F1technical.net

Nico Rosberg seen with old (pre-silverstone) front wing and bargeboard


Later that same day, with silverstone front wing, but with upper element removed. They didn't even make a new nose, look at the mounting points.


I guess they're a bit mistified by their lack of pace at Silverstone, trying out those old bits again.

Can someone please explain what the apparatus on top of Wurz's car is? Description and function if possible.

Many thanks in advance.

Williams ran tis in Monza a couple of years ago.

I'm assuming that its a camera for promotional stuff.

Is it not an infra-red thermal imager? They use those to monitor tyre surface temperatures in real time.

Those are normally integrated into the cars anyway, why would you need another one?

Well it certainly looks like an imaging device. Could they be digitizing the track for simulator use? But wouldn't it be easier/cheaper/faster to get 3D maps from computer game makers?

With the limited number of test days they have this year, I'd be surprised if they have time to do commercials during testing.

Also notice the lack of sidepod shields during Spa testing.

It's an anti-Coulthard device. Keeps him from flying over his cockpit. Zaps him if he comes too close.

Ray wrote:It's an anti-Coulthard device. Keeps him from flying over his cockpit. Zaps him if he comes too close.

Chances are that it wont even faze block head!

Saribro wrote:Also notice the lack of sidepod shields during Spa testing.

IIRC the FW29 doesn't have them.

Ray wrote:It's an anti-Coulthard device. Keeps him from flying over his cockpit. Zaps him if he comes too close.

It reminds me of the Apache Longbow.

joseff wrote:

Saribro wrote:Also notice the lack of sidepod shields during Spa testing.

IIRC the FW29 doesn't have them.

Yikes, what rock have I been under.

The Williams pod is for thermal cameras for tyrte testing, its been used on and off cince the middl eof last year. Heres Sam Michaels response to my questions when it was first run last year.

The Pod contains four cameras one for each wheel?
YES IT CAN BE SET UP LIKE THIS. IT IS EASIER TO START ON ONE WHEEL OR ONE AXLE

Does the pod interfere with the aero as its seems quite ungainly?
YES, AND IT IS HEAVY SO WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION AND CG HEIGHT IS AFFECTED

Does it gives a truer picture of the heat signature across the tyre including hot spots around the grooves and shoulders?
YES, IN FACT IT GIVES THE ONLY PICTURE ACROSS THE TYRE AS THE NORMAL TEMPERATURE SENSORS ARE STATICALLY MOUNTED SO DON'T ALLOW FOR ANY OF THE LARGE TYRE DEFLECTIONS SEEEN. IT CAN GIVE TRENDS BETWEEN DIFFERENT SETUPS, ETC. WHICH IS MORE WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR RATHER THAN ABSOLUTE TEMPERATURE VALUES

Will give the tyre temperature at a specific part of the track, so that set up can be tailored to maximise the tyres usage at the critical corners on the track and not the average around the lap?
MAYBE, IT IS AT AN EARLY STAGE RIGHT NOW

How is the data gathered and interpreted?
THROUGH ONBOARD DATA SYSTEM AND THEN USING A VIEWER SOFTWARE BY THE DATA ENGINEERS

How useful to development is this solution?
NOT VERY USEFUL AT THE MOMENT AS THERE ARE MANY ISSUES WITH THE SYSTEM RELIABILITY - IE. IT DOESN'T WORK YET!

Very interesting comments from Sam Michaels. It's good to hear the low-down from an insider - especially when they are happy to admit that the technology, while impressive, is still only in its developmental stage..

Rob W