ArosaMike
Resident Kart Racer
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2005
- Messages
- 883
- Location
- Leamington Spa
- Car(s)
- Mk5 VW Golf GTI, Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Race Car
Not that I'm usually one to quote myself but I wrote this a couple of days ago stating my point about how much information can be gleened from observation:
Now I quote the WMSC transcript:
It seems to me that Ferrari have got McLaren in a corner. Without explicitly going through every aspect of the McLarens design and how they came to that conclusion it's impossible for them to prove it didn't come from Ferrari. Unless Paddy Lowe came to the table with all their engineering justification, then it would be clear that the ideas came through their own conclusions and research. Doing so though would then give Ferrari all the McLaren designs!
As I also think I stated, because this data is so readily available it's largely uselss. It's interesting yes, but is almost completely irrelivant since the cars are totally different! The CG of the Ferrari may be interesting to know, but it works only on the Ferrari since it's Aerodynamic balance is totally different!
Just for the record from an engineering point of view these are what I believe you can work out about another car from pretty simple engineering principals:
Revs - Simple equation can work this out from sound. Hell....you can even download a piece of software that's accurat to 1rpm here!
Gear ratios - Analyse the revs and some video. The FIA provide speed readings on their coverage. Know which gear you're in and, you know what gear ratios they're running!
Tyre Pressure - We know they all run the same tyres. Analyse some video and if you know the speed (ie speed traps or rpm/gear ratio) you can work out tyre pressures from the sidewall deflection. This doesn't even require maths. You could test the tyres yourself and create speed/deflecion curves.
Wing Angle - Simple enough!
Power - Wing angle vs top speed. For even more detail, a simple computer model can work this out. Everyone knows the external dimensions. Calculate drag using a CFD program and hey presto, power to some huge degree of accuracy.
Weight distribution - As described above
Fuel load - They all have to use the same fuel rigs. Unless you take the fuel filters out of it like certain teams, you know the flow rate....time how long it's connected....fuel load accurate to a lap.
Brakes - Designs can be analysed from photos. Teams don't like it, but pictures get taken by the press. It's not exactly hard for the teams to get hold of this.
Now I quote the WMSC transcript:
WMSC said:Nigel TOZZI: So, you scrutinised onboard camera footage?
Patrick LOWE: That is right; I explained this last time.
Nigel TOZZI: You even go to the extent, when cars are lifted on cranes, of performing image analysis to determine the car's weight distribution, do you not?
Patrick LOWE: We have, on occasion. Actually, we have not done that for a while.
Nigel TOZZI: Before a race, your engineers analyse the difference in lap time between the third and fourth qualifying lap of every driver in order to predict pitting strategy, don't you?
Patrick LOWE: That is correct.
Nigel TOZZI: Thus, when you say that the dossier of so little use, this must be put in the context of an operation that spends millions of dollars constantly and legitimately spying on competitors' cars. Yet, you say that if you were to receive the dossier, it would be of little use. Is that your evidence, Mr Lowe?
Patrick LOWE: It is a question of relative value. On aerodynamics, for instance, there is a lot of interest. But in most cases, if not in all, the data actually proves to be of no value.
It seems to me that Ferrari have got McLaren in a corner. Without explicitly going through every aspect of the McLarens design and how they came to that conclusion it's impossible for them to prove it didn't come from Ferrari. Unless Paddy Lowe came to the table with all their engineering justification, then it would be clear that the ideas came through their own conclusions and research. Doing so though would then give Ferrari all the McLaren designs!
As I also think I stated, because this data is so readily available it's largely uselss. It's interesting yes, but is almost completely irrelivant since the cars are totally different! The CG of the Ferrari may be interesting to know, but it works only on the Ferrari since it's Aerodynamic balance is totally different!