Comments on: John Beamer’s F1 tech file: Shanghai

By: F1Fan

F1Fan — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:39:40 +0000

There isn’t even a snowflake’s chance in hell that Lewis won’t win the WDC. An engine failure is highly unlikely. I think he will go light, secure pole, so as to avoid any episodes at the start, then drive smartly and finish no lower than 4th. Even if Massa wins, Lewis will easily take the title.

By: Becken

Becken — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:05:09 +0000

“…However, these days track surface and temperature are as much a factor as car design…”

On this field, what I discovered was that we would have a GP weekend in Brazil with temperatures very similar to Shangai:

FRYDAY:
Some clouds
Min. Tem.: around 24ºC
Rain probabilities: 33%

SATURDAY
Some clouds and Rain
Temperature: around 27ºC (at qualifying time)
Rain probabilities: 80%

SUNDAY
Some clouds
Temperature: around 24ºC (at race time)
Rain probabilities: 40%

Last year, we had a clear sky with temperature around 36º C. A very different scenario!

Source: CPTEC/INPE

By: Eddie Irvine

Eddie Irvine — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:34:53 +0000

I noticed that understeering cars like Ferrari and Toyota have covers on front and rear wheel rims while oversteering cars like McLaren and Red Bull only on front wheels.Any idea why there is this difference?

By: Sarav

Sarav — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:21:53 +0000

Not relevant to topic …
But trying to find answers to that…
Kimi recently said that he has reverted back to old set up configuration and it seems that it is working quite very well.
Any guess why did they change the configuration especially after winning the WDC with it nor did they do it on purpose to find more speed?
He also said that they completely rebuilt the car for him before BELG GP.
Could he have won WDC would these changes took place somewhere at around round 5 or something like that?

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:24:13 +0000

Chalky - I was the same with the asymmetrical sidepods on the McLarens earlier this year. We'll have to keep an eye on what the Ferrari drivers use at Interlagos.

By: Chalky

Chalky — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:58:03 +0000

I’d be no good as a detective. I watched the whole of the race and never noticed that Kimi wasn’t using a shark fin!

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:43:33 +0000

Yep – that was my fault, not John’s! Fixed.

By: Journeyer

Journeyer — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:17:19 +0000

Felipe Massa (right) used the shark fin wing, Kimi Raikkonen did not
Why did Kimi Raikkonen race with a ’shark fin’ but Felipe Massa didn’t? How did Fernando Alonso’s ‘under-powered’ Renault out-drag Heikki Kovalainen on the back straight?

Contradiction in terms there with the Ferraris, no?