F1 2014 thread

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114881

Formula 1's FRIC suspension systems, believed to be one of the strengths of the dominant Mercedes car, could be banned for the German Grand Prix, AUTOSPORT can reveal.

Less than a fortnight before the next race at Hockenheim, the FIA has informed F1 teams that it believes the Front-and-Rear Interconnected Suspension (FRIC) systems used by most of them are illegal.

According to sources, the governing body wrote to teams on Tuesday to tell them that following detailed investigations into the design of the FRIC systems, it believes they are in contravention of the rules.

In the note, a copy of which has been seen by AUTOSPORT, Whiting said: "Having now seen and studied nearly every current design of front to rear linked suspension system we, the FIA, are formally of the view that the legality of all such systems could be called into question."

Whiting suggests that the way the suspension systems help control pitch and roll could be in breach of article 3.15 of F1's technical regulations.

Article 3.15 is the catch-all regulation that relates to moveable aerodynamic devices. It outlaws any part of the car that influences the aerodynamics that is not "rigidly secured to the entirely sprung part of the car (rigidly secured means not having any degree of freedom)."

The FRIC systems link the front and rear suspension to maintain a constant ride height for improved performance.

Lotus (then called Renault) was the first team to introduce the concept in 2008.

Mercedes more recently took the design to the next level and is now believed to run the most complicated system, however it is unclear which team would suffer the most from a ban.
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Polish said:
Hmmmmm, very interesting, that could be a thorn in their plan. Lets see what happens.

If its illegal, it must go.
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Agree, it seems many teams use it though, but it's taken a long time to deem it illegal if it's been around for years (even if it only goes against this year's rules).
 
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Massa stays top at opening Silverstone test

Times at close:
1. Felipe Massa Williams 1:35.242 42 laps
2. Daniel Riccairdo Red Bull 1:35.248 71 laps
3. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:35.573 89 laps
4. Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:35.674 73 laps
5. Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:36.148 108 laps
6. Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:36.462 71 laps
7. Sergio Perez Force India 1:36.583 79 laps
8. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:36.688 28 laps
9. Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:37.131 97 laps
10. Pedro de la Rosa Ferrari 1:37.988 49 laps
11. Will Stevens Caterham 1:40.627 94 laps
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http://en.espnf1.com/f1
 
Dave123 said:
Let's hazard a guess it WON'T be Ferarri...
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I'd say the teams with low budget will suffer yet again - they won't be able to replace their system as quickly as the Mercs, Mclarens, Ferraris and Redbulls.
 
iaywtimnbe said:
I'd say the teams with low budget will suffer yet again - they won't be able to replace their system as quickly as the Mercs, Mclarens, Ferraris and Redbulls.
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Valtteri Bottas has suggested Mercedes could be the team most affected by any ban on Front and Rear Interconnected (FRIC) suspension and is certain it will not have any impact on Williams.

An FIA technical directive was sent to the teams following the British Grand Prix warning that cars running such systems from Germany onwards would be reported to the stewards. FRIC systems link the front and rear suspension to help control the pitch of the car under braking and maintain its ride height for aerodynamic advantage, and is believed to be one of the strenghts of the dominant Mercedes car.

When put on the spot about whether "the team in front" could be especially affected, Bottas laughed and said: "Yes! Maybe some teams could be more affected than us, I would say."

But Bottas does not think it will necessarily lead to a massive change in the pecking order.
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http://en.espnf1.com
 
Pirelli: 18-inch tyre trial met all objectives

Pirelli achieved all they set out to accomplish in the demonstration of a prototype 18-inch Formula One tyre, according to the Italian company's motorsport director Paul Hembery.

Lotus trialled the low profile tyres during Wednesday morning of the second day of in-season testing at Silverstone, with Charles Pic racking up 14 laps in total. His fastest time was a 1m 44.728s, nine seconds down on the midday benchmark of 1m 35.544s set by Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat.

Hembery, who stressed Pirelli will only progress with the initiative should it be supported by F1 racing's various stakeholders, said the Italian manufacturer had nevertheless met all of their basic objectives.

"We weren't looking for performance," Hembery told reporters at Silverstone; "the priority was to show people what a Formula One car would look like with a change of rim.

"We will supply the people in the strategy group and F1 commission with images, so people can make a decision on the future regulations based on fact rather than computer-generated images: that was the real objective.

"We also confirmed what we knew: you have more rigid sidewalls, so you do have an integrity challenge; the car's sensitivity to camber will be very high; the front tyre will create a very aggressive turn in; there will be big variations in pressure. We need more detailed studies on that.

"For now, we were just confirming the things we know, and the areas you would need to start working on if indeed this is where the sport will go - and that is really now in the hands of the decision makers."

While the evaluation is aimed at a possible switch in 2017, Hembery said Pirelli could make them available one year earlier, from the start of 2016, should the sport desire so.

"These tyres are absolutely [a genuine starting point] - they would pass our normal safety tests and you could go running with them now if you wanted to," he said.
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18 inchers.JPG

www.formula1.com
 
iaywtimnbe said:
Interesting... what exactly does that bring to the game? That's going to be one bumpy ride... I am picturing Kimi's last accident with those tyres instead...
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Not necessarily. The springs in current F1 cars are set to be quite stiff since a lot of the up/down movement of the car is in the sidewall of the tire. Smaller sidewalls will reduce this movement but can then be compensated for by softening the springs.

Kimi's accident would probably have happened with both type of tyres anyway because when his car made contact with the road, only one rear wheel was touching at that point and he was already on full throttle. That's why he immediately speared off to the right of the track.
 
Aquaplane with the 18 inchers will be an issue.

Already as it is its their worst nightmare in rain.
 
Polish said:
Aquaplane with the 18 inchers will be an issue.

Already as it is its their worst nightmare in rain.
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You're going to need to explain how you figure rim size will influence propensity to aquaplane...

I think the big rims look sexy, and I'm sure heavily worked brakes will prove a lot less tricky to keep ventilated in such a space. Larger diameter discs would also be more efficient.
 
HapticSimian said:
You're going to need to explain how you figure rim size will influence propensity to aquaplane...

I think the big rims look sexy, and I'm sure heavily worked brakes will prove a lot less tricky to keep ventilated in such a space. Larger diameter discs would also be more efficient.
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Those rims will no doubt affect cornering... there's some suspension in the tyres currently.
 
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