[Official] Mexican Grand Prix 2019: Grand Prix Weekend Thread

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by ascarracinguk

Well you say that, but vettel only had to close 2.5 seconds on 14 lap fresher rubber....

....I’d say that’s more a measure of Hamilton’s ability to make the tyres last than ferraris inability to get the strategy correct

As was pointed out by Brundle, when the tyres wear to a certain amount now, they don't go off a cliff anymore - they haven't for years. The hards plateau and even out. Since you needed to be a second a lap faster to overtake, even with the DRS, this 2.5 second gap meant nothing. By the time Vettel was even remotely close, the tyres had equalised.

Mercedes knew this. They were playing that game during Friday when Lewis was saying 3 stop race. They absolutely knew what would happen with those hard tyres. Ferrari had no idea what to do - which is why when Vettel questioned them on the radio they just responded that they were thinking about it.

Ferrari meanwhile tried to give Vettel a tyre advantage that was never going to happen, thus giving up time earlier in the race. And the less said about Leclercs strategy the better.

It was a brilliant bit of mind games by Mercedes all week, a perfectly executed strategy, and brilliantly driven by Lewis. They started that game on Friday, and Ferrari played right into it.

[S griffin]

Lewis, good recovery after a wild first lap, seems he forgot about the championship then. Certainly was a race that could have gone either way and who knows what Max would have done if he hadn't got himself a penalty in qualifying. It led to a scrappy race from him, but still 6th, showing once again the advantage the top three have over the others. Good to see Albon being more than a match for him

Checo and Danny had good races behind and Kubica showed his feistyness with his battle with Russell. And what was Kyvat thinking trying that move on Hulk? It was never going to work and I can't see why he can complain about the penalty

Anyway hopefully we can have a good race in Austin

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Anyway hopefully we can have a good race in Austin

Never gonna happen. It's another track with daft combinations of corners.

[wolfhound]

Full story from the FIA re the delay with Verstappen's penalty.
It involved a number of factors including Bottas's crash breaking the cable to the light panel.


https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14...elay-explained

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

Full story from the FIA re the delay with Verstappen's penalty.
It involved a number of factors including Bottas's crash breaking the cable to the light panel.


https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14...elay-explained

Based upon the article, it seemed well reasoned. What I found interesting however is that a crash that was contained inside the safety barriers could have broken the cable used by the Marshall station.

The initial impact by Bottas was VERY close to the pole that the light bar was mounted. Did that impact somehow move the wall enough to damage stuff right behind it? Was it something else such as the TecPro movement somehow associated with the cable path?

I am not trying to be overly critical, but it should be an opportunity to learn and improve. I would say that a safety system that is to be used AFTER an accident shouldn't be so susceptible to a relatively constrained accident.

Richard

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

Based upon the article, it seemed well reasoned. What I found interesting however is that a crash that was contained inside the safety barriers could have broken the cable used by the Marshall station.

The initial impact by Bottas was VERY close to the pole that the light bar was mounted. Did that impact somehow move the wall enough to damage stuff right behind it? Was it something else such as the TecPro movement somehow associated with the cable path?

I am not trying to be overly critical, but it should be an opportunity to learn and improve. I would say that a safety system that is to be used AFTER an accident shouldn't be so susceptible to a relatively constrained accident.

Richard

The lightbox was mounted about 6-10 feet down the road from where Bottas made impact, but long before the TecPro installation. The lightbox comes out and hangs over the track, suspended by a metal pole. Although the pole is probably hollow, I suspect the cable that feeds power the box is cable tied to the outside of the pole.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edt14xkMC7w

5:45 there's an external view of Bottas hitting the wall. The lightbox is right in the middle of the debris field that Bottas car throws up.

I guess it's one of those extremely rare things.

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

The lightbox was mounted about 6-10 feet down the road from where Bottas made impact, but long before the TecPro installation. The lightbox comes out and hangs over the track, suspended by a metal pole. Although the pole is probably hollow, I suspect the cable that feeds power the box is cable tied to the outside of the pole.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edt14xkMC7w

5:45 there's an external view of Bottas hitting the wall. The lightbox is right in the middle of the debris field that Bottas car throws up.

I guess it's one of those extremely rare things.

Yeah, that is the video I had watched. It has to be related to the proximity of the initial hit vs. light box pole.

As to the TecPro, as you mention, it is pretty far down, but I expect there is a connection between the Marshall station to race control. Either direct cabling or wireless. If direct cabling, then there is always the chance that somehow it could be related to the TecPro impact (but unlikely).

Richard

[Greem]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

Yeah, that is the video I had watched. It has to be related to the proximity of the initial hit vs. light box pole.

As to the TecPro, as you mention, it is pretty far down, but I expect there is a connection between the Marshall station to race control. Either direct cabling or wireless. If direct cabling, then there is always the chance that somehow it could be related to the TecPro impact (but unlikely).

The F1MS light panels are all cabled for power, data and control connections - the controller is local to the panel but often sited some distance away because the controller needs to be able to see the corresponding flag points.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometres of cable for the panels, cameras, microphones, telemetry, comms, GPS etc etc run behind the barriers because moving it even a few feet back to behind the debris fence will make the cable distances vastly greater.

Armco barrier is designed to move when it's hit. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find a connector separated or a reel got moved by the barrier itself, if the debris didn't simply trash the panel or connectors on it.

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by Greem

Armco barrier is designed to move when it's hit. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find a connector separated or a reel got moved by the barrier itself, if the debris didn't simply trash the panel or connectors on it.

Thanks for the informed commentary.

Originally Posted by Greem

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometres of cable for the panels, cameras, microphones, telemetry, comms, GPS etc etc run behind the barriers because moving it even a few feet back to behind the debris fence will make the cable distances vastly greater.

Ha! I hate to post this as it is a simplistic analogy, but there is a counter intuitive answer to this. In that it probably wouldn't add that much to move it back. The first time I ran across this puzzle it blew my mind. And had to do the math to convince myself.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_girdling_Earth

However, in reality moving back a bit would add more length than the string girdling the earth problem would suggest as there remains extra distance for items that run up to the barrier.

Richard

[Greem]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

However, in reality moving back a bit would add more length than the string girdling the earth problem would suggest as there remains extra distance for items that run up to the barrier.

The 'String' puzzle does rely on the object being (or very nearly being) a perfect circle, though. The outline of barriers round circuits is... not a perfect circle

Honestly, I find it surprising that we don't experience more breakages in cables and connectors across race weekends*. The guys that put them in are really very skilled indeed in making sure that they're situated in places where they're safe, but obviously some of them have to be in the line of fire and are at risk from an errant car (or marshal's boot).

*I remember the frequency with which UK broadcast TV used to go off air when I was rather younger than I am now, to which we always used to say "come on, put the plug back in"

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Never gonna happen. It's another track with daft combinations of corners.

Yet it has produced some great racing, especially being a wide circuit

[Peter Mallett]

Only that first corner. Anything else has IMO been as a result of DRS at the end of that long back straight.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Yet it has produced some great racing, especially being a wide circuit

This year's IndyCar race was ok.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Only that first corner. Anything else has IMO been as a result of DRS at the end of that long back straight.

WEC produced amazing racing there.

Whilst I don't think it's a very good circuit (and WEC moving to Sebring is the right call), the poor racing that F1 experiences is more often the cars rather than the tracks.

[Peter Mallett]

Indeed but it's the track that provides to space to race. Possibly a circular argument.

[Greem]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Indeed but it's the track that provides to space to race. Possibly a circular argument.

There's no way you'll get them on ovals, Peter.

[Peter Mallett]

You may get your coat.......

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by Greem

There's no way you'll get them on ovals, Peter.

Time for a Sicilian Grand Prix at Enna?

[RWill2073]

Originally Posted by steve nielsen

a single yellow flag you only see at the end of a corner and no light on the steering wheel yet, also no double waved yellow or yellow at a marshall post before that corner.

Originally Posted by steve nielsen

That image just confirms what I said, a single yellow(not a double), no yellow lights trackside or on the wheel, no yellows at the marshall posts before that.

Originally Posted by steve nielsen

as it does confirm eactly what I said I think you better look up that word


I only see a slingle yellow flag there, nothing else

it was not even a double yellow flag

Could keep quoting more, but all boils down... location checks out

Man, I must be a poor race strategist because I thought ferrari did a good job, but it ended up being wrong. It seems like mercedes takes advantage of being behind, and initiates the next phase of the race on their terms, whereas while leading, ferrari is afraid to give up track position. Also seems like mercedes is still the best car by far, in overall terms. There's no reason that both leclerc and vettel should have had their comebacks stall so quickly.

Also, there was a comment made during the weekend by the commentators that mercedes thinks they have figured out how ferrari was getting their speed now. So, after already burying themselves in all championship races, ferrari puts on public display their solution that makes them good enough to contend, with enough time left in the season for their rivals to figure it out so they lose that advantage going into next year. They don't seem to be able to even do good things right, lol.