saviour stivala wrote: ↑17 Jul 2018, 13:35
Ok, let’s take a step back and try to find a convergent point on the interpretations of the ERS rules.
Let us for example except that other than when braking the “K” can also harvest under engine power, and that the unlimited flow from “H” to “K” can be delivered on to the crankshaft. Also (of which is a fact as per the rules) the “H” flow to “ES” is unlimited. Now when Verstappen was defending and he radioed his pits saying he had no power to deploy, the prompt answer from his pit was (you used it all). It is important to note that Verstappen’s car had no technical problems, neither with any of the ERS component. So why was it that he ran out of electric power deployment for that lap, and all returned to normal on the next lap?
I think their are a couple of assumptions you have made here:
1. When Max "radioed his pits saying he had no power to deploy",
your assumption is that the SOC of his ES was at maximum, but he had to wait until the next lap to reset his 4MJ/lap allotment.
--> Was the SOC really at the maximum, or did Max simply use all of the excess energy (think "overtake mode") at that time? Remember, the PU maps are more or less automated, so the only effect the driver has on the PU usage/SOC is driving style, engine map/overtake mode/qualifying mode/"boost" button. Other than that, the PU should be in self sustaining mode, where the SOC is similar at the finish of each lap. It seems clear that Max used all the extra "power" from whatever mode he was in. I say "power" because it may have been fuel (ICE -> _H -> _K) or ES->_K that was the constraint. The _H could have recharged the ES, but that would have required "extra" fuel, and the team may have been saying "Max, you don't have any extra fuel to recharge, so you'll have to wait for the normal map to bring you to maximum SOC".
Think of it this way: each manufacturer has an optimum map for each track. That map will allow the best lap time for the entirety of the race without totally draining the ES and without using all fuel too early. In addition, there are more powerful modes - call them "overtake" or "party mode" that can be used to defend position (as in Max's case) or catch up quickly, but those modes have limited duration. After they are exhausted, more harvesting than normal must take place to recharge them. It might take a slow(er) lap, or it might take 5 slow(er) laps to recharge the party mode.
These modes just don't get reset after you cross the start/finish line. It's the same reason Mercedes can't do 5 party mode laps in a row during qualifying.
2.
"All returned to normal the next lap"
How do we know this for sure? For example - Riccardo in another race (or maybe it was Baku) said that he spent a few laps charging the ES/saving fuel for a few laps each time he wanted to attack. For him, there was no automatic reset to full SoC each lap, like you implied there was with Max. If we had telemetry, we could easily know the answer, but if we look at Honda's telemetry in the Honda PU thread, we can see exactly how the PU works.
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