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2009 Formula One Thread

Superman07 said:
Based on the experiences during tests over the winter and this quote from Newey I can't help be feel scared for both RB drivers.

:eek:
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What experiences?

With the amount of fail-safe mechanisms and monitoring on the KERS systems there's no reason for anyone to be injured.

If anything, the drivers are some of the safest people at the track; as they're driving around in a Faraday cage. They just have to be careful to jump out of the car without touching the chassis if there's a problem.
 
There were a handful of incidents during the offseason, to include where one BMW tech was flung from the car because of a static discharge when he touched it. Is this somehow caused a build-up and a spark while the fueling system was active I could see a very bad consequence. Additionally, I imagine the proximity of the KERS device to the fuel tank won't help in the regard.
 
There was one instance of a mechanic being shocked; the cause of which is known within the community and has been sorted by every team.

Things aren't as simple as you make out. There's no reason for a spark to ever be released, a lot of people have spent months ensuring something as obvious as what you suggest doesn't happen.

Also, the fuel cell in an F1 car is very different to what you'd find on a road car.
 
The safety(fire and crash) end of F1 has been much improved since Imola '94.

NASCAR, and motorsports more similar to NASCAR, have had more fatalities and what not since then.

F1 (and most motorsports for that matter) for what they are, are incredibly safe. I mean these cars are made to go really, really fast at all types of angles/corners and they are made to withstand a lot torque and "G force" pressure. ;)

f1-2009-gen-xp-0319.jpg

beauty but for the pinstripes...
 
pachyderm said:
The safety(fire and crash) end of F1 has been much improved since Imola '94.

NASCAR, and motorsports more similar to NASCAR, have had more fatalities and what not since then.

F1 (and most motorsports for that matter) for what they are, are incredibly safe. I mean these cars are made to go really, really fast at all types of angles/corners and they are made to withstand a lot torque and "G force" pressure. ;)

f1-2009-gen-xp-0319.jpg

beauty but for the pinstripes...
Click to expand...


I wonder what the teardrop shaped object below the car on the front axle centreline is.
 
RB5 was fastest of the 2009 cars today.

djellison said:
The FIA Technical regulations stipulate that actually, it's very nearly the same as you would find on a road car. http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/technical_regulations/8700/fia.html
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What RobbieDuncan said.

talkingfuture said:
I wonder what the teardrop shaped object below the car on the front axle centreline is.
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It's just test equipment. Other teams will run it and it's been run in the past, but before the new rules it would have been behind other bodywork.

If you want to learn some more about engineering side of F1, the forums on f1technical.net are pretty good for a technically minded F1 fan.
 
Counterfit said:
He wasn't flung, he collapsed. Slight difference,
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Collapsing is perhaps more worrying. Electrocution can potentially cause ventricular fibrillation.

Wikipedia said:
A low-voltage (110 to 220 V), 50 or 60-Hz AC current through the chest for a fraction of a second may induce ventricular fibrillation at currents as low as 60 mA. With DC, 300 to 500 mA is required. If the current has a direct pathway to the heart (e.g., via a cardiac catheter or other kind of electrode), a much lower current of less than 1 mA, (AC or DC) can cause fibrillation. If not immediately treated by defibrillation, fibrillations are usually lethal because all the heart muscle cells move independently. Above 200 mA, muscle contractions are so strong that the heart muscles cannot move at all.
Link
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Counterfit said:
He wasn't flung, he collapsed. Slight difference.


In other news, USF1 is not a hoax! I hope one of their drivers will be Marco Andretti.
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LOL! and i hope not!

northy124 said:
OoOoOoOoOoO not long now :D but why all the pics of the Red Bull car:confused: Ferrari FTW :D
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there ferrari pics are in the first page or so...

SpookTheHamster said:
RB5 was fastest of the 2009 cars today.



What RobbieDuncan said.



It's just test equipment. Other teams will run it and it's been run in the past, but before the new rules it would have been behind other bodywork.

If you want to learn some more about engineering side of F1, the forums on f1technical.net are pretty good for a technically minded F1 fan.
Click to expand...

congrats! but any car without Jarno Trulli behind the wheel is just a pedal car after all.. ;):D:eek::( i love jarno i do...

is the torro rosso going to look the same but for the paint scheme?
 
talkingfuture said:
I wonder what the teardrop shaped object below the car on the front axle centreline is.
Click to expand...

SpookTheHamster said:
It's just test equipment. Other teams will run it and it's been run in the past, but before the new rules it would have been behind other bodywork.

If you want to learn some more about engineering side of F1, the forums on f1technical.net are pretty good for a technically minded F1 fan.
Click to expand...

I'll have a look at that site and see if they say anything about it. I don't think it is test equipment because it features in the official press studio shots. I heard Newey talking a lot about front axle weight distribution being reduced by KERS so it could be some sort of balast. In that position it would be right over the front axle and it is low so it doesn't harm the c of g.
 
I am guessing the thing on the bottom of the Red Bull maybe a Correvit:

Correvit

They do a lot more than ride height, they also measure road speed, slip angle, yaw, and maybe a few more things.

At Honda we ran them in tests only, but more recently teams have run then all the time as they are now lighter and draw less current, the old model was a HUGE current hog. In the wet you can tell who is running one as the underside of the car glows red.
 
Unofficial Thursday times from Jerez:
1. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:18.493
2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:20.737
3. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:20.738
4. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:20.898
5. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:21.307
 
Those times should probably be put into context

pachyderm said:
Unofficial Thursday times from Jerez:
1. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:18.493 - 2008 spec car
2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:20.737 - 2008 spec rear wing
3. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:20.738 - Full 2009 spec
4. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:20.898 - Full 2009 spec
5. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:21.307 - Full 2009 spec
Click to expand...
 
pachyderm said:
Unofficial Thursday times from Jerez:
1. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:18.493
2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:20.737
3. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:20.738
4. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:20.898
5. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:21.307
Click to expand...

SpookTheHamster said:
Those times should probably be put into context
Click to expand...

Unofficial Friday times from Jerez:
1. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:17.472
2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:19.632
3. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:19.846
4. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:21.217
5. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:21.313
6. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, no time

I was going to ask you if that was the case... ;)
 
Do we know if Honda will be racing in Melbourne? I seem to remember Nick Fry saying that they had enough money for them to race there. Any news of their buyout?
 
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