12 replies to this topic

[samanloinen]

Just a couple of quick questions (actually survey of opinions):
1. Can anyone out there (preferably someone with first-hand racing experience) confirm that one could actually finish an entire F1 race at DC's pace without the gears he claimed to have lost?

2. Are those who claimed Arrows was testing underweight or otherwise cheating during winter testing still willing to stick to that claim? (had to post this one in lieu of Frans's mysterious quiescence)

[Hoffy]

Mistake me if I'm wrong, but didnt Schuy finish 2nd or 3rd in the Spanish GP in 94 with only 5th gear, driving like that for most of the race?

[rock]

I don't have any racing experience but, I know a lot about mechanical vehicles as it is my department.

Offcourse you can finish. But you'll be slow because you just won't have the speed to come out of the corner as compared to the actual gear to be used on that corner.

DC said he had 4th and above. Now if there is a 3rd gear corner, instead of using 3rd he'll be using the next ie. 4th on that corner for the whole race and that would mean slow exit out of that corner.

I'll tell you what to do. Start your car in 1st gear and jump to 3rd. You'll notice the difference!! I know the F1 car is a lot different with smaller gear ratios.

[Smooth]

My only question about DC's trouble was how well he got away from his pit in fourth gear.... I haven't had a chance to re-watch the race, but am curious to listen to his car leaving his stop.....

[Laphroaig]

An F1 car can pull away in 6th if it wants to. As long as it's running missing 1st, 2nd and 3rd isn't that mach of a problem. The biggest problem is avoiding a stall after a pitstop!

[Sean L]

There have been quite a few excellent drives with cars stuck in a certain gear / missing some gears.

I think that MS in the Benetton, stuck in fifth, was lapping within 1 second of Hill. Schumacher attributed it the fact that the engine was so tractible in the lower revs and that he just took a smooth line in corners and got onto the power early.

[614david]

Smooth;
I was curious about that too, when Martin Brundle mentioned a gear failure, so i was listening to it in the race, and he was revving it like hell to get away, it didn't sound particularly healthy, and he was struggling with it. He made quite a sluggish get away unsurprisingly, but you could here the problem, there was no way on God's earth he pulled away in third, not with the noise the mac was making- strangely enough though, his mechanics didn't look to worried, and they wouldn't have known he had a problem, because he had also lost his radio, so they probably thought he had selected the wrong gear. Anyway, all that work for nothing unless the appeal is fair to David!!

[Smooth]

Thanks 614: I know the cars CAN pull away, I was just curious to hear it, as it should be pretty obvious he wouldn't be in 1st. Also, wouldn't the rev limiter be worthless, as the revs would be different in such a high gear? so he would have to work that much harder to stay within the pit lane speed limit for that long pit exit.

[Laphroaig]

Not if they control the rev limiter as a function of the actual cars speed... This situation (completely electronic ofcourse, so no weight penalty) would make much more sense; you wouldn't have to reprogram the rev-limiter each time you change the gearbox or gear ratios...

[samanloinen]

Laphroaig, I'm confused.
Which question where you replying to and could you elaborate?
So far, question 1 seems answered by the others to my satisfaction.
Now to question 2 (flame bait, I confess)

[Ellen2]

Senna won one race being left with 6th gear only for several laps

[Laphroaig]

Sammaloinen... I was answering Smooths question as to "wouldn't the rev limiter be worthless, as the revs would be different in such a high gear"... I'm sorry I forgot to put his name on top of my post... ok?

[samanloinen]

Sorry Laphroaig
Smoothie's post didn't show up on my browser for some reason.
Still...........question 2!
Any takers?
Maybe I should post it with it's own heading.