Controlling the Traction 16/11/2007 After the Barcelona test, some of the drivers were asked how they felt about the lack of traction control in the cars for 2008. Their answers were quite revealing, perhaps giving a clue as to how each will fare in the coming season. This could be the change that separates the men from the boys.Jack Brabham - Traction control? What's that?De la Rosa's comments were almost laughable. Take this, for instance:"Without traction control it is much more difficult to accelerate — you have to apply your foot on the throttle much more carefully." Formula1SportUmmm, yes, Pedro, it's called driving the car. It makes me wonder whether these guys have ever driven a real car at all - maybe they are just programmed robots after all. And Felipe Massa's comment was in much the same vein:"The fact is I don't have any experience without traction control..." PitpassHas Felipe never driven a car without traction control? I suppose it's possible these days if you have grown up being able to afford the more expensive makes - and almost all these Brazilian drivers come from affluent families that could afford to put their sons into karts. It still surprises me somewhat and I feel sorry for anyone who hasn't experienced the joys of cornering a car at the limit of adhesion on the accelerator alone.Massa thinks it will be more dangerous, especially in the wet. And, come to think of it, he must be right, considering his problems in the wet even with traction control. Don't bet on Massa if it rains, people!The story from others, and not necessarily just the older guys with memories, was very different. Everyone has said that Jenson Button would benefit from the change and here is what he had to say about it:"Definitely, it is not exactly.... In a lot of corners you really don't feel the difference. Yes, starts are going to be more fun. We have not done much work on the starts yet." AutosportSee? I told you it was definitely not exactly. Or did I? Actually I may have omitted that choice nugget. But it seems Jenson did not find it much different, perhaps because he never did learn to use the traction control in the savage way the others did. A driver through and through, Jenson must have been using his backside to drive all these years, just as we used to do back in prehistoric times. Now that's a good sign for the future.And then we have a young upstart getting a word in. These are Heikki Kovalainen's thoughts:"Not as bad as some people said it would be... I have heard some horror stories. I have driven a car without TC before, but with this level of power you really don't know what is going to be like, but it has not been too difficult."Obviously you have to adjust your driving style and care for the tyres, but in high speed corners it does not affect so much. You can still nail the throttle there, but in the lower speed corners you have to be a bit more careful now. Not too bad at all." AutosportGood to hear that this is one young pup who has actually driven without TC before. But then he's a Finn, isn't he? I bet they turn off the TC just to have fun on the ice in the winter. And he gives a pretty fair description of what driving is like and, in the process, sums up the reason for all our protests against TC in the past. We have been begging to see driving skills, not clever computing.By the sound of it, F1 has a part of its soul back. At last we will truly be able to say that "the best driver won" instead of suspecting that his car had the best software. Now we need to tackle those silly grooved tires and ridiculous winglets...News Flash: I've just heard (unofficially) that the Court of Appeal has rejected McLaren's case against the decision of the Brazilian stewards in the cool fuel case. Nothing changes, does it?
Clive
donwatters There are two schools of thought on "driver aids" out there I think. The first says that F1 should be the pinnacle of motorsport technology. Thus TC & such are just a continuing development of racing technology. While I think the concept is valid, it does seriously devalue the driver in the equation. The logical end result of this approach is no driver at all. Everything is run from the pits...or some other location over the web.The second says the driver should be the key element and anything that takes away from driver control is inappropriate.It's the classic "old school" vs "new school" thinking. Myself, I'm an "old school" guy when it comes to motorsports. I think the driver should be the determining factor. Clive: Any details on the decision? Date Added: 16/11/2007
Clive Nothing yet, Don. That unofficial news comes from Pitpass and now it's impossible to get into their site. D'you think others are waiting to see what happens too? ;)All true about technology versus drivers in F1 - it's a balance that should be maintained carefully. And the trouble with Max is that he thinks it's one thing one day and another the next. Date Added: 16/11/2007
Steven Roy I am classic old school. It is a driver's championship so drivers should drive.I really can't understand Massa's comment. I have only once driven a 100cc 2-stroke kart and it was old and nowhere near top condition but I managed to spin turn it on the throttle without a clutch.(well with a centrifugal clutch) Given that Ferrari takes its drivers to Cortina every year for a press day and they drive karts on ice you would have thought he would have developed some throttle control.How is it possible for someone to be a serious contender for the world championship without being able to operate an accelerator? Date Added: 16/11/2007
Number 38 "De la Rosa's comments were almost laughable."HEY! You're pickin' on my boy Clive, and if his remarks were "laughable" his performance was not, he was right up at the top of the charts with the great schoomi's Ferrari !!!!!And I might add Kova was hot on his heels ! Those that know me know I'm definately 'old school' and I will also admit I've never raced with traction control so I'm not qualified to argue it's merits, but "Driver aids" is a catch phraze anyway, most modern road cars have "driver aids", anti-lok brakes on nearly every modern car and TRACTION CONTROL, at least in Subaru and Volvo. What's the flap all about? Date Added: 16/11/2007
patrick@footle.com Karts on ice are very entertaining. Plus, it always helped me when I used to dabble in prokarts. I had a reputation at my local club for being pretty mediocre in the dry, but often a second a lap quicker than anyone else when it rained. The one time we had ice, I loved it.It will certainly be interesting to see who benefits and who suffers in the post-traction control world. Date Added: 16/11/2007
Clive Hitting the nail on the head as usual, Steven. It's a driver's championship first and foremost.I agree that Massa's comments (and DLR's) seem inexplicable until we remember that they were the two quickest guys in the test (well, apart from the old shoemaker). Is it possible they were really rubbing it in for the other guys - saying, in effect: "Hey, I really hate this non-TC stuff but I'm still quicker than you guys..."Nah, that couldn't be it. :D Date Added: 16/11/2007
Clive His times at the test were what makes DLR's comments so strange, Number 38. He's an old guy so he should remember what it was like. But now he's saying it's a step backwards and a bad thing. What am I supposed to think? It looks as though he can't cope with the extra feel and finesse required to actually drive the car.I'm not saying he can't drive - clearly he can. But that's why his comments are laughable - essentially he's saying he doesn't like it because it requires him to be able to control the car with the accelerator. Surely he must know that it's been that way for years in just about every other racing series?Sure, modern cars have every driver aid imaginable on them. But that's because the makers design cars for people who can't drive - they're trying to protect them from themselves. No real racing driver should need such things. Date Added: 16/11/2007
Clive You were good on ice, hey, Patrick? Hmmm, must be some Finnish blood there methinks.If those two drivers were serious about what they said in their interviews, I'd say that no-TC is going to make a lot more difference among the drivers than we had expected. We could have some surprising names suddenly popping up on to the leader board. Date Added: 16/11/2007
verasaki Anything on ice is entertaining. Isn't there (or wasn't there) a sort of ice rallye series in Sweden/Finland. I seem to recall seeing some video of it years ago. "We could have some surprising names suddenly popping up on to the leader board. "From your keyboard to the race kahuna's ears. I'm looking forward to this but, I do wonder if it's going to be as revolutionary as we all hope. Date Added: 17/11/2007
Mad Did someone say ice racing? Look at these guys lean:Ice racing. Date Added: 17/11/2007
Steven Roy By the time we get to Melbourne all of this will be forgotten and it will make minimal difference to driver performance.I remember reading a report on the first McLaren test after turbos were banned. Everyone had convinced themselves that there was effectively no throttle lag any more with the later generation turbos. Prost came out of the pits and spun on his first lap because he could not believe the throttle response. Prost the smoothest driver of his and most other generations got caught out because when he put his foot down he got an instant response. Two days later no-one was even talking about throttle response any more. Date Added: 17/11/2007
donwatters Right on about driver aids in passenger cars, Clive. They have, and will continue to, save many lives. I think Steven is right about the minimal effect no TC will have on the competition. After all, these guys are the best drivers in the world. They've competed in lots of different machines. It won't take them long to adapt. Date Added: 17/11/2007
Clive Verasaki: Yes, I remember seeing newsreel of ice racing in Scandinavia somewhere. There was some sort of ice rallying too in France, I think it was. Give people the chance and the opportunity and I think they'll race anything anywhere!Mad: Interesting video - but no cars!Steven: I'm sure they will adapt to the lack of TC very quickly but some may adapt more than others. It will probably be the same old faces at the front but there's just a chance that others will improve enough to surprise us. And Jenson Button had better be one of them!Don: Agreed. But when you're talking of hundredths of a second, a minimal difference can mean a lot. ;) Date Added: 17/11/2007
Eric M. What I don't understand about PDR's comments is how the lack of TC is a safety issue? From the other drivers comments it seems the biggest challenge of driving without TC is to control the car while accelerating out of slow corners, which to me doesn't seem like a very dangerous situation.But Steven Roy is right. After one or two more test sessions we probably won't be hearing much talk about the whole thing. Date Added: 17/11/2007
Clive It was Massa who mentioned the safety aspect actually, Eric. I think he was talking about sliding off the road in the wet if you get the accelerator slightly wrong. Which we all kinda knew anyway. I'm not sure that safety becomes an issue however, especially as the run-off areas are mostly tarmac now. Date Added: 17/11/2007
Eric M. Well, that does sound like something Massa would say... ;) Date Added: 17/11/2007
Björn Svensson Sorry guys, i know this has nothing to do with Formula1, but after all the talking of driver control and iceracing and sliding in all directions, i just began to think of my first encounter with iceracing. This was in my second year with my drivinglicence, and it was a really cold winter. I at the time drove a SAAB 95 with a V4 engine. Earlier in the automn i had just installed some new mods on the engine, and i had also bought some brand new Hakkapelitta Wintertires. The ice on the lake was thick as hell, and the motorsclub in my hometown had made a racetrack on the ice.I spent all winter out there, burning a hole in both my wallet because it's not cheap with fuel, and my tires was entirely spent after the winter.But the fun of iceracing is a feeling i can't put the right words on, it is just awesome times ten.And about driver control. There's one sport that is all about driver control, and one sport only. Speedway. No gears, no brakes, and engines with infinite torque and tires with grip that can stun even the best driver.Just look at this, and listen well to the commentators.http://youtube.com/watch?v=xxpBES4wie8 Date Added: 29/11/2007
Clive I come from Coventry, Björn, the home of the Coventry Bees, at times one of the top speedway clubs in Britain. As a sport, it seems to have lost a lot of its popularity in recent years but you are right - it is all about the riders and skill, the technology is ancient and unimportant. That video is brilliant; racing at its very best.As for ice racing, it has the same ingredients as speedway - virtually no grip so it's all about the skill of holding a car sideways, on the fine edge of adhesion. That's what fun is about! Date Added: 29/11/2007
Mad Speedway's having a bit of a resurgence at the moment (as are the Bees, they've just won the championship or something) and Flat track racing seems to be gaining popularity too. Date Added: 29/11/2007
Clive That's good news, Mad. Last I heard, which was a few years ago, the Bees were in the doldrums and without any decent riders. I should have known they'd bounce back! :) Date Added: 29/11/2007
Bj Living in sweden, one of the speedways biggest nests, and with a really big national series, it's hard to see that it is ever going to get weak or dissapear.But of course, with Tony Rickardsson out of the equation and some of the other top drivers saying byebye, it would probably be heading to a bit of a low season.And it sounds really good that the racing in britain may be gaining in popularity. Britts and swedes have always made good racing on the track. Date Added: 29/11/2007
Clive And the Danes, don't forget the Danes (my wife is Danish-American)! Date Added: 29/11/2007
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