Audible Shift Indicator?

[Jolle]

for many many years, all the teams have a beep for when to shift.

[ESPImperium]

As far as I know, it was in 2002 that it started with McLaren, it was tested and found it could improve lap time by a quarter of a second on many drivers and some even more. It was DC that started using it as it was him that got interested in it after the driver in the other test car was talking about it.

Pretty much every driver has it these days, the last driver to drive without them was Michael in 2012 I think as he hated them, he was more visual.

They have bleeps and tones for many things these days, DRS is another, and some have ERS tones.

It was DC that also pioneered throttle peddle mapping, where he was at 100% throttle after the throttle was depressed more than 90%. However, this will be a thing of the past shortly as the sport goes towards a standardised throttle pedal and Clutch potentiometers, and standardised gear change actuators. This is for cost and also so the FIA can monitor any shenanigans a bit closer.

[astracrazy]

It was DC that also pioneered throttle peddle mapping, where he was at 100% throttle after the throttle was depressed more than 90%.

Off topic I know, but some further info. Correct me if I'm wrong:

I'm sure I heard him say in an interview back in the BBC F1 days when there as a race there that this came from the Nürburgring turns 8-9 which is flat out. He would subconsciously always let off slightly and couldnt stop himself costing him time, so the team created this so when he lifted off a small amount he was still actually at 100% throttle. I guess it then rolled on from that.....

I could be wrong of course, but I remember this for some reason.

[bill shoe]

During turbo days, drivers often had pipe connected to wastegate coming into their helmets.
There was a video on youtube with Murray Walker showing an f1 turbo car where he shown it but I can't find it.

I think I heard that used in indycar, something about a the pop off valve would whistle just before it popped

Yes, drivers had "listening tubes" to the pop-off valve. The pop-off valves were simple mechanical devices (coil-spring and shim on a large poppet valve, all bolted to the intake manifold). They were set by sanctioning body before each race, but the actual amount of boost they would hold changed throughout the race due to changing temp, air-density, etc. The driver used a twist-cable during the race (!!) to change the pre-load on the wastegate spring until they just heard the whistle sound from the pop-off valve.

Kevin Cogan lost the lead of the 1986 Indy 500 on a yellow flag restart with two laps to go, supposedly because his listening tube had come out of his ear and he needed to set his wastegate conservatively. Bobby Rahal set his boost perfectly, made the pass going into turn 1, and didn't lift again until he saw checkered flags.

[gruntguru]

It was DC that also pioneered throttle peddle mapping, where he was at 100% throttle after the throttle was depressed more than 90%. However, this will be a thing of the past shortly as the sport goes towards a standardised throttle pedal and Clutch potentiometers,

Standardised potentiometers doesn't preclude pedal mapping.

[DiogoBrand]

I think Vettel once mentioned this beep on his interview for Top Gear. I'd search there if I was curious about it.

[ESPImperium]

...

That is the same interview. Mclaren took it way further from there, and it was from there they started to do things with the clutch, and other things. This, in 2012 was at its peak when it came to its head with exhaust blown era when Red Bull and Renault took it way beyond the parameters that McLaren and Mercedes ever deemed it useless to go beyond. I did hear him say that the Exhaust Blown era started way back in 2007/8 when Red Bull electronics engineers got there hands on the McLaren ECU, and they poached 4 or 5 guys from McLaren and then when they started working with Renault closer in 2009. It was all a perfect storm, and the Exhaust Blowing era started back in 07/08 and took 4/5 years to perfect.

It was DC that also pioneered throttle peddle mapping, where he was at 100% throttle after the throttle was depressed more than 90%. However, this will be a thing of the past shortly as the sport goes towards a standardised throttle pedal and Clutch potentiometers,

Standardised potentiometers doesn't preclude pedal mapping.

That is true, mapping has been going on for many more years, and precluded a standard potentiometer. Its now that many are saying we need a standard linear potentiometer for the throttle pedal, and many of the smaller teams are wanting a standardised brake pedal as well, leading to a possible standard pedal assembly. It has also led to thinking about a standard steering wheel as well, but i think this will be a step too far for the teams, pedal assemblies yes, but steering wheels, no thank you.

I did hear a rumour once that there is a driver on the grid, and was on the grid for more than a couple of seasons, had issues with flags, and had the team link in when there was a yellow and blue flag into the system as well. Im unsure who the driver is, but it leaves drivers who did 35-100 Grand Prix under review, and that leaves many names.

[mzivtins]

Outside of F1 these Audible shift "indicators" exist in Mazda rotary cars from stock, FC, FD3S, SE3P.

The myth surrounding these was that the engines lacked rev limitation, in reality it must have just been a nice touch as it is a wonderfully different approach to driving, i would say that shift lights are almost completely redundant where an audible tone is available, it is so much fun to "drive to the beep"

I wonder if the same is true in F1 and other racing?