The Official 2012 F1 Thread. Spoilers possible!

[wxwax]

The above post was in response to a post by Geode, who apparently had second thoughts about it and deleted it.

[g®eg]

naked RB 8 and floor piece

[g®eg]

alternator failure analysis

LINK

[wxwax]

Originally Posted by g®eg

alternator failure analysis

LINK

Good link, thanks. The history of that particular alternator design is a nice insight into parts development on an F1 car. And it answered the question it raised in my mind: they are permitted to change engine appendages (alternator, water pump, etc.) without penalty (though, presumably not in parc ferme.)

[Dilligaf0220]

Was off camping in the bush last weekend and just got a chance to watch the race.
Really wish they'd drop Valencia off the calendar, it's always just such a boring race.






And it's always Hamilton's fault, just as a rule of thumb.

[Dilligaf0220]

Originally Posted by wxwax

Watching them on the pit wall, patting Vettel on the head like a pet dog reinforces my feelings about the kid.

[wxwax]

An interesting off week.

First, the German banker is convicted of corruption: pocketing $44 million of Bernie's money. Immediately, everyone wonders if the Germans would now charge Bernie with bribery. He remains under investigation.

The next day Bernie artfully takes the spotlight off of his legal issues by pretending he'd sponsor a London Grand Prix. In a flash, a trivial PR stunt by McLaren sponsor Santander turns into a major story. Good job, Bernie.

Lastly, Santander produces a video of their pretend-race which highlights the problems with city tracks. Even a route picked for its scenic interest, going past all sorts of London landmarks, becomes an anonymous concrete canyon. Even worse, the dolts run their pretend-race at night, thus making the landmarks very hard to see. Dummies!

[doyle]

Very bad testing crash for Marussian this morning. Maria de Villota. After some straight line aero testing, apparently she was coming into their pit area and the speculation is that the anti-stall kicked in and accelerated her under the loading platform of the team's lorry. Head and facial injuries that were initially reported as life threatening.

The anti-stall kicks in when the driver slows and the ECU detects the revs falling too far. It puts the throttle at 50% to keep the engine from stalling. Usually the drivers have the car in neutral by that point and it's a non-issue, but it is suspected that on only her second test, she may have been caught out. Seems a little odd to me that the functionality could be engaged while a gear is selected, but I am not completely sure of it's full parameters.

Best thoughts for her.

Motor racing-De Villota seriously injured after crash
Tue Jul 3, 2012 4:19pm IST
* De Villota taken to hospital

* Car hits parked truck at airfield

* Injuries said to be 'life-threatening' (Adds ambulance service statement)

By Alan Baldwin

LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - Spanish female Formula One test driver Maria De Villota was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after her Marussia car hit a parked truck at an airfield in eastern England.

The Marussia team said in a statement that De Villota, who was testing the car for the first time, was injured after completing an installation run at Duxford airfield at around 0810 GMT.

"Maria has been transferred to hospital. Once her medical condition has been assessed a further statement will be issued," the team added.

East of England ambulance service spokesman Gary Sanderson said in a separate statement that the driver had "sustained life-threatening injuries" and was at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge.

BBC Cambridgeshire presenter Chris Mann, who was at the Imperial War Museum-owned airfield for the straight-line test, said the car "inexplicably accelerated" into the back of the team's parked support truck.

"The driver's helmet was impacted on the side of the truck," he reported. "It just happened suddenly, a very shocking incident.

"The car slowed down as you see happens during a grand prix, for it to then be reversed into the pits which was actually a tent. But at the last second it just suddenly accelerated again so by the time it hit the truck, it was doing 30 or 40 miles an hour."

Mann said De Villota, 32, was trapped in the car for a considerable time with emergency services attending her immediately.

"It appeared to me that she wasn't moving for about 10 or 15 minutes. We saw her move her hands after about a quarter of an hour and it took almost an hour for the ambulance (staff) to feel confident to take her out of the car."

The driver is the daughter of former F1 racer Emilio De Villota.

She was appointed test driver of Russian-licensed Marussia in March, making her the only woman in such a role at the time although Williams have since handed a similar development role to Suzie Wolff.

De Villota has raced in various series and tried out a Renault Formula One car last August.

Marussia's race regulars are German driver Timo Glock, who missed the last grand prix in Valencia through illness, and Frenchman Charles Pic.

The team have no reserve driver and De Villota lacks the necessary super-licence for the role. (Editing by Ed Osmond)

[RedRocket]

Originally Posted by doyle

Very bad testing crash for Marussian this morning. Maria de Villota. After some straight line aero testing, apparently she was coming into their pit area and the speculation is that the anti-stall kicked in and accelerated her under the loading platform of the team's lorry. Head and facial injuries that were initially reported as life threatening.

The anti-stall kicks in when the driver slows and the ECU detects the revs falling too far. It puts the throttle at 50% to keep the engine from stalling. Usually the drivers have the car in neutral by that point and it's a non-issue, but it is suspected that on only her second test, she may have been caught out. Seems a little odd to me that the functionality could be engaged while a gear is selected, but I am not completely sure of it's full parameters.

Best thoughts for her.

Wow, electronics by Toyota.
Hope she's gonna be OK.

[wxwax]

Doyle, thanks for the explanation. I'd been trying to figure out what had happened. Very sad. I hope she recovers, isn't brain impaired and isn't disfigured. That's a lot to hope for, I suppose. Best wishes.

[HarveyMushman]

Originally Posted by doyle

Very bad testing crash for Marussian this morning. Maria de Villota. After some straight line aero testing, apparently she was coming into their pit area and the speculation is that the anti-stall kicked in and accelerated her under the loading platform of the team's lorry. Head and facial injuries that were initially reported as life threatening.

The anti-stall kicks in when the driver slows and the ECU detects the revs falling too far. It puts the throttle at 50% to keep the engine from stalling. Usually the drivers have the car in neutral by that point and it's a non-issue, but it is suspected that on only her second test, she may have been caught out. Seems a little odd to me that the functionality could be engaged while a gear is selected, but I am not completely sure of it's full parameters.

Best thoughts for her.

Audio of crash, HERE.

[srad600]

Originally Posted by doyle

Very bad testing crash for Marussian this morning. Maria de Villota.

Best thoughts for her.

Read this morning that her injuries are still life threatening, and the she is going to loose her right eye... That is absolutely horrible.

[wxwax]

Ugh, that's terrible. End of her career, beginning of a struggle to adapt to a new kind of life. Worse things are happening in the world, but I feel really bad for her.

[g®eg]

getting ready for the next GP!

Toro Rosso sidepod & exhaust



Red Bull on the set-up rig



Williams



Lotus



Williams with a McLaren style exhaust

[g®eg]

Big John goes for the upgrade...

just in case Maldonado is looking to run him off the track again