james Allen

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http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2013/02/in...sing-well/

Formula 1 cars are prototypes and as such they are constantly changing and being evolved in the pursuit of performance.

The first week of testing in Jerez has seen many teams racking up over a thousand kilometres on their new cars, first working on reliability then pushing new development parts onto the car looking for more speed. But what sort of thing are the engineers looking for and how can they see the difference between a new part that is working and one that is not?

Here we offer a simple example to help readers get a better understanding.

Downforce is crucial in an F1 car and one of the main differences between the cars at the front and those at the back of the grid is the amount of downforce they generate. This is down to having more resources and deploying them better.

Here we are comparing two images of cars where a team has put on Flo Viz paint onto a key aerodynamic part, which highlights the air flow over a key downforce generating piece. Flo Viz is short for “Flow Vizualisation”. It allows engineers to see how a part is behaving aerodynamically.


Marussia brake duct
Look closely at this rear brake duct on the new Marussia car. What you see painted dayglo is what is called a “cascade”, which is a multi element piece on the brake duct which is an important downforce making device close to the rear wheel.

You can see the flow structure; the lower lines aren’t too bad, but as you get to the upper elements the flow moves inboard and separates at the top edge and on the top element the flow has broken down completely.

This cascade isn’t working properly; the geometry is too aggressive and the imperfect flow lines are a clear indication to the team’s engineers that they have work to do in the wind-tunnel. It’s back to the drawing board on this piece for Marussia.


Red Bull

In contrast, look at this photo of the beam wing on the new Red Bull. You can see that the left hand side of the wing has been correctly painted with Flo Viz and the air flow lines are perfect. The air is very attached as it works its way over this piece and this is what engineers want to see when they analyse the flow structure. It means that the wing is doing its job and generating downforce in line with expectations.

Note – The right hand side hasn’t been painted properly which is why it looks a bit strange; this is a mistake by the technician when applying the paint before the run.

Hopefully this gives a better understanding of the kind of work that is going on in Jerez this week and in the remaining tests. If you watch Friday practice sessions at Grands Prix you will see teams doing this too. It’s one of the important jobs of the engineers.

[Technical Analysis - Mark Gillan]

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http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2013/02/fe...bo-f1-car/


Ferrari has confirmed that it has hired veteran designer Rory Byrne, architect of the winning Benetton and Ferrari cars of the Michael Schumacher era, to work on its next F1 car, which will be to 2014 turbo rules.

La Gazetta Sportiva says that Byrne, 69, was spotted at the F1 launch this year and told a German journalist his plans. Quizzed on this, the team has now confirmed the signing.

Byrne retired from F1 and moved to Thailand a few years ago to run a scuba diving centre, but has maintained strong links with Ferrari.

There is a very specific reason why Byrne’s presence as an experienced “consultant” on the 2014 project makes sense:

“The new turbo engines represent a great opportunity for teams like Mercedes and Ferrari that can integrate the work of the engine builders with their chassis colleagues,” said Byrne’s former technical partner Ross Brawn recently. “The others will have to adapt their projects to those of the engine supplier.”

Of the other teams, Red Bull could also be considered a “works” team with engine supplier Renault. In fact that very word was used when the team renewed its supply deal last year. With Infiniti, part of the Nissan/Renault family coming on board as a title partner now, the integration is very close for the next generation of F1 designs.

With Ferrari having split responsibility for F1 design into two groups, between Simone Resta, who is behind this year’s car and Fabio Montecchi, who will lead the 2014 project, Byrne will assist their boss Nicolas Tombazis to take the whole project in the right direction.

Byrne’s cars have won 99 Grands Prix, mostly in the hands of Schumacher, so there is some unfinished business for him.

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Ferrari

The Ferrari set the fastest time of the four day test in Jerez, with Felipe Massa dipping into the 1m 17s on Day 3. The new Ferrari is a good step forward from last year’s car and clearly is not riddled with problems, as last year’s was on its debut. This meant that Ferrari was able to crack on with testing development parts from as early as Day 2. They ran different exhausts, floor, diffuser and front wing in Jerez and many new things are no doubt planned for the Barcelona tests.

The Ferrari is using a DRS booster system using a Fluidic Switch, which channels air flow above a certain speed to increase the drag reduction system. It’s a difficult thing to get working right on a race track, but could be a useful gain if they nail it. Most of the top teams will probably evolve one as the year goes on.

It looks like this innovation could be the first “must-have” technology gizmo of the 2013 season.

The goal for Ferrari was to start the season with a car that is at or close to the pace of the front runner, as that will provide a platform for Fernando Alonso’s relentless consistency to mount a title campaign.

He puesto lo que atañe a Ferrari
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2013/02/an...t-of-2013/

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FerrariEl Ferrari fijar el tiempo más rápido de la prueba de cuatro días en Jerez, con Felipe Massa en el 1 m 17s el día 3. El nuevo Ferrari es un buen paso adelante del coche del año pasado y claramente no está llena de problemas, como el año pasado fue en su debut. Esto significó que Ferrari fue capaz de romper en con piezas de desarrollo prueba de tan pronto como el día 2. Funcionaron diferentes escapes, piso, difusor y ala delantera en Jerez y muchas cosas nuevas sin duda están previstas las pruebas de Barcelona.El Ferrari está utilizando un sistema de refuerzo de DRS usando un interruptor neumático, flujo que canales de aire por encima de cierta velocidad para aumentar el sistema de reducción de arrastre. Es algo difícil conseguir trabajo en una pista de carreras, pero podría ser una ganancia útil si lograrlo. La mayoría de los mejores equipos probablemente evolucionará uno lo largo del año.Parece que esta innovación podría ser el primer gizmo de tecnología de "imprescindible" de la temporada 2013.La meta para Ferrari debía iniciar la temporada con un coche que está en o cerca del ritmo del corredor frontal, ya proporcionará una plataforma para la consistencia implacable de Fernando Alonso montar una campaña de título.

traduccion bing de lo anterior

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http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2013/02/ba...first-day/

Nico Rosberg overcame a gearbox issue to top the times on the first day of testing at Barcelona today, as Fernando Alonso had a productive day on his first outing in the new Ferrari F138.

After missing the Jerez test to focus on his physical preparation for the season Alonso completed the most laps of any driver today as he focused primarily on heavy fuel runs on the hard tyre. His times increased steadily during the stints of around sixteen laps and he finished the day with 110 laps. The late flurry in the final half an hour, which saw Rosberg knock Sebastian Vettel from the top spot, gave Alonso a chance to push his new car to the limit with a low fuel run on medium tyres, which put him in third place.

Pastor Maldonado was the other driver testing new machinery after the Williams FW35 was unveiled in Barcelona this morning and he also had a productive day as he topped the times early in the day before switching attentions to long stints in the afternoon. Williams will be happy to have had a trouble free first day, on the track at least. The FIA has already questioned the legality of the exhausts and the team has confirmed that it is seeking clarifications as to whether it will be able to take the design forward.

Rosberg and Mercedes did not seem to be having such a successful day after they were forced to make gearbox changes for a long period, but they made amends late in the afternoon with a long run followed by a short run on mediums to finish the day 7/1000ths of a second faster than Raikkonen.

“We were able to work through a good programme this afternoon and, of course, it’s always nice to be quickest at the end of the day,” said Rosberg. “In general, I feel happy and comfortable in the car and it feels better than the last time we were here at this track.

“There is still some work to be done on tyre degradation and our programme this afternoon was helpful in understanding that.”

Kimi Raikkonen filled the space between Rosberg and Alonso in a positive but low-key day for Lotus. The Finn completed the fewest laps of anyone as he concentrated on short runs and he too used a set of mediums to set his quickest time late in the day.

In fourth was Sebastian Vettel, who had looked to finish the day on top before the final half an hour but still had a productive day in the RB9. He initially led the field at lunchtime ahead of Raikkonen and Alonso, with all three setting their fastest time on the hard tyre but the times tumbled once again when teams swapped to the medium compound. Red Bull spent much of the afternoon on the medium tyre with high fuel and Vettel was able to lap quickly throughout the stint, which bodes well for the season ahead.

Sergio Perez had a quiet day for McLaren after missing the majority of the morning. He ended the day towards the bottom of the times but during the next three days of the test we are sure to see McLarens potential.

Adrian Sutil and Jules Bianchi look set to shoot out for the second Force India seat, the final seat on the grid during this week’s test.

Barcelona Test Day 1
1. Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.616s 54 Laps
2. Raikkonen Lotus 1m22.623s +0.007 44 Laps
3. Alonso Ferrari 1m22.952s +0.336 110 Laps
4. Vettel Red Bull 1m22.965s +0.349 66 Laps
5. Maldonado Williams 1m23.733s +1.117 86 Laps
6. Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m23.884s +1.268 73 Laps
7. Perez McLaren 1m24.124s +1.508 77 Laps
8. Di Resta Force India 1m24.144s +1.528 82 Laps
9. Gutierrez Sauber 1m25.124s +2.508 68 Laps
10. Chilton Marussia 1m26.747s +4.131 65 Laps
11. Pic Caterham 1m27.534s +4.918 49 Laps

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http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2013/03/ba...ting-ends/

Pre-season testing is over – in two weeks time the first Grand Prix of 2013 will take place in Melbourne and Nico Rosberg signed off today with the fastest time recorded this year in Barcelona, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.

As with Lewis Hamilton yesterday, Rosberg used a set of the soft Pirelli tyres to set the fastest time we have seen in the eight days of testing at Barcelona as well as going 4/10ths of a second faster than Hamilton managed yesterday. He set the time in the middle of the morning session.

However, Rosberg’s fastest lap came on a single lap run, compared to at the beginning of a five lap run that we saw for Hamilton on a higher fuel load.

With the afternoon spent on longer runs and race simulations, the excitement at the front came early in the day as Rosberg and Alonso took it in turns to better each others time. They each set out on a number of soft tyre runs and continuously lowered the bench mark, with Rosberg coming out on top with a 1m20.130. Later in the morning he set a near identical time to ensure he took the two fastest times of pre-season testing on to Melbourne.

Alonso was 3/10ths shy of the German, meaning his time was quicker than that of Hamilton yesterday. It was another promising day for Ferrari, who have showed very good race pace over the more lengthy runs and are now at the sharp end when it comes to qualifying simulations.

During this final week of testing the majority of teams have fitted the remaining upgrades to their 2013 cars ahead of the first race. However, Alonso has stated that Ferrari are slightly behind in their upgrade plans and we will not see their final configuration until the car arrives in Melbourne. Whether they will find a significant amount of time is unknown, but either way the Scuderia are certainly in a more competitive position than they were twelve months ago.

Both Button and Sebastian Vettel set their fastest times of the day on unmarked tyres, but it is presumed that Button used the soft tyre, whilst Vettel, in seventh today, was more likely on a harder compound.

After a series of short runs on the unmarked tyre Button and McLaren turned their attentions to more lengthy runs on the medium tyre in the afternoon.

There was some excitement sparked by Red Bull when they sent the triple World Champion out on a set of super softs before lunch, but it was just a constant speed aero test with no competitive times being set. They then spent the majority of their final afternoon running the unmarked compound, as usual keeping their cards close to their chests.

Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen, recovering from his illness yesterday, was looking to make up for lost time and gain some further information about the E21 before the climax of the pre-season. But he was left frustrated by another reliability issue regarding the gearbox and did not set a competitive time until after the lunch break. When he did get out on a set of soft tyres he quickly made his way up the time sheets and ended the day in fifth place.

It has been a mixed twelve days of testing for the Enstone squad with a mixture of impressive pace and plenty of time lost due to technical issues. If they can iron out their reliability problems then they too are looking at a good rate of progression from last year.

Analysis of the tests, the times and the car updates will follow over the coming days.

Barcelona Test Day 4


(Tyre on which best lap time was set in brackets)

1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m20.130 131 Laps (S)

2. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m20.494 +0.364 120 Laps (S)

3. Jenson Button McLaren 1m21.444 +1.314 122 Laps (UM)

4. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1m21.541 +1.411 118 Laps (S)

5. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 1m21.658 +1.528 50 Laps (S)

6. Paul Di Resta Force India 1m21.664 +1.534 112 Laps (S)

7. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1m22.415 +2.285 42 Laps (S)

8. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1m22.514 +2.384 100 Laps (UM)

9. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m22.524 +2.394 31 Laps (S)

10. Charles Pic Caterham 1m23.115 +2.985 116 Laps

11. Jules Bianchi Marussia 1m23.167 +3.037 62 Laps

12. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m23.628 +3.498 91 Laps

13. Max Chilton Marussia 1m24.103 +3.973 49 Laps

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Lady Virginia Williams, wife of Williams F1 Team founder Sir Frank, has died at the age of 66 after a battle with cancer.

According to a statement from the team, “Lady Virginia, or ‘Ginny’ as she was better known, died peacefully at the family home last night surrounded by Frank and the rest of the Williams family. Ginny had been bravely battling cancer for the past two and a half years.

Ginny will always be an integral part of Williams’ history and success, and today we pay tribute to a much loved member of the Williams family who will be sorely missed.”

Ginny was a tremendous character and very important part of the development of the team. Her book “A Different Kind of Life” about the aftermath of Sir Frank’s road accident in 1986, which left him paralysed, is a moving account of the genesis of the team, their life together and of coping with a huge change in their relationship.

She was very entertaining company and had strong views on many things, including drivers. In the early days drivers would be invited to stay in their family house and on one famous occasion Ginny told Frank that the driver who had been their guest the night before lacked the killer edge and would never make it as an F1 driver.

“Why not?” asked Frank

“Because he made his own bed,” she replied
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2013/03/wi...wife-dies/

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El vigente campeón del mundo Sebastian Vettel ha marcado el ritmo en el primer día de la temporada en Melbourne. El alemán fue el único piloto que establecer un tiempo de 1m 26s bajo y su mejor tiempo fue establecido en la tercera vuelta en sus neumáticos superblandos, después de haber sido obligada a abortar la primera vuelta en el último sector debido al tráfico. Esto sugiere que había más por venir.

Red Bull de Vettel compañero de equipo Mark Webber fue segundo, con Nico Rosberg de Mercedes tercero. Sin embargo Rosberg terminó la sesión caminando de regreso al paddock después de un problema con el cambio detuvo su coche en la pista.

Mercedes ha tenido problemas en el coche de Lewis Hamilton, así, el nuevo recluta también regresó después de conducir a una trampa de grava después de que parte de la planta se rompió.

El Red Bull también se mostró muy fuerte en las tandas largas en los dos tipos de neumáticos, lo que confirma que su desempeño en la prueba final en Barcelona, ​​donde intentaron muchas cosas nuevas, no fue un acto de desesperación, sino un signo de confianza que tendrían un buen coche para el inicio de la temporada y podría darse el lujo de mirar a la evolución futura.

¿Qué tan lejos están sabremos en las próximas 48 horas, aunque hay pronóstico de lluvia para la calificación.

Otras indicaciones de hoy son que el Mercedes se ve rápido en calificación, mientras que el Lotus y Ferrari mirar consistente en las tandas largas. Ritmo de Lotus carrera bien podría ser una de las historias de la tarde del domingo, 14 de Kimi Raikkonen run vuelta fue impresionante al final de la segunda sesión. Ambos coches Lotus terminó entre los primeros cinco.

Después de toda clase de terribles predicciones sobre degradación de los neumáticos, hoy sugiere que althoiugh hay una degradación significativa, los conductores probablemente tendrá que parar dos o tres veces el domingo, los pilotos de cabeza pueden encontrar tres puntos más rápida.

Parece que el juego de los controladores a partir del supersuave será enfrentar temprano, entre 5 y 8 vueltas y entrar en el neumático medio para el resto de la carrera. Esto ofrecerá oportunidades para que los conductores que califican a las afueras de los diez primeros, para comenzar en el neumático medio.

Jenson Button y Sergio Pérez puede estar entre ese número, el McLaren le falta agarre trasero y también parece estar nervioso por los baches. Jenson Button parecía abatido después de la segunda sesión de entrenamientos y se preguntó si él se las arreglaba para meterse en el top ten en la clasificación.

"Está claro que no somos tan rápidos como nos gustaría ser, por lo que ahora hay que trabajar duro para averiguar por qué nuestro coche es como es, sobre todo en términos de conducción y carga aerodinámica", dijo Button.

"Nuestras carreras cortas no fueron particularmente alentadores, para ser honesto. Somos un par de segundos del líder, por el aspecto de las cosas, y que siempre va a ser decepcionante para un equipo tan exitoso como Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX, Melbourne, Entrenamientos Libres
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1m25.908 33 vueltas
2. Mark Webber de Red Bull 1m26.172s + 0.264 31
3. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m26.322s + 0.414 26
4. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 1m26.361s + 0.453 37
5. Romain Grosjean Lotus 1m26.680s + 0.772 30
6. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m26.748s + 0.840 35
7. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m26.772s + 0.864 28
8. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m26.855s + 0.947 32
9. Adrian Sutil de Force India 1m27.435s + 1.527 34
10. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1m28.187s + 2.279 34
11. Jenson Button McLaren 1m28.294s + 2.386 30
12. Paul di Resta Force India 1m28.311s + 2.403 37
13. Sergio Pérez McLaren 1m28.566s + 2.658 32
14. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m28.627s + 2.719 31
15. Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 1m28.772s + 2.864 33
16. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1m28.852s + 2.944 36
17. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1m28.968s + 3.060 35
18. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m29.386s + 3.478 38
19. Jules Bianchi Marussia 1m29.696s + 3.788 30
20. Charles Pic Caterham 1m30.165s + 4.257 37
21. Max Chilton Marussia 1m30.600s + 4.692 34
22. Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1m32.450s + 6.542 11

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Ferrari believe they have a car capable of challenging for the world championship

Ferrari believe they have a car capable of challenging for the world championship after taking the lead in the constructors’ standings following the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

A radio message to Fernando Alonso from his engineer said: “Ci Siamo” (“We are there”) after the Spaniard finished second, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa.
That would suggest the Italian team feel they have a good chance of the title this year starting from this baseline which is much stronger than that of last year at this point in the season.

While Kimi Raikkonen was able to use a two-stop strategy to take victory in Melbourne, Alonso was the top performing driver to do three-stops and technical director Pat Fry believes the decision to do that strategy was the right one.

“Maybe we could have risked a two-stop strategy,” said Fry. “But given the unknowns linked to tyre degradation, we preferred not to do that. In the next races, it will be vital to understand the tyre behaviour, in order to choose the best strategies.

“We had a good race pace and both drivers performed well without making any mistakes but we are aware that we still have a lot of work to do if we want to continue to improve.”



Massa’s fourth position, combined with Alonso’s second place mean Ferrari lead the constructors’ championship by four points from Lotus at this early stage of the season and highlights the need for Massa to deliver consistently if the Italian team are to contend for both titles.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali refused to get ahead of himself after the strong result and highlighted that tyre management and strategy will be key to maintaining a title challenge.

“We need to be prudent because it’s only the first race,” he said. “There are so many things that will change in the next couple of races in terms of understanding race preparation, in terms of tyre management.

“For sure the strategy is always important. I put in front of everything reliability, because if you don’t finish, you don’t score points. For sure the championship this year will be very intense this year up to the last race, no doubt.”

Domenicali added the strategy in qualifying could also be key.

“We saw a car that started seventh and finished first, and a car that started fifth and finished second,” he added. ”So that means that the situation of tyre management is crucial this year. But, if you are able to do that and be able to start on pole, it would be the perfect scenario.

“What could be an element of the year is to see quite a big gap between certain cars. Maybe the cars that will not qualify in the first ten will make a choice of tyres that can characterise the traffic during the race.

“This could be an element that may sometimes be in your favour or sometimes not. But it could be something that is a point of consideration.”

Alonso added that it was “a worry” that Raikkonen was able to do a two-stop strategy while his rivals were forced to do three, but the double world champion insisted he was happy with the result overall.

He said: “It is a worry, yes. Lotus did a very good job and Kimi was driving fantastically and could do two stops. But at the end I am extremely happy. We had an extremely difficult start to the season two years ago and last year and this year is very different.”

“Finishing ahead of the Red Bull tastes like a win, even if we know that despite today’s race result, they are still the quickest.”
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2013/03/fe...mpionship/

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ublicado el 21 de marzo 2013
Antes de que comenzara la temporada, JA en F1 Asesor Técnico Gillan Marcos observado en el primer podcast de la temporada en la que la clave del éxito en el año 2013 sería la gestión de neumáticos térmica. Y el primer Gran Premio en Melbourne demostró, con Red Bull capaz de dominar la calificación, pero la pérdida de rendimiento en la carrera, mientras que Lotus se fue para otro lado.

Entonces, ¿qué estaba pasando? Y va a volver a ocurrir este fin de semana en Malasia?

La clave con los neumáticos Pirelli es conseguir que los frentes calentado uniformemente con las traseras de una sola vuelta en la calificación. Pero con el mismo conjunto hasta, el coche tiene que administrar después de que el calor, particularmente las traseras, en carreras largas. Tener los neumáticos delanteros en la ventana de temperatura adecuada es particularmente importante para un mejor agarre en la curva en la esquina.

Una de las formas equipos a administrar el calor es por jugar con impregnación térmica de los discos de freno delanteros. Fue mientras experimentando este verano a principios del pasado que Jenson Button de McLaren luchaban, por ejemplo.


Red Bull tenía tambores delanteros completos en Melbourne, así que poco de calor a partir de los discos de freno que estaba pasando en los neumáticos delanteros. Su coche, obviamente, no es necesario que el calor adicional de los discos, con la carga aerodinámica del alerón delantero y la geometría delantera generación de temperatura de los neumáticos. Pero no pudieron mantener los neumáticos en la ventana ideal en las tandas largas en un día frío carrera.


En contraste Lotus tenía un tambor que se detuvo cuando el disco se encuentra, por lo que todo el calor del disco se han empapado a través de la llanta de la rueda y en el neumático. Raikkonen éxito se basó en conseguir un rendimiento ideal de los neumáticos y esto le permitió utilizar un conjunto menor, el ahorro de 23 segundos de tiempo de parada en boxes y mantener la posición de la pista. Lotus insiders han rendido homenaje a su "paciencia", en lugar de aferrarse a las oportunidades que gestiona la carrera a la perfección y todavía tenía un montón de rendimiento en sus neumáticos al final.

Gestión de la temperatura del neumático delantero con estos dispositivos es un área donde Lotus fueron particularmente agresiva campaña pasada, recurriendo incluso a las geometrías asimétricas del año pasado, de izquierda a derecha, según el trazado del circuito y las esquinas importantes.

Y parece que lo están haciendo de nuevo este año, con excelentes resultados en Melbourne.

A pesar de calificar 1,3 segundos más lento que el de Red Bull, se las arreglaron para correr más rápido y usar menos un juego de neumáticos para lograrlo, con Raikkonen estableciendo un mejor tiempo de 1,2 segundos más rápido que Sebastian Vettel en una estrategia de dos paradas de Red Bull tres. Esa es una gran oscilación de ritmo pariente calificado a ritmo de carrera.

Para el calor de Malasia, es probable que vuelva a una batería completa creada para reducir el calor remojo.

Esta será un área crucial de atención para los ingenieros y los pilotos este fin de semana. Con el compuesto del mismo medio que Melbourne, pero también el neumático duro que tiene un rango de trabajo mayor, lograr el equilibrio con la temperatura de la pista de 45 grados será un reto diferente compleletly.
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2013/03/in...ind-speed/