Wrong type of wind?

[PSfan]

Yes Ian, we know :

I'm going to ask a possible stupid question now, as the subject's up already.

Can a wind tunnel be set so that it apes a car following another one? I mean, the cars are more often than not behind another, so what's the point in wind tunnels (beyond the obvious) if they don't allow for that being the norm?

I don't think it would take to much more space, nor power to run a tunnel long enough to accomodate 2 cars, I would expect thats the case.

However I think the BMW/Sauber wind tunnel is a little special because its large enough to accomodate cars side by side as well...

[Easy Drifter]

But the ape drives for Toy!
Being silly aside, wind tunnels can not simulate all conditions such as turning and various crosswinds as well as uphill and downhill and bumps although they are getting much more advanced. Jumping kerbs is difficult to reproduce! Wind flow from another design is another problem.
The computer software is vitally important as is the ability to understand the data produced.
Williams had a software glitch a few years ago that was giving them false data. It took quite a while to isolate it and correct it.
Honda rotate their Japanese people on the team regularly but I do not know if this involves the staff dealing with the wind tunnel. If they do that could lead to confusion especially if new people do not understand racing and the speeds and forces being exerted. Ie: downforce at high speed.

[schmenke]

Now we are going to put apes in wind tunnels? what is F1 coming to? :

More monkey business in F1 :

[Mickey T]

No, Super Aguri don't use the honda tunnel as far as i know, but they will be getting honda's current gearbox fairly soon (they've been using last year's version)

[Hazell B]

Wind flow from another design is another problem.

That's the sort of thing I meant when I asked. I've wondered how they can possibly know or guess at the wind passage from a competitor's car and work out if their car can cope with it, for example, under breaking and turning.

[Valve Bounce]

No, Super Aguri don't use the honda tunnel as far as i know, but they will be getting honda's current gearbox fairly soon (they've been using last year's version)

No wind tunnel, and last year's car and last year's gearbox? How on earth does their driver beat the Team Honda cars?

[Valve Bounce]

That's the sort of thing I meant when I asked. I've wondered how they can possibly know or guess at the wind passage from a competitor's car and work out if their car can cope with it, for example, under breaking and turning.

Very difficult; I suspect that the windflow from the different designs would vary, especially under cornering conditions. My limited knowledge of fluid mechanics would indicate that they would have enough problems just solving the issues on one car.

[wedge]

No wind tunnel, and last year's car and last year's gearbox? How on earth does their driver beat the Team Honda cars?

That's the way it goes in F1 I'm afraid.

In theory the previous year's car should be quicker than the current car, but things can go wrong.

Ferrari used to start the season with the preceding year's cars and it was still dominant. All of a sudden they had a blip in 2005 when that year's Ferrari was totally uncompetitive for a WDC.

And remember the infamous McLaren MP4/19D in 2004? The original MP4/19 was quick but easily fell apart because of Adrian Newey pushing the envelope in car design.

[wedge]

That's the sort of thing I meant when I asked. I've wondered how they can possibly know or guess at the wind passage from a competitor's car and work out if their car can cope with it, for example, under breaking and turning.

The cars are designed to run in 'clean' air because that's how the downforce is generated.

The so called 'dirty' turbulent air does very little to generate downforce, hence the understeer generated in a racing car when one car follows another.

[Valve Bounce]

That's the way it goes in F1 I'm afraid.

In theory the previous year's car should be quicker than the current car, but things can go wrong.

Ferrari used to start the season with the preceding year's cars and it was still dominant. All of a sudden they had a blip in 2005 when that year's Ferrari was totally uncompetitive for a WDC.

And remember the infamous McLaren MP4/19D in 2004? The original MP4/19 was quick but easily fell apart because of Adrian Newey pushing the envelope in car design.

Good point - why doesn't team Honda use last year's car until they sort out this year's car?