F1

FIA telemetry and DRS

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 17 total)
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  • #133053
    raymondu999
    Participant

    One thing that surprised me was that with the telemetry still out cold, they don’t seem to be able to police the DRS activation, or simply didn’t bother.

    For example, Alonso activated his DRS actually way before the activation line on the pit straight on Lap 3. In fact his DRS deployment was a 2011/2012-style qualifying deployment where he basically mashed KERS and DRS as soon as he was full throttle:

    Meanwhile, you can see that he hasn’t quite passed the DRS marker board/DRS line to signify the DRS zone (black thingamabob to the left):

    Rosberg, however, activates his DRS properly, at the proper timing:

    Worth noting that Alonso’s DRS was still capable of closing at this time, as seen here, before and after the DRS zone:

    I picked up on it during the race, but was surprised to see no one else mention it yet (or if it has been mentioned – I missed it)

    #232545
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    One thing that surprised me was that with the telemetry still out cold, they don’t seem to be able to police the DRS activation, or simply didn’t bother.

    For example, Alonso activated his DRS actually way before the activation line on the pit straight on Lap 3.

    I’m guessing the stewards didn’t do anything because Alonso didn’t get any advantage from it – his DRS flap was stuck in the open position, and he had to pit twice to fix it. That sent him well down the order, effectively removing him from contention. Hence, the stewards would not see any need to penalise him.

    #232546
    matt90
    Participant

    So presumably, had it not got stuck, Alonso would have been penalised anyway.

    #232547
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    Presumably, yes.

    The penalty system for the improper use of DRS is intended to stop drivers from using DRS outside the rules to gain an advantage. Although Alonso used his DRS outside the rules, he did not get an advantage from it.

    The rules banning the improper use of DRS are really a formality. Nobody is going to use DRS outside the designated areas, but if there was no rule in the sporting regulations to prevent them from doing it, then someone would undoubtedly exploit that loophole and gain an unfair advantage from it.

    #232548
    raymondu999
    Participant

    @prisoner-monkeys

    his DRS flap was stuck in the open position

    This was before his DRS failure, as I pointed out quite explicitly. Unless, of course, you skipped the last paragraph and 2 pictures of my post?

    #232549
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    Nevertheless, he still had a problem with it moments later that cost him a bundle of time. The stewards probably saw no need to penalise him because of that problem; if he had continued without the problem, they might have done something about it. We’ve seen similar things happen in the past: for example, if a driver causes an avoidable accident and he is forced to pit for a new front wing while the other driver does not suffer as a result of it, then the stewards generally don’t penalise the driver who caused the crash because the pit stop effectively does it for them.

    And for all we know, Ferrari had reason to believe that they had a problem with the DRS flap and so requested that Alonso be allowed to open it outside a zone to test it, because if he did have a problem and tried to use it to execute a pass, then it could cause an accident.

    #232550
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    And the stewards have reportedly been told – in secret – to be more lenient in dispensing penalties this year, though it mostly relates to on-track racing.

    #232551
    crr917
    Participant

    And for all we know, Ferrari had reason to believe that they had a problem with the DRS flap and so requested that Alonso be allowed to open it outside a zone to test it, because if he did have a problem and tried to use it to execute a pass, then it could cause an accident

    Even Ferrari can’t request such things. If they had such permission, they would have tested DRS during first pit stop. Bu what credibility would FIA have if they can decide to activate or disable DRS on a particular car on their own accord?
    The DRS can only be activated in the DRS zones regardless of FIA telemetry condition. And it is obvious that the telemetry worked enough for us to see early activation. So stewards should have seen it too. Why they didn’t atleast pretend to be doing their job? And how could Alonso activate DRS before the zone? It’s either everyone could do it, or Ferrari are being naughty :)

    #232552
    mnmracer
    Participant

    Could it be that Alonso opening his DRS outside of the DRS zone, caused some malfunction which would have cause his DRS to open?

    #232553
    matt90
    Participant

    I doubt it. The flap opened far more than it should have been able to, so the problem was mechanical rather than electronic.

    #232554
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I noticed that during the race. I also noticed that Alonso’s DRS turned off and then suddenly back on again, all of this before the DRS line.
    As if he used it prematurely, realized this, turned it off and then thought ‘screw it’ and turned it back on.

    #232555
    Asanator
    Participant

    Alonso’s DRS was stuck open long before he pitted, I spotted it at least 2-3 laps before the TV commentary/pictures picked up on it. It was about when he attacked Rosberg and Rosberg got him back (end of Lap 2 or 3?)

    #232556

    @raymondu999

    Alonso activated his DRS actually way before the activation line on the pit straight on Lap 3.

    He certainly pressed the button but what we can’t see is whether the DRS opened or not. I doubt it did because someone probably would have protested by now, but it would be good to get a look at it from the outside.

    #232557
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    …karma?

    #232558
    raymondu999
    Participant

    So as a follow-up to my previous post, here’s footage from a lap later.

    What is clearly visible now is that Alonso is no longer opening his DRS as early as he was on the preceding lap:

    The FOM feed does a fade to an aerial shot just as Alonso is activating his DRS, so it’s a bit of a blur when he actually deploys. But I’d say it should be ok in this instance. He’s clearly past the black marker board by the time the image comes to full focus:

    Just as an aside, we can see that his DRS failure happens when he brakes at the end of the straight after this overtaking move:

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