Can anyone tell me how the Toyota traction control differs from other systems. Or, for that matter how other systems differ from each other.
The reason I ask? Last Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited to see the F1 testing at Silverstone, got me into the central area and pits/paddock. Otherwise testing is free and most vantage points can be had by a "normal" visit.
One thing about a test rather than a (very crowded) race day, is that it's easier to find good places to watch & study the cars. You don't see/hear it on TV as the cameras are moving around.
I glued myself to the same spot for quite a while, watching and listening before moving on to another place.
We were not getting any times, so I could only check what I felt was happening when I got back home. The times and my feelings tallied pretty well.
Observations:
Kimi was on fire - great to watch
Alonso was very fearsome - although I was surprised to see the times of Fizzy were quicker (when watching very closely he seemed to carry just a little more speed; but the aggression was not the same as Alonso).
Sato - many people say he looks like he's on the verge of a crash; all I will say is that he looks like he's having the same near accident at the same place every lap (so, I suggest he is in control )
David Coulthard was putting in some great laps, very commited. DC was using less TC than Klien, his throttle pickup was clean and smooth - both drivers looked good mid corner.
Cars:
The McLaren looked utterly planted and supple everywhere - "light on it's feet"
The Renault looked quick and more "feisty" than McLaren - looks like a car that needs to be grabbed hold of and attcked, while the McLaren seemed like it was being stroked along.
BAR/Renault & McLaren hardly used the traction control coming off the slow corners - McLaren seemed to use more, but the sound was "soft" - also the car was moving forward.
The BAR gear change was very crisp, better than the others - Mclaren nothing remarkable, just workman like. Again the Williams shift seemed pretty average.
Williams - honestly sounded terrible. It was using traction control, maybe 100M longer than the others and did not seem to be "moving forward" (OK, that's all relative - still very quick ). It had TC hacking in, even on some higher downforce corners. Methinks they have some serious problems. Don't believe the crap about "we need some clutch adjustments" - they don't have any traction in the first place. This car sounded so bad, while I was enjoying the hospitality I played a guessing game - guess the Williams from it's sound only - got it right every time!
The Red Bull didn't look especially quick (or slow either); both the drivers had a fair bit of TC, but they seemed to have it when the car was four wheel drifting and they were also getting good forward momentum.
Ferrari did not look quick at all, although stable and fluid. They also did not do many laps, kept popping out for short runs (maybe looking into getting the tyres to work for qualy?)
The Toyotas looked OK, but Ralph seemed to be sleeping.
The Jordan looked frankly terrifying and used tons of traction control. The Jordan TC made a very strange sound, at first I thought it was Jordan software; but I am sure I picked up the same sound with the Toyota (same engine) - although they hardly used the TC.
While other TC systems make that "hacking" sound as the sparks are cut - the Toyota seemed to completely change pitch, then back again, maybe they are cutting out complete cylinders and leaving the remainder at full power?
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