Fast forward to Mercedes and their engineers are going to be facing the same problem, only magnified. If they can more efficiently stall the rear wing than anyone else then they are going to have to space their gear ratios wider than anyone else in orde to take advantage of DRS. This means that when they can use DRS they are going to be flying. On high speed tracks in quallifying they should set the world on fire. Problem is, as all the drivers point out, there are no points given out on Saturdays. Instead, Mercedes are going to have to spend Sundays running around in a top gear that is not as strong as it should be because it is optimised for running with a wide open rear wing. I think Mercedes have come up with a very good idea that is going to be of very
Mercedes have a fancy rear wing this year. The basic way of seeing it is that when they open up their rear wing with DRS, they not only create less drag by creating a smaller rear wing contact patch, they also create less drag by opening up a duct to more efficiently stall the rear wing. It's very clever but I don't think that it will be such a great advantage. For lessons on why it won't be so great we only have to look at Lewis Hamilton in Monza last year. Lewis faced a huge problem in Italy because he had a strong car but when he opened the DRS he couldn't use it properly because it would cause the engine to hit the rev limiter. To use DRS properly, McLaren would have had to widen out the gear ratios which would have meant that when he wasn't using DRS Hamilton's engine wouldn't have been reaching it's maximum performance in top gear.
Fast forward to Mercedes and their engineers are going to be facing the same problem, only magnified. If they can more efficiently stall the rear wing than anyone else then they are going to have to space their gear ratios wider than anyone else in orde to take advantage of DRS. This means that when they can use DRS they are going to be flying. On high speed tracks in quallifying they should set the world on fire. Problem is, as all the drivers point out, there are no points given out on Saturdays. Instead, Mercedes are going to have to spend Sundays running around in a top gear that is not as strong as it should be because it is optimised for running with a wide open rear wing. I think Mercedes have come up with a very good idea that is going to be of very
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We're already two damp practice sessions into a new season and I have realised that I have been a little tardy in keeping this site up to date. While it is good to be sitting around before the first quallifying session not having any idea who is going to win this season, it isn't so nice turning up to a circuit not knowing if you are going to see a car. I had intended to have up YouTube videos from every vantage point of the Albert Park Circuit befre we got under way. Now, instead I will concentrate on cleaning up my information for Spa and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve visitors. Hopefully people will be able to find what they are looking for before they dip into their pockets to buy tickets.
After having spent the first half of the first practice session watching text updates online I am also going to be hunting around for a better way to watch the action. I don't watch much tv outside of motor racing and so don't feel like forking out big bucks for Speed tv. The problem is that when the season kicks off I want to see everything; practice sessions, press conferences and practice pitstops. Text updates are terrible. Radio would be better but all I can find is BBC and they won't let me listen while I am in Canada. So, I will keep hunting and I will keep you posted. |
TonyI am a race fan. I cannot claim to be an expert on anything, but as a fan I am apparently the most important part of the sport. So I assume everyone wants to hear what I have to say. Archives
May 2014
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