Support NeoGAF

[Juicy Bob]

It's definately interesting.

 

[Dead Man]

3D image of proposed Austin track
http://adamcooperf1.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/acf1-austin-3d.png

when 2 tracks are better than 1...

or 3??

spain, monza, silverstain?

with some canada?

WTF

http://adamcooperf1.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/adamcooperf1-austin.jpg

I have been pretty down about this track, but I actually like the way it looks. If they can make those elevation changes obvious on tv, that would be brilliant.

Edit:

http://imgur.com/7NkA4.jpg

It's definately interesting.

For sure. It does run clockwise, right?

 

[navanman]

More and more indications that Mercedes tweaked engines in McLaren to use igntion trick in the race

That would be a major coup if true. RBR only run with it in qualifying as the stress it places on the engine and exhaust system is extreme.
It would explain the very distinctive noise from the McLaren car under braking in Spa last weekend.

 

[Leunam]

I'm kinda liking the look of that track.

 

[DrM]

1) Whitmarsh mentioned MB High Performance Engine division from Brixworth in his post race statement, so there must be something with it - they were rarely mentioned this season.
2) Lewis touched the Silver Star on the nose of MP4-25 right after the race
3) F1 tech insiders (Scarbs&co) are pointing to the ignition system, which should be the main reason for strange engine noise, in connection with EBD.
4) Mercedes team is without chance with that POS car they have, so the only feasible solution for MB is to work as hard as they can with Mclaren, to bring WCC and WDC.

 

[Juicy Bob]

I thought the strange engine noise was a result of the blown diffuser?

EDIT:

I think they're feeding the undertray, the blown exhaust diffuser, on the over-run. It makes a very unusual noise... They're feeding the undertray with some power. About 45% of the energy of your fuel is burnt - goes through the exhaust pipe. And that's a lot of power, a lot of energy, and they're harnassing it to help energise the diffuser.

 

[Deadman]

Track looks quite nice, but i think there will only be 1 overtaking place - the end of the long straight that goes in to the "hockenheim area". This is because it will probably be impossible to follow another car close enough through the high speed "silverstone area" into the "sepang final corner"

And from the arrow on the pit straight it seems its anti clockwise, which is a nice change.

 

[Leunam]

:lol

 

[mclaren777]

Very interesting Youtube video of Vettel, Button crash.

Look at Vettels front wing when he is in Buttons slip stream. Its flexing wildly from side to side, could explain his loss of downforce, grip when lost control of his car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHwQP_0YRdk

That video has been removed. Could you please find another upload of it for those who missed out?

 

[SCHUEY F1]

I have been pretty down about this track, but I actually like the way it looks. If they can make those elevation changes obvious on tv, that would be brilliant.

Maybe F1 will finally broadcast in HD by then! I dig the elevation changes.

 

[Deadman]

That video has been removed. Could you please find another upload of it for those who missed out?

Here

This also shows a video of webbers crash in valancia with kovalainen, and the somewhat similar wing movements that occured then.

 

[StoOgE]

Track looks amazing.. Love the elevation change.. though the start is going to be strange headed uphill into a hairpin.

 

[DrM]

Track looks amazing.. Love the elevation change.. though the start is going to be strange headed uphill into a hairpin.

How much meters will be total elevation change? Spa has 170 meters of total elevation change, Suzuka on 40 meters.

 

[ashk]

How much meters will be total elevation change? Spa has 170 meters of total elevation change, Suzuka on 40 meters.

The 3D image says that the max. elevation change is 133 feet, so that would be the same as Suzuka then.

 

[Goldrusher]

Haha, is there a video of that ?

 

[Goldrusher]

Found one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErvMGoRZlHw

:lol

 

[SCHUEY F1]

Not sure if this has been posted, but it is amateur footage of Massa way ahead of his grid slot. Don't know how the FIA missed it. Brundle even mentioned at the start. If it was Alonso I bet they wouldn't have missed it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO52rGxhty0

Edit: Not way ahead, but far enough to be in violation I would think.

 

[Leunam]

You said not way ahead and I imagined only his front wing would be over. That's about 1/3rd of the car over.

 

[SCHUEY F1]

You said not way ahead and I imagined only his front wing would be over. That's about 1/3rd of the car over.

I think it looks a bit worse because the wing can be over.

 

[Leunam]

True.

Someone mentioned earlier that it can be tough to see the grid lines from where they are sitting. I agree and I doubt he noticed or even did it on purpose. :/

 

[itsgreen]

the wheel is suppose to be behind the white line. I believe they have a foot clearance...

True.

Someone mentioned earlier that it can be tough to see the grid lines from where they are sitting. I agree and I doubt he noticed or even did it on purpose. :/

He is a F1 driver. He notices it. This is their job.

On purpose? No offcourse not... but he should be taken out of F1 if he didn't notice it himself. But it is not his fault he didn't get a penalty.

 

[moojito]

Apparently putting an f1 car in reverse is a big risk, so they prefer not to do it if at all possible. I'm sure he knew he overshot it, but knew that it wasn't seen as a big deal, or maybe wasn't aware of exactly how far over he was.

 

[Deadman]

Massa grid error prompts FIA probe

The FIA has launched an investigation into why Felipe Massa was able to start the Belgian Grand Prix slightly ahead of his grid slot without the error getting picked up at the time.

More here

 

[avaya]

Whiting is a retard, what's new?

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I was confused why that was never mentioned again since Martin Brundle noticed it instantly in the commentary box. :lol

 

[navanman]

New pic of the Korean track. Its looks so far from finished and if the FIA actually run the event, its going to take some novel camera angles not to show the building site and unfinished landscaping everywhere.

Pic is huge so linking only:
http://adamcooperf1.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/korea-overview.jpg

 

[Steppenwolf]

Why didn't they build this track into the hills nearby? Would be so much more interesting.

And about the Austin track: It certainly looks like one of Tilke's better design but he did it again tight corners leading into long straights. So unless they actualy change a lot on the cars characteristics it will be extremely hard to overtake there. I'm also not a fan of that mickey mouse section. The corner combinations from turn 3 onwards look interesting tho.

 

[moojito]

It does seem to be getting a bit silly that they're allowing a half-finished track like that to go ahead. No doubt large sums of money were involved in that decision, but it'd be bordering on farcical if it was anything like that on the race weekend.

 

[marvelharvey]

Why didn't they build this track into the hills nearby?

I was about to type the same. Flat open space FTL.

 

[Templar Wizard]

was that shot taken 2 months ago?
or recently?

i can imagine Webber's comment: Bahrain is like racing at an airport, but a bleedin construction site???

 

[Templar Wizard]

I missed the 3d image of austin, its certainly interesting and its growing on me.
maybe a mixture of things that work, instead of the recent 'new' that doesnt seem to flow.

I think that they should 'beta' the design as DLC for f1 2010

 

[DrM]

Williams : Screw 2010 season

Williams is now focusing its main efforts on next year's car, with its final major upgrade package for 2010 having been given the sign-off in its wind tunnel.

After a disappointing start to the year, Williams has made good progress with its FW32 and, with its major update planned for the Singapore Grand Prix, it has high hopes of keeping that momentum up.

Technical director Sam Michael said that the new Singapore parts were now out of the wind tunnel and being readied, which means the Grove-based outfit's aero team were now focusing entirely on the 2011 challenger.

"We have one more upgrade for Singapore, and that is finished in the wind tunnel," said Michael. "All the bits are aerodynamically designed, but they have not finished going through the mechanical design and production yet.

"In terms of the design priority though, from an aero point of view we are focused on next year now."

With major rule changes for 2011 - including the banning of double diffusers and F-ducts, and the arrival of Pirelli as tyre supplier - Michael said there would be little carry over from this year's design.

"It is a completely different car - it will be a clean sheet for everybody," he said.

Williams plans to run KERS next year too, and Michael said the team was keeping its options open regarding whether it races with a battery or a flywheel system.

"We've got both options, but to be honest our priority will be a battery system," he said. "We do have capability to run a flywheel as well. "

Autosport

 

[Chris R]

Austin track looks interesting but I'll have to see a video mockup before deciding if I like it or not. The overhead seriously does look like Tilke copied best bits from other tracks :lol Would have been nice to see something 100% unique. That back straight also seems kinda long and I doubt that NASCAR would run the short track unless another path was added cutting the tight last 1/3 of the track down a bit. Liking the elevation changes though.

edit: here is my 20 second paint job before I run to work http://imgur.com/VQxII.jpg If the track has that option I could see NASCAR running on the track, and if the circuit owners want to try to earn money, they will do everything in their power to bring NASCAR as it would basically mean 100k in tickets for race day easy, even more if they tie in a lower series race too.

I know Indycar wouldn't have any problem with either track configuration.

 

[Deadman]

Ground effect, turbos set for F1 return

Formula 1 teams are closing in on finalising all-new regulations for 2013 that will likely see a return of ground effect cars and turbo engines - as the sport witnessed in the early 1980's.

....

The power units will be bolstered by numerous energy recovery systems, and should produce around 650bhp. Plans are also being considered to limit engines to just five per driver per season.

More

 

[navanman]

was that shot taken 2 months ago?
or recently?

i can imagine Webber's comment: Bahrain is like racing at an airport, but a bleedin construction site???

F1fanatic have the metadata from the Korean GP aerial shot.
The photo was taken on Monday, 30th August. Not looking good for track to be finished and looking all presentable to the world media.

 

[Dead Man]

Ground effect, turbos set for F1 return



More

Damnit, they should have done this years ago, limit aero grip, increase mechanical traction via the ground effects.

 

[mrklaw]

Ground effect, turbos set for F1 return



More

sounds good. Although 1.6 litre 4-cylinder engines in F1 is just wrong.

 

[mil6es]

1.6 litre 4-cylinder engines in F1 is just wrong.

fixed

 

[Templar Wizard]

yes, like i said, aero packs to be dumped in a few years. ground effect and POWER are the way forward, less dirty air.

 

[DrM]

and stick shifting should return

 

[navanman]

4 cylinder engines don't belong in F1 EVER. A V6 should be a bare minimum at least, all this relevancy to road tech is a load of cock.
F1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of automotive engineering not a supped up VW Golf TSI.

 

[Steppenwolf]

650bhp in F1 sounds wrong to me. If they don't radicaly cut the aerodynamics we will have cars that most of the times drive in a comfort zone just like DTM.

 

[AndyD]

F1fanatic have the metadata from the Korean GP aerial shot.
The photo was taken on Monday, 30th August. Not looking good for track to be finished and looking all presentable to the world media.

RBR ran a test with Chandhok as a driver there and they said all went well and the track and amenities are nice. Still a few kerbs to finish/touch up, but very good otherwise.

I think we see all that dirt and think its unfinished, but its still almost two months until race day. And final inspection is late September I think.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Nice read on how RBR might be getting through scrutineering with their front wing:
http://pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_feature_item.php?fes_art_id=41889

Why is this important? Well a wing, constructed of a composite, a potentially anisotropic material, could behave differently depending on how it is loaded. The FIA 'replicate' working loads by loading the tip of the wing with a 100 kg mass, and this is a nice and simple test. The trouble is that this is only half the story; Red Bull has designed a front wing to pass this test.

The issue is that a front wing not only produces a lift force, but also a drag force, and this is the force that the FIA test currently does not replicate.

By introducing drag, the direction (and magnitude) of the force applied to the wing changes, and as has been discussed, an anisotropic structure's behaviour can differ significantly as a result. The proof of this hypothesis would appear to be the Darren Heath photographs in Hungary and the onboard footage in Spa.

There's more at the link. Clever, although some of us assumed this to be the case already. I'm more surprised the FIA's tests were so simplistic. PEACE.

 

[avaya]

F1 died after 2002.

Ever since then the rules have gone to shit.

 

[Pimpwerx]

F1 died after 2002.

Ever since then the rules have gone to shit.

We're the next generation of the you-shoulda-been-theres. PEACE.

 

[S. L.]

lap video of the Korea track from the Red Bull demo run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD5jHiTK_pA&feature=player_embedded
looks fairly boring

 

[AndyD]

lap video of the Korea track from the Red Bull demo run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD5jHiTK_pA&feature=player_embedded
looks fairly boring

So so. Lots of work to be done on the kerbs for sure. But I like the part where its a left hander than up a little hill, then a right turn after the top of the hill. It may be a nice passing point and a blind over the hill turn.

 

[DrM]

Looks like another Tilke abomination.

Also:
Tilke promises more 'on the edge' tracks

Formula 1 fans have been promised track designs that will be more on the 'edge' in the future in a bid to help promote better racing and more excitement.

With a host of new countries getting added to the grand prix calendar in the next few years, F1 track designer Hermann Tilke has revealed to AUTOSPORT that Bernie Ecclestone has given him the green light to be more adventurous.

"I have discussed a lot of things, and a lot of good ideas come from Bernie Ecclestone," said Tilke, whose designs for the new Austin track in the United States were revealed last week.

"He has a good view on it. Now, we are going much more to the edge than we have some years before - in terms of elevation and the types of corner we have."

The Austin track layout has offered a glimpse of a more aggressive look at track design - featuring dramatic elevation changes plus a variation of high-speed and low-speed corners.

Although Tilke has been on the receiving end of criticism from fans in the past that his layouts have not been ideal for racing, he has called for some understanding on the limitations he faces in creating tracks.

In the AUTOSPORT interview he says factors such as land availability, local geography and the budget that track owners are willing to put forward all have to be taken into account before he can even begin sketching out a layout.

"It is hard to tell the people what we had in mind, what restrictions we had and what tools we had," he said.

"For example, nowadays you need the run-off areas. The FIA will not accept tracks without the run-off. Having wide run-offs is not ideal for the view - and is very different from the old tracks where the guardrail was right by the edge of the track. It used to be completely different, but in our times it is not possible to do that any more.

"Then, remember, most track owners and investors want to have motorcycles too. And motorcycles have to have even more run-off, and different types. And some corners where for F1 or cars you do not need any run off, for motorcycles you need it. Then people criticise it and say, 'it is stupid to have this run off!'"

He added: "You cannot please everybody. The new A1-Ring was always spectacular for racing – not just for F1 but also DTM and everything. But at the beginning, when we built it, everyone was saying, 'what have you done? It is a terrible track!' and so on. But then after a while, everyone changed their opinion and even the drivers liked it."

Autosport (full interview for subscribers)

Yeah, more like 'on the edge of sleep'

 

[S. L.]

Not much of an surprise, but Kobayashi is confirmed for another season at Sauber
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2010/09/kobayashi-to-stay-at-sauber/