godlameroso wrote:This is good, over the last two years, the more they talk about updates, and closing the gap, and that they have enough power to rival such and such, usually means nothing. It's when they quietly do things that I know they're making actual progress. I'm guessing because all their attention is focused on technical matters. Like my teacher used to tell me "If you have time to talk, you must have nothing to do....'
Do the engine manufacturers have a shutdown over the summer for a few weeks as well as the teams?
I think they count as competitors, so would be quiet due to being locked out of the factory.
From the F1 2016 Sporting Regulations at
http://www.fia.com/regulation/category/110:
Article 21.8 (bold emphasis mine)
21.8 All competitors must observe a shutdown period of fourteen consecutive days during the time that two consecutive Events are separated by at least twenty four days during the months of July and/or August. If two consecutive Events during this period are separated by only seventeen days a shutdown period of thirteen consecutive days must be observed. In either case competitors should notify the FIA of their intended shutdown period within 30 days of the start of the championship season.
During the shutdown period no team or affiliate to a team may carry out or instruct a third party supplier to carry out any of the following activities for or on behalf of the team :
a) Operation or use of any wind tunnel (excluding any service and maintenance activity).
b) Operation or use of any computer resource for Restricted CFD Simulations (excluding any service and maintenance activity).
c) Production or development of wind tunnel parts, car parts, test parts or tooling.
d) Sub-assembly of car parts or assembly of cars.
e) Any work activity by any employee, consultant or sub-contractor engaged in design, development or production (excluding any work activity to be undertaken at the race track in preparation for the Event immediately following the shutdown period).
Each competitor must notify its suppliers of the dates of its shutdown period and must not enter into any agreement or arrangement with the intention of circumventing the prohibition on the above activities.
21.9 During the shutdown period the following activities will not be considered a breach of the above :
a) Repairs carried out with the agreement of the FIA to a car seriously damaged during the Event preceding the shutdown period.
b) The assembly and servicing of running or static show cars, none of which may entail the production, assembly or servicing of any current car parts.
c) The operation and use of any wind tunnel or computer resource for Restricted CFD Simulations provided this is being carried out for projects with no direct relation to Formula One or for or on behalf of a competitor that is not at that time within its own shutdown period.
d) Any activity the sole purpose of which is supporting projects unconnected to Formula One, subject to the written approval from the FIA.
e) Any activity in relation to the power unit as defined in Article 23.4(e).
Article 23.4 [provided for completeness as it's referred to above]
23.4 a) Unless he drives for more than one team (see 23.4(g) below), and subject to the additions described in b) and c) below, each driver may use no more than four power units during a Championship season.
b) With the consent of (and at the sole discretion of) the FIA, the number in a) above will be increased by one for any driver using a power unit provided by a manufacturer or supplier taking part in their first Championship season.
c) The number in a) above will also be increased by one if the number of Events, as scheduled at the start of the first Event of the Championship, exceeds 20.
d) If b) or c) above apply the numbers in e) and f) below will be amended accordingly.
e) For the purposes of this Article 23.4 the power unit will be deemed to comprise six separate elements, the engine (ICE), the motor generator unit-kinetic (MGU-K), the motor generator unit-heat (MGU-H), the energy store (ES), turbocharger (TC) and control electronics (CE). Each driver will therefore be permitted to use four of each of the above six components during a Championship season and any combination of them may be fitted to a car at any one time.
