The FIA are failing to make teams stick to the traction control ban according to ITV’s Ted Kravitz. The teams have been using special engine setting maps at the start of the races to simulate launch control and get their cars off the line as quickly as possible – and efforts to stop the practice … Continue reading How teams dodge traction control ban
traction control articles archive
Video: Has Felipe Massa been found out?
Posted onTwo races, two DNFs for Felipe Massa. There were plenty of people speculating that the Ferrari driver would struggle without traction control and electronic engine braking – and they appear to have been proven correct.
Heidfeld reveals McLaren start system
Posted onNick Heidfeld has publicly praised a system he claims McLaren have to make their starts more effective. He told Sport Bild: McLaren have a starting system that allows [Lewis] Hamilton and [Heikki] Kovalainen to pull away with only 9,000 revs. On the other hand, we [BMW] need to use much higher speeds when we begin … Continue reading Heidfeld reveals McLaren start system
Interview: F1 journalist Nigel Roebuck
Posted onNigel Roebuck hasn’t missed many races since he started covering Grands Prix in 1971, but when he skipped the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos for the first time, he wrote about relieved he was not to be going to Sao Paulo – and incurred the wrath of the most powerful man in Formula 1: When … Continue reading Interview: F1 journalist Nigel Roebuck
MES denies teams could cheat on traction control
Posted onMcLaren Electronic Systems has denied that F1 teams could find a way around the new-for-2008 standard engine control unit. It follows a complaint from Jarno Trulli that some teams might have found away around the system to restore the banned traction control. MES CEO Peter van Manen said: Once you have decided to have a … Continue reading MES denies teams could cheat on traction control
A close look at McLaren’s standard ECU
Posted onAt the Autosport International show last weekend I came across the stand for McLaren Electronic Systems – the company which won the bid to provide the standard engine control unit to Formula 1 teams for 2008. Although the deal attracted little attention when it was announced in 2006 it has become a bone of contention, … Continue reading A close look at McLaren’s standard ECU
Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa disagree on traction control
Posted onWhen I read Kimi Raikkonen’s response at the 2008 Ferrari launch on Sunday to a question about whether banning traction control will make F1 less safe I was delighted to see he’d offered an opinion about it. And when I realised what he said went completely against team mate Felipe Massa’s feelings I was even … Continue reading Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa disagree on traction control
Imagining ‘Formula X’
Posted onHas Formula one lost sight of its purpose to be the ultimate form of motor racing with cars at the absolute cutting edge of technology? The FIA’s recent plans to reduce teams’ use of wind tunnels is just the latest in a long line of steps taken to reduce the development of Formula 1 cars. … Continue reading Imagining ‘Formula X’
David Coulthard: “This is another Senna situation”
Posted onDavid Coulthard is worried about the planned ban on tyre warmers for the 2009 season: The tyres are operating in a very different temperature range, and we are talking about some cars with 20psi and others that have just 14psi. This is another Senna situation. Does he have justified cause for alarm?
Traction control ban: Better races, less safe, more controversy?
Posted onIt’s been interesting to see how the drivers and teams reacted to last week’s test at which most (if not all) the teams tried running the cars with the standard electronic control unit for 2008 installed and the removal of traction control. Questions have been raised over safety and how hard it will be to … Continue reading Traction control ban: Better races, less safe, more controversy?
F1 in the news 58: Everyone’s going green
Posted onIn the F1 news this week a look at F1’s steps towards a green future and the radical plan to freeze engine specifications for a decade. Plus an intriguing new candidate joins the list of drivers vying for Fernando Alonso’s vacant seat at McLaren, Michael Schumacher goes bike racing and the Australian Grand Prix could … Continue reading F1 in the news 58: Everyone’s going green