9 posts tagged “racing”

..five more days until F1 2008!!

Introducing the versatile..

       ..the musical

              ..Renault V10!!

 

A brief look at one of Microsoft's more diverse projects

If I had to pin a subtitle on last year's F1 rule changes it would be "Search for Reliability".  This year, with the sport-wide adoption of the Microsoft SECU (Standard Engine Control Unit), I would call 2008: "The Wrath of Costs". 

Improved reliability naturally brings a level of cost savings with it, and 2008 extends the multi-race engines to now include multi-race gearboxes.  Adding a standardized ECU to the sport infringes on the car development in a way that has never been done, but it will save development costs.

An ECU controls everything 'electronic' on an engine: fuel mixture, ignition timing, valve timing, driver aids and data logging.  Having a standardized ECU (the SECU) levels this part of the playing field for F1 teams, which helps to reduce costs, but also puts more responsibility on the driver to shine against his peers.

Among bidders to manufacture the new SECU was Magnetti-Marelli, a leading ECU designer for many teams including 2007 winner Ferrari, Microsoft and apparently Macintosh.  Microsoft, teamed with technical partner McLaren, won the bid.  This could have some long-term benefits to road cars as Microsoft isn't known for doing things 'small': I expect to see Microsoft branding under hoods from leading manufacturers within a few years.

What is somewhat alarming, though, is that this is Microsoft afterall.  A company known for putting the role of beta testing in the hands of their retail products 'early-adopters'.  We're usually an 'SP1' or even an 'SP2' away from the product we really wanted. 

Formula 1 cannot afford that.  The sport suffered too much last year from bad press due to the various cheating scandals and a bad decision to award the bid of the SECU would cast considerable doubt on the FIA's judgement. 

The good news is that in testing the SECU appears to be working perfectly, but check out some of these statistics.

Compared to the 2007 Magnetti-Marelli ECU, the Microsoft SECU:

• Has half the power (computationally)
• Has one quarter the memory
• Weighs 35% more
• Eliminates traction control and engine-braking (these were mandated)

It is only three weeks before the first official 2008 race, lets hope that Microsoft Racing 1.0 SP1 is released in time..

 

The Renault R28 Formula 1 2008 contender

Fernando Alonso took the Renault R28 around the track in Valencia, Spain for a shakedown lap and showed the world that aerodynamicists are still willing to stake their repuation on unusual front wing designs.  Although the R28 is using the single-element upper component that spans the width of the wing, along the lines of the successful McLaren design brought out last year, it also has some kind of lower "scoop".  I suspect that this wing addition attempts to improve airflow under the nose and around the lower suspension components. 

Will it work?  Its hard to say.. afterall, Renault doesn't have a CFD supercomputer like BMW has.  My guess is that they'll keep the wing for the first few races and then put something more "conventional" on.

With that in mind, enjoy this tour through the "Weird Front Wing Museum".  And no, these didn't work either...

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008 Red Bull Racing Formula One contender rolls off the assembly line

In my heart, I want Renault to do great this year.  I'm willing to forget about their poor showing last year (in comparison to the year before) and want them to be back into their championship contender status.  But, I just don't see Renault making a comeback in 2008.  If I was a betting man, and I'm not (I don't have the luck needed to be a betting man), my money would be riding with Red Bull Racing and their 2008 contender: the RB4.

 

Launched today in Jerez, Spain, this car is a beautiful machine.  But as anyone who knows F1 understands, there are dozens of factors that make a team into a winner, and many of them are more than just how fast the car is.  The winning team is never whoever is fastest on Sunday; they need to be a total package.  This results in a championship that is really a race of how competitive the team is from Monday to Sunday, from the day the last season ends until the final lap on the final race.

This is why I see Red Bull Racing in 2008 to be 'the best of the rest':

• The drivers.  David Coulthard needs to prove he still has "it".  And I believe that he does still have "it".  Last year he pushed his car to its limits which unfortunately were slightly short of his own limits which resulted in a few DNF's.  He's also highly experienced and among the drivers to be least affected by the absence of traction control.  Mark Webber continues to have good days and bad days, but as the RB4 is an evolution of the RB3 which should improve its reliability, I also expect Webber's 'reliability' to improve as well.
• The engine. There is no doubt that Renault produce one of the strongest, most reliable and most versatile engines on the grid.  They do well on fast circuits like Monza and on hard-driving circuits like Monaco and Hungary.  I see the Renault customer team beating the factory squad because Red Bull has one thing that Renault doesn't: team consistency.  Red Bull has the same design team, the same drivers and the same engine manufacturer.  There is a huge advantage to that, more than most would believe.  Michael Schumacher didn't win his room full of trophies by jumping back and forth between teams (hear that, Alonso?).  He stayed with Benneton, and then Ferrari, through some growth years until they had a winning package.
• The competition.  Ferrari is going to win the championship again.  This is a done deal, we just have to go through the formality of running the races.  Now, its just a race for second place and lower.  McLaren might be second but I could see BMW giving them a run for their money.  Fourth place and down, often called "the best of the rest", is what is left to decide: 
• I already covered Renault and why I don't think they have a chance at fourth.  But, I didn't touch on the driver choice.  Alonso is obviously good, but he is indecisive.  It is not good for his morale or that of his team to know that he might just jump ship again to whoever has the shiniest car next year.  And although there is a 'romantic' desire to see Piquet Jr. do well, I just don't see it.
• Williams have lost their edge and focus over recent years and this will be highlighted in '08 with the rule changes.  I won't say that their driver lineup is "weak", but it is certainly unproven and you can't win a championship without winning drivers.  Also, I do not expect the Toyota powertrain to weather the changes for '08 well.  I'm not basing that on fact, just a gut feeling.
• I like Trulli.  Timo Glock is okay, too.  But they're just not consistent enough to get the most out of the Toyota on the weekends where the Toyota is somewhat competitive.
• Torro Rosso, Honda, Super Aguri and Force India are just too far behind to play that much catch-up in one off-season.

I hope that I'm wrong about Renault, but I doubt it.  I have always liked Renault and I always will.  My dream-car is an R5 Turbo II and I've owned a few Renaults over the years.  But they just don't have the total package to race with the top runners in '08.  However, in '09, I might have a different opinion. 

I hope that I'm right about McLaren falling to third or even fourth, as I don't think the fine and points loss for '07 was enough punishment for cheating.  I think they should have been banned for '08 or at the most allowed to race for drivers-points only. 

The season is close.. less than two months away!  Go Red Bull Racing!  And don't make a liar out of me...

 

Show us a corkscrew.
Submitted by Scott.

 

This is the 'corkscrew' corner at the Laguna Seca track in Monterrey, CA.  Possibly not what was intended by "Scott" when this Vox Hunt was suggested, but hey.. I like this corner!  Although I've never had the chance to drive this course IRL (in real life), I've been around this corner from my armchair many MANY times. 

Just the other day I was racing my '69 Camaro at Laguna (Forza 2 - XBOX360) and while taking the corkscrew, I was reminded of an amazing pass made on this corner by Alex Zanardi on Bryan Herta.  It happened when IndyCar racing was at its peak popularity before falling from grace into the embarrassment that it is today, and obviously before Zanardi's major wreck in Germany. 

 

Zanardi was chasing down Herta for several laps up to the conclusion of the race, in his well-known "hard charging" style, passing other drivers like their turbo chargers had seized up.  But Herta was having none of it!  He kept the door shut for several laps while was giving Zanardi no opportunities to pass.  But that wasn't going to stop Alex!  He chased down Herta as they climbed the hill on the approach to the corkscrew for the final time and as they crested the hill and began their descent down the corkscrew, Zanardi used his momentum (and gravity) to his advantage and literally launched his car nearly clear off the track, over the dusty California hillside, and planted all four wheels back on the track... ahead of Herta!

Interviewed as the second-place finisher only moments afterward, Herta could not believe that Zanardi did that.  You could see that he was visibly upset and probably trying to think of a way to protest this bold and unique way to make a pass.  Of the hundreds of races I've watched since then, this is one of the most amazing passes I've ever seen or even heard of.

But don't take my word for it... here is the video:

 

 

This is how I want to take the corkscrew!

The FIA announced that McLaren's complaint was snivelling and whiney, irrevocably handing the championship title to Kimi

At the close of this Formula One season which rightfully handed Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari the driver's and manufacturer's trophies, I thought that we had seen the end of teams being called to question for rule infractions.  However, McLaren found out that at one point over the race weekend, a competitor's fuel temperature was found to be outside of the accepted margin.  From this allegation, they had hoped to call into question another team's race results which would have named a McLaren driver the 2007 F1 Champion. 

 

Coming from any other team, this complaint would have been only barely-justified.  But coming from McLaren who were proven to have cheated by having possesion of their closest rival's car specifications, this complaint came as a slap in the face.  If somehow the FIA had granted McLaren's assertion that fuel temperature deviation warranted a penalty, which would have incidentally handed McLaren's driver the championship, the sport may well have suffered a lethal blow in a year already wrought with off-track political bickering.

Whatever happened to racing?  You know, where the fastest car wins?  I understand that there is a lot of money in Formula One, and if McLaren were able to somehow trick the FIA into allowing their driver to claim the driver's title, they would have kept the "1" on their car (which they didn't earn in the first place, but that's another story).  It looks pretty good to sponsors to have the "1" on the nose of your car, and having the best pit stall isn't a bad thing either.  But at some point, the team needs to take a step back and ask themselves if what they are doing is good for the sport and if it is good for the team. 

I doubt very much that any of McLaren's sponsors would have been proud to claim that "their" car won the driver's championship if it was won on a cheap technicality.  And do you think that any McLaren team member would be proud to sell themselves as "Our driver won the title, but we were last because we cheated".

Congratulations to Kimi and Ferrari.  Both driver and team performed very well this year and the titles were well earned, especially for Kimi who almost missed it again this year.

And to McLaren, shame on you.

 

Formula One history is full of drivers who "should have" won the World Championship.  Arguably, the top-three people who should have, but didn't are Jean Alesi with his bad-luck decisions on which team to sign with, Ricardo Patrese with his association with the fastest teams of the time and his still-standing record for longest F1 career, and last but not least Sir Stirling Moss - "The best driver to never win the World Championship".

 

 

There are those who feel that Kimi Raikkonen is on his way to earning the dubious honor of having a room full of pretty trophies, but nothing on the "Champion" shelf in his collection.  Today, however, the Iceman felt the fire of victory burning still strong and drove a perfect race through very challenging conditions.

With a typhoon warning threatening whether or not there would even be a race, thousands of people already having been evacuated from its path, Raikkonen showed the world that experience can still triumph over youth.  Weather predictions changed regularly throughout the race, causing pit strategy mayhem from the front to the back of the pit garages.  When cars started coming in for fuel but leaving their seriously balding intermediate wet tires still in place, it was pretty obvious that the race engineers were stumped on what to do. 

For experienced racer Raikkonen, this wasn't a huge problem as he'd raced in worse conditions before - he didn't earn the nickname Iceman for how he likes drinks.  However, n00b Lewis Hamilton was caught out between his enthusiasm and his nearly useless tires when he rolled into the pits and drove straight into the sandbox, high-centering his car in the kitty-litter.

 

 

I always like seeing a Ferrari win, and this one means a lot to Kimi as it keeps his chances for the 2007 championship alive.  And as much as I'd like to see a rookie win the championship for the first time in history, Kimi has really earned it.  He has had the worst luck among top-runners for a long time now, but despite all that he keeps his motivation undiminished.

But maybe he doesn't keep his passion alive despite his bad luck, but rather because of it.  After all, it has put him in a position to play sneak-attack on Hamilton for the driver's title this year.  A true winner is defined by having 'the total package', not just being a one-lap-wonder and Kimi is indeed the total package.  Maybe Hamilton will learn from his mistake today and play things a little slower the next time he pits with bald tires in the rain. 

In fact, after today he's still leading the championship, so he might even still win.

But its experience and having the total package that really earns the win, and its Kimi that I'm calling for to take the title for 2007.  Today, Hamilton was fast.  He had pole, had a great start, and kept everyone behind him (until he beached his car).  But in the end, it was expericence and patience that won today.

 

 

Hamilton didn't have to win.  He didn't have to prevent Kimi from passing him.  But, he did need to get three points to clinch the championship.  And in that, he failed. 

 

 

Scuderia Toro Rosso has decided to release American driver Scott Speed from his contract.  This move comes as a surprise to me because of the two drivers on the team, Speed has excelled at nearly every turn. 

Driver "chatter" heard by racing fans also indicate Scott's highly detailed and articulate feedback to his pit crew as he described what the team needed to do in order to make the car faster. 

Many drivers report their car either "is loose" or "has push" or simply "is undriveable", but Scott seemed to detail exact changes that were needed instead of complaining about it.

Maybe that was why they fired him..?  I don't know..  Whatever the reason, it wasn't because of his skills but was rather more "political" than that, highlighting again that F1 is now less-sport and more-business than ever before.

Canadian Formula One fraught with action

Today's Canadian Grand Prix brought a new hero to the forefront of the world's premier racing series.  Rookie Lewis Hamilton (GRB), who has never finished lower than third in his remarkable, but brief Formula One career ascended to the top step today in a race with intense action and an uncharacteristic four Safety Car periods. 

 

Hamilton displayed an almost computer-like level of concentration in the race which saw only half of the people who started the race cross the finish line 70 laps later.  Lucky to escape serious injury was Robert Kubica who went wide approaching Montreal's famous hairpin.  Kubica went off the track, caught some air, and then went hard into the cement barrier. 

He flipped over several times, losing most of his car in the horrifying crash, then came to a stop with the carbon monocoque laying on its side.  After a few minutes of careful medical attention, Kubica was extracted from the shell of his utterly destroyed car.  At the time of this writing, it is believed that Kubica suffered only a broken ankle.  This injury, while likely to keep him out of the US Grand Prix in Indianapolis next neek, could have been worse if not for the extremely high level of safety standards employed in modern race cars.

 

Second place finisher Nick Heidfeld demonstrated BMW's rapidly improving race package while Alexander Wurz's third place podium finish demonstrated that the factory Toyota team cannot seem to get it together despite their enormous budget, but the Williams-Toyota using the 'customer' engine is able to beat the Toyoya factory team using the same engine.  Also, a big honorable mention to Takuma Sato for driving his Super Aguri-Honda to a very respectable sixth place finish, beating his season-best and showing that you don't need to throw hundreds of millions of dollars at a car to make it go fast.