2014 Winter Testing

[Vlad-SRB]

Haters... They will rock, as usual, just wait and see.

[mikhailv]

Haters... They will rock, as usual, just wait and see.

They will get the rules changed after continuous whinging at some point, we all know it's inevitable.

[sejtur]

Haters... They will rock, as usual, just wait and see.

Not so likely, the renault engine sucks.

[Ether]

So far it's looking really bad for Renault.. I don't think they could solve it in a short period of time though..

For I think so far, the best engine is always Mercedes, but since 2009 to 2013 when engine development was frozen, I personally think that Renault was the less powerful engine as usual.. BUT they had found a way to simply improve the performance by what so called engine blowing system, they had the excuse of reliability things, so that the engine blowing on renault was still allowed greater than other engine...

I wonder... if they might do the same again in this new power units
Could Renault AND mr. Newey find a loophole in the rules once again? Having excuses on engine reliability and somehow find an improvement inside?

Judging by how bad Renault performed in this test, some rule tweaks is highly likely!

We won't be enjoying watching every car in Renault power units retires in every race, won't we? Some tolerance on this particular power units will be forced as LEGAL

[phil1993]

Q&A with Rob White from Renault

Spoiler:

We have seen very little running from the Renault-engined teams this week. What have the issues been?

We have not run enough laps, and when we have they have not been run at an acceptable performance level.

The underlying causes are not straightforward: there isn’t a single component or system that has caused particular trouble. A number of related things have been troublesome, principally concerning the control and operation of the various sub-systems of the Power Unit within the car.

For example on the first run day, we had problems with a sub-system within the Energy Store that did not directly concern either the battery nor the operation of the battery – it is an electronic part that was in the same housing as the Energy Store.

We subsequently had problems with turbocharger and boost control systems with knock-on effects on the associated engine management systems, subsequently provoking mechanical failures.

What fixes did you implement in Jerez?

Between days 1 and 2 with the help of Red Bull, we implemented a later level of hardware for the rest of the test to address the problem within the Energy Store. This ran for the remaining days.

In parallel to running in Jerez, the team at Viry has run dyno test programs to investigate the trackside problems and to propose solutions.

We identified the probable root cause of our main turbo control issues, implemented some workarounds that were first seen at the end of day 3 and deployed in the three cars for day 4. This established a very minimalist baseline from which we could build.

Why were these issues not flagged up on the dyno?

We believed our initial configuration was a robust start point for track use but it has not proved to be the case. We have done substantial dyno running in a similar configuration with few issues. We now know that the differences between dyno and car are bigger than we expected, with the consequence that our initial impressions were incomplete and imperfect.

Our intention was to run the car; we are very frustrated to face this litany of issues that we should have ironed out on the dyno and which have deprived us of a precious learning opportunity.

Have you learned from the limited running?

Absolutely, and at this stage every kilometre is hugely valuable. We recognize that when the cars have run, they are not running at an acceptable level. We are a long way from the type of operation we had planned and prepared for – largely as a result of the workarounds we have implemented – but all the information is useful. In dealing with the issues we have moved further away from the configuration we were comfortable with, which has resulted in the relatively slow times, but the running has given us a vastly greater understanding of the issues we face. We absolutely expect to have a more definitive solution in place for the next session in Bahrain.

Has every team experienced the same issues?

Several problems are common to all, as the power unit is the same specification in all the cars except for relatively minor installations differences. Some problems are particular to one installation environment, but it is our responsibility to deal with all of them.

In general, the individual issues are understood; we have worked with all three teams running this week and despite appearances, have made some useful progress. We have not uncovered any big new fundamental problem, although we must recognize that our limited running makes it impossible to be certain.

What is the road map from now until the second test in Bahrain?

Of course we now have a large job list for Bahrain as a lot of the items we wanted to test in Jerez we have not been able to cover. The next stage is to identify the root causes for the problems we experienced, to develop the solutions to strengthen our validation process so we can be more confident to tackle Bahrain in a more normal way.

Are you concerned by the fact that engine specifications are frozen pre-season?

The homologation deadline is the end of February and is fundamental to regulations. Beyond that time, changes are permitted only with prior approval from the FIA. Change is not forbidden, but subject to the sporting regulations and we should not get so hung up on this date.

In view of this test, are you still in favour of the new regulations?

Yes absolutely. The powertrain regulations are a massive challenge but also an opportunity, and are hugely important in placing F1 back at the vanguard of technology. We have the necessary tools and determination to succeed.

The step we must take to reach an acceptable level of in-car performance is bigger than we would have liked. It is unacceptable that we have not been able to mitigate the problems sufficiently to allow our partners to run at any length. We are working hard to correct this in time for Bahrain and aim to make amends there.

[mikhailv]

Are you concerned by the fact that engine specifications are frozen pre-season?

The homologation deadline is the end of February and is fundamental to regulations. Beyond that time, changes are permitted only with prior approval from the FIA. Change is not forbidden, but subject to the sporting regulations and we should not get so hung up on this date.

In other words, Renault aren't worried because RBR will cry thanks to Renault not going as good a job as Mercedes or Ferrari, so they will make plenty of changes.

[François]

And thankfully so. Because who wants a situation like we had in IndyCar a couple year ago, with two engine manufacturers on even terms and a third one (Lotus) so ridiculously underpowered that the teams running it were even black flagged during Indy 500 for going too slow. Mercedes domination would be equally as boring as RBR's has been.

What sense would it make to freeze development with four teams incapable of completing a race distance?

[mikhailv]

Its not thankfully so. You get it wrong its tough and thats how it should be. You penalise those doing a good job.

[phil1993]

The humour of seeing four teams so far off the pace would rapidly wear off.

[tderias]

Lets not start counting our chickens here. If Renault fix their problems, they may end up with the best engine. Ferrari and Mercedes may and probably will face problems as well, sooner rather than later.

If we do witness a total landslide against an engine manufacturer, then continuing on with the status quo would be farcical. A compromise must be made; one that helps the struggling teams, but at the same time preserve some advantage for those who've done right the first time around.

[F1EA]

Would be great if Williams had a good season....

Merc and Ferrari looking good.

Lots of strong technical guys at Ferrari, too much change at Mclaren and too many bosses at Mercedes (but i think they have improved from last yr by defining their positions better).

I think finally, Ferrari may have the technical team advantage... not to mention the best drovers too.

RB may have Newey, but his magic don't work if the rest of the car is not in tune yet......

Really interested in Nico Rosberg's year. Those two at Merc can definitely bring the battle to Kimi and Alo.

[KevC]

Ted's development corner was very good tonight. Keep an eye out for it on youtube.

[Ether]

I read ini local newspaper in my country about f1 test review, there's some claims about new rear suspension of Mclaren, the suspension is still controversial about it's legality. But other teams will likely follow Mclaren's rear suspension. I would post it later.. Or probably this news will be up soon here XD

[KevC]

[Artur Craft]

Ether, we already know since the first day of testings about Mclaren's aero wishbones. Well, the first day we could really see the Mclaren car, so Wednesday

And it is a very significant one. I'm putting my money on Mclaren being the class of the field. Not only because of this suspension advantage, but their FW and nose solution also looks very neat and effective.

I think Ferrari is gonna be their usual 3-4th best car.

I'm not too confident of Mercedes being the best car but it can happen. I don't support any of the current drivers, but I wouldn't bother seeing Lewis get another WDC this year

edit: as scarbs said, Mclaren's wishbones brings downforce and drag and as there are very few low-drag demands circuits nowadays(Monza, Spa, Canada), this will likely be used most of the time.

Teams will take some time to redesign their rear suspension and crash structure in order to incorporate this solution to their own cars and, meanwhile, Mclaren scores big points with it(if reliability allows it )