Racecar Engineering October 2018

Were one the archetypal Daily Telegraph reader one would be fulminating in the letters column about another insidious proposal on tyres for Formula 1. That’s the ban on tyre warmers, but before I get to that, let’s talk a little about the new tyre rules in general. The proposal for 2021 is to have rim sizes growing to 18in diameter against the current 13in (for more detail on this turn to page 16 - Ed). The 13in diameter was brought in some time ago to reduce braking capacity, all part of attempting to give overtaking opportunities to following cars, a recognised problem and one still with us, made worse by the difficulty of generating balanced downforce on the following racecars. Specific rim As it turned out, brakes have improved so that being restricted…

Has Porsche produced the fastest-ever ‘racing car’ in the 919 Evo? Having set stunning record lap times at Spa (quicker than Lewis Hamilton’s fastest-ever Formula 1 pole lap last year in the Mercedes) and around the Nurburgring Nordschleife, I have little doubt that, with a trimmed-out and correctly-set up version of this special Porsche LMP missile, even IndyCar super-speedway records would succumb. This is somewhat academic, of course, but fascinating nonetheless. Anyone who has watched the onboard footage of Timo Bernhard around the ‘Ring cannot fail to be blown away by the sheer velocity displayed when over 1150 of usable bhp is deployed. The old axiom of the camera having seemingly been speeded-up is close to the truth. Just a shade under 229mph could be seen on the screen readout along…

‘To accommodate the Halo for a team of our size was a huge drain on our resources’ It is a car that was never meant to exist, as the Force India VJM11 is actually the result of a late rule change aimed at improving driver safety. Yet in 2018 its creators hope that it will finish fourth in the Formula 1 World Championship for constructors. Originally the team had planned to race in 2018 using a modified and improved version of the competitive and reliable VJM10, but in September 2017 it became clear that this plan would not be possible. ‘Everyone was working towards modifying the chassis to fit a screen as that is what the expected driver safety system was,’ Force India technical director Andrew Green says. ‘So when the decision…

Force India VJM11 Chassis: Carbon fibre composite monocoque with Zylon side anti-intrusion panels. Power unit: Mercedes AMG HPP M09, V6 turbo 1.6-litre with ERS. Transmission: Mercedes AMG F1 8-speed, semi-automatic seamless shift, composite outer casing, metallic inner cassette. Suspension: Aluminium alloy uprights with carbon fibre composite double wishbones all-round. Pushrod actuated torsion bars with anti roll bar and inerter at the front, pullrod actuated hydro-mechanical system at the rear. Wheels: BBS. Brake system: 920E calipers with Carbon Industrie friction material. Tyres: Pirelli.…

Paddock rumours suggest that there is interest from both Michelin and Hankook It is no secret that Formula 1 will introduce an entirely new set of technical and sporting regulations for the 2021 season. However, until now the rules themselves have largely been a closely guarded secret. But the veil was partially lifted at the German Grand Prix where the first solid elements of the new regulations were revealed. These were that in 2021 F1 will adopt 18in wheels, low profile tyres, and it will also ban the use of tyre warmers. This change has substantial implications for the overall car design in 2021 and the announcement took teams completely by surprise. The revelation came in the form of an official invitation to tender posted on the FIA website. The tender is…

• Tyre stiffness should vary monotonically with working range. In addition tyres with the highest compound stiffness should also have the highest working temperature range and the tyre temperature working range should reduce as the tyre compound stiffness reduces. The variation in working range between the compounds should not be excessive. Suggested values are shown below where ‘working range’ is defined as the temperatures above and below optimum at which grip is reduced by five per cent on typical micro and macro roughness tracks and sliding velocities. • For 2021 the ratio of cornering stiffness of the tyres should be compatible with a rearward shift of the longitudinal centre of gravity position of three per cent from current values. Furthermore the change in cornering stiffness ratio must remain a constant plus/minus…