ would inevitably make an investment if private investors cannot come up with the funds and there is a "Fiscal Conservative" running for re-election in 2013...

On a positive note,  Austin GP organizers have responded to public outcry and reversed their policy barring SLR cameras and lenses longer than 10 inches.    Great news for fans and nice sign organizers are listening to their concerns.   Our friend Jamey Price wrote a "How to" guide to taking better motorsport photos,  something Jamey is...quite adept at!

How to drive FASTER: Road Atlanta

Axis of Oversteer, How to drive FASTER brings you detailed track guides and advice from professional racers aimed at advanced drivers, time trailer and club racers. You can find otherepisodes HERE

Road Atlanta in Braselton Georgia the home of Petit LeMans and another great old school and intimidating track. Built in the 1970s and eventually rescued by Don Panoz, the track was most recently part of the merger deal between ALMS and Grand-Am.

The track is literally in Bimmerworld Racing Seth Thomas's back yard so who better than a Georgia native to give up some of the secrets of the esses?


ROAD ATLANTA

Road Atlanta has always been my home track as I was born and raised 20 miles away. My very first memories of sports car racing are of going to the track  with my dad in the 80’s to watch the glory days of IMSA racing.   I still remember vividly the Camel GTP cars coming through the famed “Dip” and crest the hill at Turn 11 at speeds in excess of 100 MPH, right side mirrors about to touch the wall going under the bridge.
As a young kid I always thought about how cool it would be to drive one of these cars at Road Atlanta.

Fast Forward to 1998 when the opportunity to drive Road Atlanta arrived when I signed up for a Track Day with the BMWCar Club of America.   This was my first event with my new to me 1997 BMW M3.
I was hooked. I started looking for every track event at Road Atlanta I could attend.  Then I started racing in 2001 in a ITB 1984 BMW 318.  This car helped teach me the line around the track.  Since then I have modified the line I started learning at Driver’s Ed events to the one I use to race.  Racing for BimmerWorld in the Speed World Challenge Touring Car helped hone my line around Road Atlanta. Those cars were fast with a small tire with very little grip but the lap times were similar to a Porsche 996 GT3 Cup Car.

For my friends at Axis of Oversteer here is a detailed lap around my home track of Road Atlanta including pictures from inside the 2007 BimmerWorld BWM 325 Touring Car.

Front Straight

A lap at Road Atlanta starts with a fast run through T12 onto the front straight. This straight is not very long but it is fast as the entry speed is around 110-120 MPH. The important part to remember here is to look ahead for the brake markers for Turn 1 and pick them up with your vision as early as possible. The exercise of finding the brake markers as early as possible will help you for the rest of your lap.

Turn 1

Turn1 is a very fast constant radius right hand turn featuring both downhill and uphill changes in elevation. It slopes downward a small amount in the brake zone down to the apex and gains elevation from the apex out. It is important to take note of these changes to maximize grip and speed in all the stages of Turn1.

Heading into the brake zone for T1 the speeds will be around 120-130 MPH. Line the car up with the left side of the track. The importance here is to give yourself as much track surface as you can so you can roll big speed through Turn 1. This is the second biggest brake zone of the track but be careful not to overslow the car. I tend to give the car a big hit of the brakes on initial brake pedal application but roll off the pressure on the pedal fairly early to get the front tires ready to turn in with speed.

As I start to bleed off brake pedal pressure I slowly start to turn the car in a tiny bit early as the track starts to slope downward and the cars starts to slightly understeer. I release the brakes a little early to roll the speed down to the apex. At the apex point is the transition from downhill to uphill and the front starts to gain grip again. This is when I transition my right foot to the throttle pedal and start to aggressively apply throttle. I want to use the grip gained by the uphill run to help the car accelerate out. Once I turn in for Turn 1 I do my best to maintain the same steering input throughout the whole turn. Use the majority of the track but remember to start the setup for Turn 2 on the exit.

Delta Flip

The Nissan DeltaWing came together with the Green Hornet Racing GT-C Porsche and flipped.

Low black cars are hard to see. Tricycles flip, it's a fact. Also I get the impression the Delta Wing does not have the best possible head protection.

Kimi Raikkonen kidnapped and blackmailed!

Kimi Raikkonen was kidnapped, beaten and forced to sign a sponsorship contract under threat of violence by a gang of Finnish gypsies. This may or may not help explain banners seen at the Korean GP.

More Grip ≠ More Fun

The Korean GP was a dull race on a horrid track, for something much more fun check out Chris Harris along with Richard and Andrew Frankel racing not one but two fantastic old cars on a fantastic old track.

More Grip ≠ More Fun

2012 Korean GP Mega Gallery

That's pretty much the 2012 Korean GP in a nutshell.  A boring race on a wretched track.    Vettel won the race when Webber "Mysteriously" could not get off the line again.  A pointless yellow flag in the only real overtaking spot on the track, kept out for six laps sealed the deal.  Yawn.

But the photo pros did a good job,  enjoy this gallery or press photos and feel free to gover to our flickr and download enormous versions of them!

How (not) to enter pit lane at Road Atlanta

This was one year ago this week....CG is still living this one down!

 Best of luck at this week's season finale of IMSA Porsche Challenge at Road Atlanta CG.

Rooftop parking, Finnish style

IRC Sanremo Rally,   after falling behind leader Giandomenico Basso, Skoda driver Juho Hanninen is pushing a hard on a night stage when he enters a medium left a tad too optimistically...

I don't speak Finnish, but I can guess what the navigator was telling him as he tries to drive off what turned out to be the roof of someone's shed!

2012 Korean GP Qualifying

"Why did you not tell me about Massa" that radio call from Vettel to his pit wall was one of the more ridiculous driver excuses I have ever heard. Is Seb that nervous about the prospect of having to pass his own Red Bull mate in Korea?

The track in Korea is a maze of concrete walls built on a swamp, it's an abomination where passing will be in the pits or in the DRS zone but the race tomorrow has potential for greatness.

Starting on pole is crucial on this very psychotic track and Webber obviously not read the script and managed to get his first pole of the season (discounting Monaco).
Red Bull might hope Webber has yet another crap start, not a great strategy. Or they get Webber to let Vettel through on the first lap, another bad option since for sure Alonso and Hamilton will be going for the same hole.

Yeongam has long straight and Ferrari is trimmed for a higher top speed than Red Bull, something that might prove crucial on Sunday. Vettel will have Webber Alonso marking him and Hamilton likely to attack like crazy along with Massa, still without a contract in his pocket and Raikkonen who needs a good result to stay in the leaders group.

Pace, especially in race trim is much closer than in Japan and much will depend on tire strategy though I would doubt top guys would risk a one stopper.

Pass the popcorn!

Pos  Driver                Team                 Time            Gap   
 1.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault     1m37.242s
 2.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault     1m37.316s  + 0.074
 3.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes     1m37.469s  + 0.227
 4.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari              1m37.534s  + 0.292
 5.  Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault        1m37.625s  + 0.383
 6.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari              1m37.884s  + 0.642
 7.  Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault        1m37.934s  + 0.692
 8.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes 1m38.266s  + 1.024
 9.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes             1m38.361s  + 1.119
10.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes             1m38.513s  + 1.271
 Q2 cut-off time: 1m38.436s                                   Gap **
11.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes     1m38.441s  + 0.674
12.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari       1m38.460s  + 0.693
13.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari       1m38.594s  + 0.827
14.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes 1m38.643s  + 0.876
15.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault     1m38.725s  + 0.958
16.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m39.084s  + 1.317
17.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m39.340s  + 1.573
Q1 cut-off time: 1m39.180s                                    Gap *
18.  Bruno Senna           Williams-Renault     1m39.443s  + 1.235
19.  Vitaly Petrov         Caterham-Renault     1m40.207s  + 1.999
20.  Heikki Kovalainen     Caterham-Renault     1m40.333s  + 2.125
21.  Charles Pic           Marussia-Cosworth    1m41.317s  + 3.109
22.  Timo Glock            Marussia-Cosworth    1m41.371s  + 3.163
23.  Pedro de la Rosa      HRT-Cosworth         1m42.881s  + 4.673
24.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth         no time

107% time: 1m45.082s

* Gap to quickest in Q1

** Gap to quickest in Q2

A Coanda Quickie

At the  beginning of the year  we had identified for you "Coanda Effect" as one of the buzzwords of this 2012 season.

It's in the news again because both Mercedes and, in Korea, Lotus have deployed "Coanda Effect" exhausts and during the SpeedTV (The now ex-US racing channel) broadcast of Friday practice, Steve Matchett mentioned the famous video with the spoon and the faucet....



Of course since the Coanda effect has been used in aircraft wing design for the last hundred years or so, it is nothing new to Formula 1 but the reason it's "in the news" this year is because it is being used to cheat  get around regulations put in place to limit the effectiveness of  "blown" diffusers.

There were put in place for 2012, strict parameters for the shape, dimension and orientation of exhausts, all aimed at diverting the hot gas flow from the rear bottom of the car.   Teams have all followed the letter of the law with the pipe but  negated the intention of the rule with the bodywork which is used, exploiting the Coanda Effect, to bend hot exhaust flow to where it can energize the diffuser.

Now if there only was a good video illustrating how they are using air curtains to crate diffuser skirts...

Ride a Monster Tiger in the Temple of Oversteer

Tiny car + small block Ford V8 x Bias Ply tires = Awesome.  The famous 1965 Sunbeam "Monster" Tiger driven at the 2012 Goodwood Revival by Tom Dyer.

It will be worth your while to set the video to full screen HD and check out the footwork. One of the cool things about the Goodwood circuit is that with its long sweeping corners, it requires little brakes. Which is just as well because period cars had no brakes.

Anyway, brakes only slow you down!

Kimi hoons an Alpine A110-50

I wonder if they  let Romain Grosjean drive one these days...

Car sounds fantastic and looks awesome with in day-glo orange and blue.

Driving a Porsche 962 on the streets of Japan

That one would choose to use a Porsche 962 on the street is silly and more about showing off than driving because you know, racecar.   But to each their own and we'll concentrate of celebrating the insanity of all those who turn racers into something else. That and this clip, by Luke Huxham, looks fantastic.

(thanks Tall Baby. Via Motorhead Magazine)

2012 Japanese GP Executive Summary

Nobody likes a race won because of an obvious technical advantage and Sebastian Vettel may have been aware of this when, despite his team's calls for him to sandbag and/or save the car, he pushed to get fast lap of the race on the penultimate lap.

Pole,  a win leading every lap and fast lap of the race is beyond a hat trick, it is the demonstration of Red Bull's hunger and Adrian Newey's genius,  finding a half second over the field like that at this point in the season is remarkable, add a driver that when ahead makes no mistakes and it's unbeatable.

Vettel is now a mere 4 points from Alonso who ran into a whole lot of Raikkonen issues at Suzuka, Kimi's spin in qualifying compromised his one hot lap and Kimi's front wing cut his tire at the start. Game over for Fernando who score no points once again through no fault of his own or Ferrari.

That's racing but if Kimi suffered no effects from his first corner indiscretion not so his team mate Grosjean who got nailed with yet another type of penally, a 10 second stop and go...I can't remember the last time I saw one of those in F1. His under the microscope but I'm not sure he deserved all of it, Webber had one of his trademark shit stats and was not exactly flying through the decreasing radius turn 2. Grosjean was in maybe too busy looking at Perez on the outside. In any case, it's him again making contact so there was no way in hell he was going to get away with it.

It's possible that today we caught a glint of what Ferrari might know about Checo Perez, he certainly was "put in his place" by Raikkonen and made a pretty silly mistake when he spun off. I still like him very much as a driver though and his first move on Lewis was a slap in the face at the guy who considers (and is considered by many) as the best braker in F1.

Hamilton was pretty much a ghost and the impression one gets is that of much sour grapes in that garage. Mclaren is in a bind, there are doubts Button is the kind of driver who can really push a team and Perez is an unknown in that situation.

Button, with a car that up until the previous race had been the fastest, could do little about Kobayashi who had a fantastic race except for the restart when he seemed to fall asleep. Don't these guys watch any American racing? Only Vettel I guess.

Button could also do little about Massa who finally was able to get a good result after two years. Massa was faster than Fernando all week end except for the one crucial lap in Q2 on Saturday. It must leave a more bitter taste in Alonso's mouth to know he had a car good enough for second. But pointless to look back, Ferrari's goose is as good as cooked unless they react as strongly as Red Bull has and that takes more than just money and effort, that takes genius, evil or otherwise. That or luck and Alonso's may have run out of his allotment this year.

Kamui Kobayashi and Felipe Massa by Paul-Henry Cahier

No honey we are not going fast, the engine is just very loud

This, of course, is all Riccardo Patrese's fault but let's be honest, it's also every guy's fantasy.

Former Alfa Romeo and current BMW DTM driver Augusto Farfus is pretty funny "Claudia (Hürtgen presumably) told me to keep the foot down so that's what I'm doing" to which his wife replies "I'm going to kill Claudia".

(thanks to Tim Hahne)

Sparkling wine making, the Petter Solberg way

oolalalalala....  looks like a stuck throttle to me.

Buzzword: Micro Aerodynamics

Super slow motion comparison between the Mclaren and the Red Bull front wings during free practice at Suzuka.

 Beyond the intricate shapes it's interesting to see how each part moves differently. This of course is by design, while the flex in this case is induced by hitting the curb allowing us to see it,   each one of those winglets and vanes is studied and constructed with the idea that it will change angle even ever so slightly at speed, altering those magic "air curtains" that function as containment for other downforce producing airflows.   It's mind-blowing.    Mclaren and Red Bull are at the forefront of this trend as both results and extra FIA attention attest.

Pos  Driver                Team                  Time               Laps
 1.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault      1m32.493s            34
 2.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes      1m32.707s  + 0.214   32
 3.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault      1m32.836s  + 0.343   37
 4.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes  1m32.987s  + 0.494   30
 5.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari               1m33.093s  + 0.600   28
 6.  Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault         1m33.107s  + 0.614   35
 7.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes      1m33.349s  + 0.856   22
 8.  Bruno Senna           Williams-Renault      1m33.499s  + 1.006   35
 9.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari               1m33.614s  + 1.121   32
10.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes              1m33.750s  + 1.257   13
11.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes              1m33.866s  + 1.373   19
12.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari        1m33.903s  + 1.410   36
13.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari        1m33.983s  + 1.490   33
14.  Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault         1m34.291s  + 1.798   12
15.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault      1m34.300s  + 1.807   33
16.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m34.863s  + 2.370   32
17.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m35.080s  + 2.587   34
18.  Heikki Kovalainen     Caterham-Renault      1m35.711s  + 3.218   41
19.  Vitaly Petrov         Caterham-Renault      1m35.870s  + 3.377   37
20.  Timo Glock            Marussia-Cosworth     1m36.194s  + 3.701   32
21.  Charles Pic           Marussia-Cosworth     1m36.636s  + 4.143   28
22.  Pedro de la Rosa      HRT-Cosworth          1m37.342s  + 4.849   30
23.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth          1m37.701s  + 5.208   35
24.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes  No time               2

All Timing Unofficial

Racing in the Rain at Lime Rock

Trust me, driving on a track in the rain is fun, unless your window fogs up, but I digress, contrary to popular belief crashing is not mandatory!

Jim Perry of DrivesTV put together this clip from a Lime Rock Club race and comments:

"When you think of members only track clubs you imagine luxury automobiles and owners sipping Campari.
Not so, at Lime Rock's Drivers Club. Here, you'll find members who are here because they love cars and they love racing.

What would you expect, after all, from the track that gave us such greats as Sam Posey and Paul Newman and run by Skip Barber (who knows a thing or two about learning to race). So, when the forecast was for a torrential downpour, the members did what any self-respecting racer would do - they donned their helmets and went out to test their limits. See if it doesn't look like fun to you."

Yes, it does!

Who brakes best in Formula 1, Brembo tells

Tiny holes, about a thousand, on brake disks Brembo produces for Ferrari

Autosprint magazine is such a fantastic resource, it's been around since 1961 and always has precious insights and an alternative points of view.  On our must read list along with Autosport and Racecar Engineering.

I this week's issue there is a fascinating interview with Mauro Piccoli, chief of Brembo's racing department which we'll translate for you.


Autosprint: Brakes these days give so few problems that they can almost be taken for granted, true or false?

Mauro Piccoli: They are so reliable because of the amount of work done in simulation in order to arrive at the track with components that behave as predicted. In recent years, friction materials have changed a lot. We now have types of carbon which reduce wear tremendously, even in extreme conditions (In Singapore disks only wore an average of 1 mm for the whole race). Component design has changed a lot also because it's dictated not just by performance requirements but by aerodynamic requirement.

AS: Can you expand on that?

MP: Work on air flow started with the famous "wheel covers" which were banned. Later, work was done to try and re-create the same effect without them. The other important aspect is how to manage brake temperature as a way to get tires to temperature as fast as possible.

Toro Rosso have tested a new front suspension with the caliper in different position. A vertical position allows a better weight/rigidity ratio while a bottom mount lowers the CG but also increases the vibration on the rotor. (illustration Piola/Autosprint)

AS: How does your interaction with the teams work?

MP: We have s "idea sets" to work on during the season. There is the aspect of weight vs rigidity and there are aspects involving fluid dynamics studies which Brembo can conduct in its facilities. We integrate with the team's techs to make sure all that is built around our disks and calipers allows them to work in the best possible way.

AS: Today we are seeing much work done on cooling vane holes

MP: It's an aspect that has taken hold since last year and is becoming more and more extreme. It requires on the one side a very deep knowledge of composite materials making it quite tricky. On the other, it's dictated by fluid dynamics, it's not enough to just dill holes in the rotors to have efficiency. We have an advanced test bed which allows us to simulate changing airflow as a function of speed, as if we were testing on a real car because for aerodynamic reasons teams want to reduce the size of cooling ducts as much as possible.

Kamui Kobayashi locking up

AS: How different are braking styles in F1 today?

MP: A lot depends on tires. When there were different manufacturers one had to adapt style as a function of that tire's characteristics. Now with a single manufacturer there is effectively only one way to optimize braking. There are however those who are more or less aggressive.

AS: Some examples?

MP: Hamilton has his own style, he needs to "feel" front wheel lockup. On the contrary, Button very much tries for control and modulation. He might reach the same pressure peak but also manages the bakes more in the release phase.

AS: And at Ferrari?

MP: Alonso stomps on the pedal harder and generates more pressure on the system, we are talking of a pedal pressure in the 130-140kg range (+/-285-310lbs). It's similar to figures for Lewis or Jenson but Fernando is less aggressive. He likes to use a large diameter pump with a very short pedal. Pedal travel is in the order of 30-40mm, three and a half times that of the pump. Felipe prefers to manage lower pressures but as far as corner entry, there are no great differences.

AS: Everyone left foot brakes, does that cause you any issues?

MP: In the beginning there were overlaps between brake and accelerator which caused some excess of torque. We worked on various aspects which have minimized any issues.

AS: But then you have KERS which as it charges acts as an additional brake on the rear axle, has it complicated your life?

MP: In 2009, the first year, it did and we had to redesign our systems. However, having access to materials which are consistent and stable in their behavior have allowed for not having to continually fiddle with the bias adjuster. For 2014 when KERS will be twice as powerful...we'll see!

(Via Autosprint, interview by Alberto Antonini)
You can subscribe to Autosprint for your iPad HERE

You won't have Schumacher to kick around anymore...

It's easy to forget now but Schumacher changed Formula 1 more than any driver since in terms of driving style, fitness and economics.

We'll never really know what was behind his return to racing, was it just boredom or was there more to it as some say. In his prime he was the ultimate racer but maybe in the end he's just a guy who loved to rip and we'll miss him.

The Gray

This is one of only five Ferrari Enzo ever produced in gray,  never even seen a picture of one in the color.

As we have been discussing "top" cars  it's interesting to look back at the previous bunch.  The F60 Enzo was shocking when it was first shown ten years ago.   It made few concessions to styling and was devoid of all creature comforts, like the F40 and F50 before it.   It looked like no other car just a hardcore driving machine incorporating F1 technology.

We asked Harvey Stanley of  renowned UK Ferrari specialist DK Engineering , about the market value of the F60 and how it compares with other similar cars, such as they were.       Enzos are currently trading in the GBP 770K to 800K range,  about $1.3M.
If you were one of the 399 chosen by Ferrari and allowed to buy one new it would have set you back around $650k in 2002,  making them quite a good hedge against inflation.

By comparison, Carrera GT's trade GBP300K (much less in the US where they list in the mid $300K) and Mclaren SLRs have not held their value.

To be and F70 first owner you would probably need to be either Fernando Alonso or have owned an Enzo, and F50 and an F40 with probably a GTO thrown in there so the new generation car,  Harvey tells us, has only sparked more interest in the Enzo,  not a bad "plan B" for those not lucky enough to own an F70.

Should your "plan B" require it, DK Engineering has the gray and the red Enzos in these pictures as well as an F50  and, not one but three F40 in their inventory.   The F50 trade in the 4 to 500K pound range while the F40s are in the 350 to 450K range.

Tell Mr. Harvey, Axis sent you!

Flexi-Wings, meet Pivot Wings

From the "If you ain't cheatin', you Ain't tryin'" files.   Mclaren are set to be...let's see, what would the the correct term... clarified  about a clever new front wing attachment system that is said to allow the whole wing to pivot on its horizontal axis.
 This presumably allows for more efficient airflow under the car and towards the rear diffuser and the reason Mclaren have been so dominant in the last few races.

Mclaren, not surprisingly, denies. Read about it in Auto Motor Sport and pass the popcorn.