There is a total fuel available rule, how do they get around That?
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Good question. These cars always seem to be on dry tanks last lap.
The rule here is fuel per hour flow rate (100kg an hour) not so much how much fuel they have in the tank.
I don’t think running out of fuel is a problem now with how efficient the engines are so they can exceed this flow speed without too much issue, especially in qualifying.
how they got around the sensors is pure genius.
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Too many nit-noid rules. How I’d love to see a simplified rule series that encourages out-of-the-box thinking without penalizing those who do it. If someone comes up with a better idea (fan car), copy it don’t ban it. If it doesn’t work out (six wheels), the creator will can it. None of this “hey that’s a Mercedes 2019 part - you can’t use it on your car” crap. Either you have a spec racing series or you don’t. Playing this middle ground with grey areas with seemingly arbitrary penalties and hidden agreements is nuts.
You have X amount of Y fuel to burn, do whatever you want with it without running out.
The only time that fans complain about the rules is when they know about them. Social media has just provided fans with more insight, and then they complain that they don’t understand them. 
(Not calling you out, but just saying in general.)
If you had a simplified rule set, costs would skyrocket and teams would close down, because they couldn’t afford to keep up with bigger teams who could just throw a bank at coming up a solution.
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I may not know what I’m talking about, but, if you’re running with the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) at peak, if you go any leaner, you get detonation, and you slow down. If you add fuel, the EGT goes down, and you go slower. More gas won’t help. It’s different with alcohol, but F1 uses gas.
Now one thing you can do, if you’re running lean, right at the edge, and you get detonation, you can back the timing off with electronics, and stop the detonation. A rich mixture, when the combustion pressure is way up, is better than detonation. 2 cycles do that.
Oh no, I completely agree. It’s just Ferrari’s drop-off has left Mercedes without a rival. The only hope we have to see another team challenge for the championship now will come when the new regulations even out the field or give someone else the opportunity to innovate a dominating car around them.
I was actually thinking about this. Could mercedes just up and leave? Seems like a lot of money to spend to race 20 seconds in front of everyone else.
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I wonder what came first, the engine rule change several years ago, or the Mercedes development of the engine that fits the rule so well, and is dominant?
Did Mercedes have anything to do with the rule change? Will we ever know for sure?
I think Mercedes and Renault were pushing for it, Ferrari weren’t so happy about it (the initial plans were for a V4 hybrid, but Fezza got that up to V6). I recall threats of manufacturer pull outs were being bandied about. With Cosworth still able to manufacturer a V12 from scratch for Murray, it’s clear F1 could have continued without them.
Mercedes pushed ahead with the split turbo design which was crucial and took some ideas from the truck division.
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Mercedes and Ferrari were interested in a V6, but I remember Ferrari didn’t have a I4 engine in it’s line up, and they wanted to lean on the ‘road car’ relevance angle.
When they switched from an I4 to V6, it totally blew PURE out of the water, who didn’t have the money to develop another completely new engine design. PURE would have been the ‘Cosworth’ engine of the hybrid turbos, if they had stayed with the I4 design, but the costs were too great - https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/97885/pollock-says-pure-engine-very-advanced
Also, one of the key reasons that Mercedes started this era so dominant, is that they started engine development on single cylinder prototypes years before everyone else. HPP build at least three different prototypes, while Renault was still leaning on V8 successes with Red Bull, so it was no surprise everyone was so far behind Mercedes.
It was one the key things that got Lewis Hamilton onboard in 2013, because there was such an in built advantage from the engine alone.
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On a related and exciting note:
The word drama concerns me, but then Ayrton was dramatic by nature.
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Always difficult to watch anything about a subject you are extremely familiar with. Either way it’ll be interesting how they deal with the karting aspect to his career because that’s the major leap from South America to Europe.
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“The miniseries will explore Senna’s personality and family relationships. The starting point will be Ayrton’s career debut, when he moved to England, and will culminate in the tragic accident in Imola, Italy, during the San Marino Grand Prix, when he died.”
OK, so no karting then.
Hard pass so. Shame I was hoping for more footage from Parma.
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Bah. Maybe it will be a “soap opera” about his life. Maybe Netflix should run with this…
Lewis Hamilton Loves: a drama about the world champs relationships
Nico Rosberg, Top Chef
Last but not least:
House Hunters: Kimi Raikonnen and spouse search for the perfect Covid getaway.
Ten bucks says Alan and James end up watching the Senna thing anyways.
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So, seeing as how they had the engine, the only thing that was left to do was to convince Someonee to accept the new standard. Do you suppose there was any cost In that?
Of course there will be a cost to switch development to a new engine formula.
I think it’s more that it was easy for Mercedes to make the transition to the V6 formula, because they had the budget to do so, and were already ahead of the game with the hybrid turbo technology.
It would be an easier sell to the automotive market to showcase performance V6s, as thinly connected as those engines are to the road car market.
I bet that Mercedes would have been just as successful if they had run a I4 turbo.
I think many of the Big Manufacturer Factory Teams could have had a go at the L4. In Europe, Road Taxes are often based on Engine Displacement, so the Auto Manufacturers are forced to develop engines to meet the demands of the public. More power out of a smaller package and in the racing world there is always a trickle down effect to road cars from racing technology (ABS, Traction Control and various Engine Mapping Systems). I think the way many of these companies can justify their racing budgets is through R&D for the products they make money on.
Although Audi does not participate in F1, they were killing it in Le Mans with the Turbo Diesel. Huge torque, higher revs (compared to a normal diesel) and better fuel economy got Peugeot to join the mix already having a stake in developed in the diesel road market. It paid off with a few wins.
In F1’s case, I think had they gone with the L4, Renault might have seen a faster climb compared to the other manufacturers that were used to developing Exotics or High End Road Cars with larger power plants. In the end, I think the FIA attempted a compromise with the V6. After all, it’s basically a V12 cut in half and subsidized by Turbos and Hybrid-Electrics.
As for Ferrari, it sounds very reminiscent of Audi’s Road Diesels in the US. They got caught with their pants down after it was discovered their Engine Management Computers were outputting false information when checked for emissions restrictions and were forced to offer Buy Backs for over a million cars. In Racing, there are always going to be the Rule Makers touting “Spirit of the Rules” and Racers rebutting, “show me where it says we can’t do that”. In the end it is about strategy, both on and off the track. “When” you get caught, there is always a period of time before you can get back to the front.
On the other side, it is fun to watch the mid-field fights. Far more action than at the front. I was sorry to see Daniel pull out of Red Bull, but thankful he was able to get a seat with Renault. Looks like this season he has fewer Mechanical Retirements than previous seasons with RB. Lewis is a Beast for sure, Max is growing up, Sebastian looks to have his sails blown out, but Daniel and a few others just keep plucking away. Valtteri seems to be struggling, but I loved his comment about “nobody told me we’re not supposed to be racing each other”. It feels like the Drama this season has definitely moved away from the track and more to the pits, but there is some great racing to be had.