Allow me to explain why most comments you read about the Singapore start are wrong...

Hi, I'm back.

I had to jump in, for what it's worth, to explain why the response to the first lap crash at the Singapore GP was an even bigger clusterfuck than the clusterfuck itself.

I think peak bullshit came when the collective British and Dutch twitter contingent clutched their pearls after Ferrari put out a tweet containing a simple, if not fully grammatical, statement of fact:

VER took #Kimi7 out and then he went to #Seb5 #SingaporeGP

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) September 17, 2017

Yup, Max did bump into Kimi who then hit Vettel.   That is how the incident played out, mechanically.   Heavens forbid anyone describe the sequence of events.

What's more interesting is the WHY it happened.   And here, the Spanish fans, pining for Alonso blamed Vettel,  Italian Kimi haters blamed the Finn, the British mostly remarked on Hamilton's skill at being on the other side of the track while tisking at Vettel's "Schumi chop",  a move Lewis successfully pulled off at Monza two weeks ago.  The Dutch? They mostly showed class by blaming Italians for having better food that they ever will.  And Vettel fans, they pretty much blamed Max.

In short,  everyone just saw their bias. Is it worth it to assign blame?  Sure, but it was a racing incident firmly in the "shit happens when you point a bunch of cars into a corner you all have to get to first to win" bucket.

Two points, before we start

1) on a wet track, the "dirty" side has more grip.
2) Singapore, like Monaco, is a track you where, to win,  you have to lead out of the first corner.   Even more so in the rain.

OK so, to the start.  Vettel on the "clean" side has a poorer start than Verstappen and Raikkonen on the "dirty" side.  In fact everyone but Bottas has a great start on track left. Look at Alonso, Wow!





Verstappen, at the start, is pointing towards the right, hoping no doubt to cut off the Ferrari.

Vettel, for his part does what any driver in his situation would have done and is, by the rules, allowed to do, move to cover.






At this point Max realizes Kimi smoked him and and turns left to block him.   Notice how much room there is between Max and Seb,  the notion the Dutchman changed direction because of Vettel is not very likely.

Vettel cannot see the other Ferrari so it's plausible he though Max was going for the inside and increases the angle to cover more.

A-HA! you say...  Wrong.

That Vettel actually timed the "chop" on Max to perfection is demonstrated by him not hitting the Red Bull at any time.   By millimeters, yes but fully ahead of the blue car when Kimi bangs into him.

















Of all three, the one who is certainly blameless is Raikkonen, you can look at the clip and you can plainly see he is 100% straight up until the contact.

Vettel played a legal. but risky game and paid for it, no doubt. But you don't win a championship against Lewis and Mercedes by playing it safe,  Not in F1 and not on a track where you have to lead from the start to win. (unless you have Nelson Piquet jr.)

Max, as he has been known to do in the past, changed plans in the middle of something and shifted his attention from Vettel to Raikkonen.    He's aggressive and he has a lot to prove after the terrible season he's had so far.  That is part of his attraction but also something he has not quite worked out (see Hungary).

More interesting might be speculating if Vettel would have run into Raikkonen, had the contact not happened.   That might have been a possibility but, that's also science fiction and in the end, the stewards made the only possible call:

"Shit happens".

Time for Daniil Kvyat to get a time out.

Romain Grosjean was made to sit out of F1 for a race in 2012 for similar stupidity. Kvyat hit Vettel's Ferrari twice, possibly three times in the space of two turns at the Russian GP in Sochi. It looked like a drunken Russian dash cam video, one contact is a mistake that can happen, two is sheer stupidity.

Imagine the crash if the Toro Rosso on the right had not managed to avoid the out of control Russian. Still think putting a windscreen on cars is the most important safety priority?

Time for Danil to get a time out.

Vettel sings Happy Birthday.

Does this man know something we don't?

giroveloce.it

Because he sure is in a good mood despite a rather "non-headliny" Free Practice 2 in Abu Dhabi today.

Further analysis shows his long run pace to be suspiciously close to the two Mercedes.
Time for Toto to turn up the engines to 11? ( or is it 9.5...)

As for Seb,  maybe he couldn't care less about Instagram or those who accuse him of not caring about promoting the sport but, for sure,  he just gained another million fans.

Here's Vettel ripping in a Ferrari FXX K.

The car is simply spectacular.  Sebastian seem to be having a good time (catch him go "broom broom" with his mouth as he downshifts?) and concludes the lap with an Italo-German utterance which might or might not translate into "Mamma mia this thing goes like a rocketship" but ...

Dear Ferrari,  can we talk about the person responsible for editing your clips?   When you have the best sounding engines in the world, with possibly the most exciting car of the moment driven by a four time F1 Champion and you still feel the need to add bad canned music well,  then we would suggest someone at the Scuderia needs to be put out to pasture!

Pure Sound next time please!

A Tifosi's guide to loving Sebastian Vettel.

The internet's view on this...

Let's be honest, the idea of Sebastian Vettel in red  will be will make a good portion of the Tifosi gag.

This is,  after all,  the man synonymous with the worst thing that has happened to Ferrari fans in recent years: those cheating soft drink salesmen who conspired to keep from them what should have rightfully been theirs: every world championship since 2010.

Sebastian Vettel, the guy who only won because Adrian Newey gave him a car that was so much better than anyone elses.  The driver who could not make a pass to save his life,  who conspired to make Mark Webber look bad and whined whenever he did not get his way, coddled by his Germanic overlords.

In other words, the devil incarnate.

But come the first track tests in the new year,  Vettel will be transformed in the Ferrari fan psyche into a new teutonic knight riding atop the prancing horse, slashing at all foes.  He will be hailed as the savior of Maranello.

Funny right? Well,  nothing new of course.

Before he landed at Maranello in 1996, Michael Schumacher was slammed for his "dirty driving" and having won two championships with cheater Benettons, the Red Bull of the era.

Schumacher was at Ferrari for 10 years and never learned to speak Italian beyond a mangled phrase of two yet, by 2000 when he won the first driver's championship in red,  he was a national hero.
Somewhat forgotten now is that he almost bailed to Mclaren that year, after four years of frustration.
In the end, Schumi was the best thing that could have happened for Ferrari as Ferrari was for the German.

Fernando Alonso was also not especially well liked by the "Tifosi":  he had beaten Schumacher, he had driven "cheater cars" and he had the nerve to say "Ferrari is not the team he dreamed of driving for" as a kid.
Nando's dream team was McLaren and when he finally got there it turned out to be quite the nightmare for all involved.

Alonso was a much better fit with the Tifosi, latin, fluent in Italian, he was loved for being tenacious like Mansell (Il Leone) and being a Gilles who actually finished races.

Will history repeat for Sebastian?     Will the Tifosi embrace him as they did former enemies Schumacher and Alonso?

We have no doubt but here is a primer of reasons to help Tifosi accept Seb in Red.



1. Vettel is a 27 year old German joining the Scuderia at a particularly low point.

The last 27 year old  German arrived at Maranello after decades of shame for the Italians.  The first couple of years were rough but eventually it worked out quite well for both.

2. Vettel actually had Ferrari posters in his bedroom as a kid

For Vettel, Ferrari is both a challenge and a dream.  This was clear (and in retrospect a clear hint at the future) this past summer, when he had a chance to drive a historic Ferrari F1 car at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.  On his debut at Fiorano, his helmet was marked with "November 29, 2014.  My first day at Ferrari".  He probably won over half the Tifosi right there.

3. Vettel comes to Ferrari with more world championships and wins than Schumacher

Make that more championships and wins than anyone who has ever moved to Ferrari  or any other team if you discount Schumacher's disastrous "comeback" with Mercedes.

4. Vettel's first F1 win was with a Ferrari powered Italian team.

Vettel's first win,  2008 at Monza in the rain with a Toro Rosso,  an improved Minardi not only made him the youngest GP winner ever,  but should be hailed alongside the likes of Senna's early moist  exploits.   Having spent time with the Faenza based squad also means Seb's Italian is much superior to Schumacher's.

5. Seb has a good sense of humor.

Schumacher was never a champion in that category. Vettel will probably need  some that sense of humor at Maranello next year.



6. Vettel is his own manager.

Despite having just a high school education (like many professional drivers) Vettel has been able to successfully navigate F1's shark infested waters without the aid of a manager.

7. He's good friends with Kimi Raikkonen.

Both he and Kimi are intensely private, keeping as much distance as possible between their on track lives and their family lives.  Plus anyone who's cool in Kimi's book has got to be alright.

8. He's a workaholic.

After hours at Red Bull, he would hang with the mechanics and engineers to understand and tweak as much as performance as possible out of the cars.   Hopefully Ferrari will successfully replicate that atmosphere in their pits.

9. He's a perfectionist.

Like the other famous German savior, he wants things done a certain way. Yes, he will squawk if he doesn't get what he wants.  His competitiveness goes beyond his day job, he notably tried to tune the Top Gear "Reasonably priced car" by changing tire pressures.

10. Vettel is the new chapter

It's a shame Fernando Alonso's tenure at Maranello worked out as it did.  In many ways he was the perfect driver for Ferrari but it was not to be.  Schumacher too almost left in frustration but then, after four years, it clicked in a big way.    Alonso does not have that luxury, he's six year further in his career than Schumi was,  he made the move and Ferrari let him go.  
Ferrari is undergoing an epic revolution:  for years the Scuderia was being told to think outside the box, now many of those same people have been literally put outside the box.   Nobody has been safe, not di Montezemolo, not Alonso, Domenicali, Mattiacci and those responsible for both the engine and the chassis designs.  Robespierre would have been proud.
Revolutions take time to resolve so the ideal driver is one who has something to prove and the time to prove it.

Vettel is that man.

Bye Fred, Seb in Red

Ferrari officially confirm 2015 driver lineup.

Vettel drove a classic Ferrari at the red Bull Ring this past summer

It's the official start of a new cycle for the Scuderia with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.  That Vettel was a long term, post Alonso target for Ferrari was something that had been whispered for quite some time but nobody thought it would happen in 2015.

There is yet to be an official announcement for Alonso's future.



Maranello, 20 November 2014 – Scuderia Ferrari announces that it has reached an agreement of three years duration with Sebastian Vettel, who will drive for the team as from the 2015 season.

The driver line-up next season will consist of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.

“Scuderia Ferrari has decided to put its faith in the youngest multiple champion in the history of Formula 1” – commented Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, Marco Mattiacci. “In Formula 1 terms, Sebastian Vettel is a unique combination of youthfulness and experience and he brings with him that sense of team spirit which will prove invaluable when, together with Kimi, they tackle the challenges awaiting us, as we aim to be front runners again as soon as possible. With Sebastian, we all share a thirst for victory as well as enthusiasm, a strong work ethic and tenacity; key elements for all the Scuderia members to write a new chapter in the history of Ferrari.”

“The next stage of my Formula 1 career will be spent with Scuderia Ferrari and for me that means the dream of a lifetime has come true,” said Sebastian Vettel. “When I was a kid, Michael Schumacher in the red car was my greatest idol and now it’s an incredible honour to finally get the chance to drive a Ferrari. I already got a small taste of what the Ferrari spirit means, when I took my first win at Monza in 2008, with an engine from the Prancing Horse built in Maranello. The Scuderia has a great tradition in this sport and I am extremely motivated to help the team get back to the top. I will put my heart and soul into making it happen.”

Red Bull confirms Sebastian Vettel will not drive for the team in 2015

Red Bull Racing confirmed the four  time World Champion Sebastian Vettel will leave the team at the end of the season.    The dominoes are starting to fall.

Here is the full statement:


Saturday 4 October, 2014

NEW TEAM DRIVER LINE UP FOR 2015

Sebastian Vettel has advised us that he will be leaving Infiniti Red Bull Racing at the end of the 2014 season.

We want to warmly thank Sebastian for the incredible role he has played at Infiniti Red Bull Racing for the last six years.

Since joining the team in 2009, Sebastian, together with Infiniti Red Bull Racing, has scored 38 wins, 44 poles and eight World Championships, including four Drivers’ titles and four Constructors’. If you include Sebastian’s success at Red Bull’s second team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, the Red Bull total increases to 39 wins and 45 poles.

As we wish Sebastian well in the next stage of his career, we also look to the future with excitement, as the vacancy makes way for the next generation of Red Bull racers.

The Red Bull Junior Programme has developed some proven talents in recent times, including Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, who has excelled in the RB10 and become a three-time Formula One race winner in his first season with the team.

We’re pleased to announce that Daniel will be joined in the team for 2015 by another rising star from the Junior Programme, Daniil Kvyat.

Typhoon Alonso hits F1 in Japan

Alonso will leave the Scuderia, Sebastian Vettel will take his place in 2015.

The storm had been in the forecast for a long time but nobody was confident enough to predict its path. No, we are not referring to Phanfone, the meteorological phenomenon which has put this week end's race in some doubt but of Fernando Alonso's divorce from Ferrari.

As much as anything can be definite in F1, you can consider this a done deal. Ferrari cannot guarantee Alonso a dominant car for next year and Alonso has no incentive to spend the next couple of seasons developing a car he will ha likely have to hand over to a younger driver. At 33,  he does not want to risk the same treatment Schumacher got at the end of 2006.

Official announcements aside, confirmation comes from a piece Pino Allievi wrote for Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport today.
Simply put, Allievi would not have written that piece if he was not solid on it.

OMG, he's not Joe Saward, can we trust him you say? Yes, he knew Montezemolo was leaving before everyone else and he was the one who broke the Alonso phone tap scandal in the Mclaren spy gate days. It's happening.

The other bombshell in the article is Vettel in Fernando's seat right from 2015.

This was also the rumor of the last few months and an accepted career path for the German for the last few years. What's different is that it was not supposed to happen for one more season.
If that what was to be inevitable then perhaps everyone realized the change might as well happen sooner rather then later.

James Allen points out how Bernie's hand might play a role as it did in getting both Schumacher and Hamilton at Mercedes.    One could argue to that there was an effort made by F1 to make sure Mercedes was happy and in the best possible position to win and stay in the sport.  The new bosses at Ferrari are bit of an unknown for F1, they showed they are willing to make drastic changes. It is not unthinkable an effort would be made to set the Scuderia on a path to success as quickly as possible.

Vettel's incentives are the challenge of winning with a different team and making sure the new car is developed in a way that suits his tastes.

Alonso has two paths: Mclaren and Red Bull. Allievi. in the article. mentions Ferrari had also targeted Hamilton but in the end preferred Vettel.
Hamilton's only reason for leaving Mercedes would have been if he were to have a major hissy fit after losing the championship to Rosberg anyway.

Red Bull, you might think, has no need for Alonso with Ricciardo driving very well and Kvyat in the wings.  But careful. that driver combo, while fast would leave RBR without the prestige of a world champion and top driver behind the wheel unlike all major competitors. That's not something to be underestimated.  For similar reasons, Ferrari would not be happy with a Raikkonen-Bianchi lineup, even if temporary.

Mclaren Honda is the other path but can anyone imagine Alonso and Ron Dennis in the same room? Mclaren seems like a chilly place to begin with, that would make it positively arctic. On the plus side, Fernando would have plenty extra cash to keep his Dasha in Chanel.

Presumably, at some point, Ferrari would lose Banco Santander's sponsorship and a major opportunity will open up for branding. Finding out who'll pony up to put their stickers on certainly the most prestigious side pods in F1 will be interesting and a measure of F1's health.

It's all not confirmed of course and not likely to be until after the big FIAT-Chrysler's Wall Street debut on October 13. Sergio Marchionne will officially step in for Luca di Montezemolo at the helm of Ferrari and it will be a whole new chapter for the Scuderia.

Is Vettel right to complain about F1?

Sebastian Vettel has once again complained 2014's Formula 1 is not to his liking.

Commenting to Germany's Focus Magazine ,  Vettel said he's rather be "taming dragons"  and that he's having trouble finding feeling with his car "which does not know what I want".

His Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo has had no such difficulties coming to terms with the new style F1,  making the 4 time world champion look somewhat ordinary in the first four races of the season.

Of course many fans will agree that fire spitting, loud, sparking F1 cars would be much more spectacular but what you're hearing from Vettel, is that just sour grapes?

After all, he was not complaining so much when he had the blown exhaust cars figured out in the past few years and frankly other than the noise, I don't see a huge difference in the racing despite the radical technology changers.  Except that Seb isn't winning that is.

Thoughts?

One year ago this week end: Multi 21

Don't meant to harp on Red Bull, it just kind of worked out that way. One year ago from this week end, Multi 21 entered the public consciousness and nobody has since looked on Sebastian Vettel quite the same way, for better of for worse.

Seb whines, Gentleman Jenson bitchslaps him.

“It’s shit,”  said Vettel when asked in Sepang today.  “I think we have to [change it]. I was on the pit wall during the race. It’s better than in a bar! That’s my opinion. I think for the fans it’s not good. I think F1 has to be spectacular, and the sound is one of the most important things."

Later when speaking in German Vettel said that he would rather have a V12, and that batteries are for mobile phone, and not F1 cars.
(via Adam Cooper)

Be that as it may,  we suspect if the Red Bull RB110 was at the pointy end of the field, Seb would not be throwing toys out of his Newey designed pram.    Of course it's no help the whole Red Bull team have been engaging in toy tossing for the past two weeks.

Enter "gentleman" Jenson who did not complain once last season when his Mclaren was,  well, shit:

"Go and race something else if you’re not happy,” said Jenson. “As drivers we don’t have an opinion where the cars are in terms of sound and feel. When you’ve crossed the finish line first and you’ve won a Grand Prix, you don’t care what it sounds or what it feels like. You’ve beaten the best in the world, and that’s what you care about.”

Ouch!

At least Alonso was clever and media savvy:

"If I say now that I think the show was bad (in Melbourne), then I will be accused of being frustrated because I didn't win".

Vettel ran donuts around the competition this year

Let's celebrate Seb today.

Say what you will but don't forget this is not some guy who came from privilege and had it all easy, He was a clear talent from his first test with BMW aged 18 and got where he is, at just 26, being his own manager.

Yes, he is in the best team but that's no accident.  Formula One is all about domination and this year Red Bull out designed,  out strategized out spent and outmaneuvered all other teams.

Nobody likes domination but domination does not mean it's not hard work.

So cheers Sebastian, Red Bull and Renault.  Well done!

So How is Red Bull running traction control legally?

You might have noticed a number of articles here and there trying to rationalize Vettel's crushing advantage in Singapore.   The guy is quick but 2 seconds a lap quicker the everyone else, based on talent alone, nobody's buying that one.  The secret is in the car,  or rather the car and driver package.

One theory revolves around engine mapping.  As you know, F1 cars used to get huge downforce by "blowing" the diffuser on the off throttle,  having fuel mix combust in the headers rather than on top of the pistons and thus keeping the exhaust flow energized.   This was banned after 2011.

In 2012 it became clear that where you come up with a rule, designers will figure a way around it.  So Coanda effect exhausts and even more work on engine mapping  made engines honk much like when they were "blowing" , which of course, they cannot anymore.



That first car by in the clip, published by Autosprint, is Vettel in Singapore.  One thing is certain, his RB9 is the only car making that distinctive sound.  Webber's RB9, the fourth car in the clip, sounds "normal".
But is that really the secret, it's still pushing exhaust pressure on the off throttle?  I'd say no way Red Bull would try to get away with something that blatant.  What you are hearing are cylinders being shut off, something Mr Whiting gave a pass to Renault last year as long as it's no more than 4 at a time (Renault pleaded reliability).  Red Bull's software has been checked and re-checked by the FIA because other teams have raised the issue  so, if they are "blowing", they are doing it by "cheating" legally, so to speak.

The biggest advantage for the RB9 is slow corner traction, Singapore is the most extreme example of a point and squirt track. Montreal is also a point and squirt track and, if you remember, there was more than a few questions about traction control there as well,  along with the same honky engine sounds being heard at times.

Of course if the "buzz" were traction control, it would not happen mid corner but on corner exit,
so, how might a form of traction control, or perhaps, Torque Control work?    All manner of theories have been bouncing around online,  one has been given a big boost in credibility by an article in Racecar Engineering:  the use of KERS charging to modulate power.

KERS has a defined amount of power it can store and discharge but there is no obligation on when to charge it so, the theory goes that Red Bull has figured out a way to use the charging phase to modulate output torque on corner exit.  If this were controlled in response to wheelspin,  it would be traction control and illegal.  What Racecar Engineering is speculating is that it is controlled by sensors in the shocks: shock is compressed means more grip then you have full power, shock is extended then you might get less torque (because it's charging KERS) and less potential wheelspin.    In effect a form of traction control which seems to be legal by the letter of the rules.  Remember Webber's tire marks in Montreal?

You might imagine  a system like this would require extra sensors and controllers While the KERS system is separate from the auxiliary electrical system, it is also known that the RB9 places especially high demands on its alternators which led to failures in the past (as constructed, materials were not up to demands).   A connection?

There are of course a bunch of other theories out there about what Newey might have come up with, these are more in the "there was no moon landing" category but, for fun...

- there are electrical heating elements placed behind the diffuser "intake" holes which, using battery power, superheat the airflow providing the same effect as exhaust blowing.
-Red Bull is able to "package" the rear of the car so tightly because they are using a "Peltier effect" heat pump to cool the exhaust.

As I said, sci-fi, but fun.

What is going on is Red Bull have come up with something that works, but works perfectly because Vettel knows how to take full advantage of it.  The car is build around him, what he's good at and what he knows how to fully exploit.   Webber may very well have precisely the same car but he, for whatever reason, is not able to extract that same advantage consistently.

Optimizing the package and pushing the rules,  that's what F1 is all about, love it or hate it.

September 2008: Sebastian Vettel becomes the youngest ever Grand Prix Winner

Seems like ages ago but it was just 2008 at Monza when Sebastian Vettel, aged 21 and driving for Scuderia Toro, became the youngest ever Grand Prix winner taking that record away from Fernando Alonso.  
In the four  seasons since he has been World Champion three times. You can argue it's the car but Webber never could come close, either in a Minardi or a Red Bull.

Meanwhile, In China....

Wait a moment... those two look oddly familiar...

(Thanks Jon, Photo Darren Heath)

Webber Vettel Infinity Ad Now Awkwardly Hilarious

You're still buying Red Bull really wanted Mark Webber to win?  Notice all the articles "explaining" Vettel popping up all over the place?   Pass the popcorn and some Multi 21.

Run both videos below at the same time, start with the F1 side...

YouTube Doubler

(H/T WTF1)

Full Circle

Haters and , shall we say, German humor translation fails aside, you have to admit Vettel's story is a great one so far, much like the other fellow in the picture.
He does not come from a wealthy family, he does not have a whole government behind him.    He does have his incredible car feel and, as his own manager, the savvy to make deals with the likes of Red Bull.  

And in Brazil it came full circle...

Case closed.

We looked up two things, an FIA track map with the marshaling positions indicated and a clearer copy of the onboard which you can see frame by frame from turn 3 on.
 I rocked the few frames where the marshal on the left side of the track is visible waving what, though not clear, we have to assume is a green flag.  Vettel makes the pass after that green flag station so it's all legal.

Where did the confusion arise? Well,  the lights on Vettel's dashboard are still on at that point and stay on until he passes the next light station.  The dashboard lights are perhaps tied to  transponders at light station as opposed to marshal positions (they don't always match) but flags still take precedence.



Below, laps 3 and part of 4, where Vettel passes the Marussia (notice the lack of top speed on the RB8 at this point) and then the Toro Rosso,  Notice also that on lap 3 the flag station on the right at the exit of T3 is green while on lap 4 it becomes yellow and keep in mind the camera does not see as well as the human eye would in those conditions.

Final verdict?  It was in fact  heads up racing by Vettel, like a Champion would drive.

Go to Senna's grave and tell him what his nephew did today...

Newly crowned triple World Champion Sebastian Vettel missed a good chance to keep his mouth shut and come across like a decent person Sunday after the race.

Interviewer:
"..and then comes the nephew of Aryton Senna, and here in brazil crashes in the back of your car, what did you think at that moment?"

Vettel: (smiles) "Well let's see, the grave of Ayrton Senna is here in Sau Paulo, at the gaveyard in Murumbi.One has to go there and tell him what is nephew did today. which did not help us ..."

Aside from being a dolt for invoking Ayrton's name in Brazil, Vettel is completely in the wrong about the incident with which he almost threw away his championship.
After a bad start, Vettel is P7 and way wide coming into Descida do Logo, Raikkonen almost hits him, di Resta and Senna are just behind on the inside. Vettel decides to take Turn 4  like he's leading the race and there is nobody else close by.  Senna, who had gone for the gap has no place to go.
Surely Vettel must have looked in the mirrors...

Contrast that with Alonso who takes a much later apex and leaves just enough room for Hulkenberg, just in case.

That Vettel's car was not seriously damaged is a testament to huge luck though if you listen to Red Bull, everyone's out to get them and they had everything against them.   Bah, I'm guessing  all the whining is studied for sympathy because 98% of the public thinks Alonso deserved it since he actually had to fight as the underdog.

(thanks to Sergio and /abductee for the help with the video and translation!)



Allan McNish agrees BTW... though they were being awfully kind there to Vettel on Sky.

Pole at the Austin GP will be 1:37.53

That is the calculation made using OptimumLap  simulation software by OptimumG a vehicle dynamics consulting and data acquisition company based in Colorado and boasting a client list that reads like a who's who of international racing and automobile manufacturing.

Henning Olsson, one of OptimumG's lead simulation engineers, wrote a detailed article examining key factors essential for formulating a plan to optimize lap times: aerodynamics,  gearing, traction, braking and fuel consumption.

Olsson admits their simulation is not as sophisticated as what Formula 1 teams have been running because obviously teams guard their specific aero maps, tire models and suspension kinematics like state secrets but, none the less,  key factors for the race can be identified.

One of the fascinating things about this, the first ever race at the Circuit of the Americas will be that nobody has been there so, at least in theory, from a simulation standpoint every team is starting from the same point.

OptimumG's simulations indicate that the track in Austin offers a fairly large possible variation in setup tradeoffs between downforce and top speed, to produce similar lap times and that is good news for racing.   The prediction is for a top speed  sweet spot anywhere between 315 and 307km/h.  Of course opting for more downforce will be great if you're in front, not so good if you have to pass.

In the simulation tables you can spot an issue for Ferrari and Alonso, a +5% increase in aero efficiency is computed as -1.15 improvement in lap time.   Is the RB8 5% more efficient than the Ferrari?  Probably not but there is no doubt that cheater brilliant bendy nose is doing something and Alonso's week end, barring some miracle new aero bit, will be as uphill as the run up to turn 1.

The climb to turn 1 by Jason Bo

Among the unknowns at COTA are tire wear and grip.  One of the biggest challenges for teams will be figuring out when to stop for tires, taking into consideration fuel load and changing track conditions.   As Olsson explains, teams will be keen to determine during practice things like, how many laps does it take for the tires to lose 1% of their grip and what the fuel load sensitivity will be.

This is a window into the depth of racing but before you conclude it's all about the Neweys and their slide rules, megaminds and supercomputers Claude Rouelle, OptimumG's founder, identifies the edge, the one singular and paramount factor in performance above all others:  the human factor.

Rouelle is, among other things, a judge for Formula SAE competition and if you have a half hour of time I would urge you to watch the video below.   His advice is to students but the concepts apply and will help you understand so much about Formula 1 and, indeed any form of racing.

Thank you very much to Florian Wehner,  a Formula SAE student from Germany who sent a link to the article!


Claude Rouelle: Advice for SAE Teams from Adam Miszta on Vimeo.