2020 Hungarian Grand Prix - Hungaroring, July 17-19

[SiLo]

The Merc mic placement sounds horrible. I don't know why they moved them.

It's the exhaust mic and its very audible when wastegates are open. it's also been there since 2018 so im not sure what you mean by "moved" them.

On the Merc they moved the position of them (in 2018), I think a few other cars as well. The RP and Merc do not sound that different. I just with they would go back to where they were before.

[search]

those wet tire rules really need an update. Everyone is saving his full wets for the coming days, and it's too wet to use that free set of intermediates they got for the session.

[aral]

in the far distant memories that i have, i seem to recall a novel drier being used on a wet track. it was a jet engine, mounted at about an angle of 45 degrees, on the back of a truck. mind you, the truck must have had good brakes and be well loaded at the rear ! does anybody else remember where that truck appeared and where / when ?

Track drying ongoing
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdISHmjWkAA ... name=large

I've often wondered why they don't use something better. Jet dryers aren't exactly great for the asphalt, but something similar would do a much better job.

[Hoffman900]

in the far distant memories that i have, i seem to recall a novel drier being used on a wet track. it was a jet engine, mounted at about an angle of 45 degrees, on the back of a truck. mind you, the truck must have had good brakes and be well loaded at the rear ! does anybody else remember where that truck appeared and where / when ?

Track drying ongoing
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdISHmjWkAA ... name=large

I've often wondered why they don't use something better. Jet dryers aren't exactly great for the asphalt, but something similar would do a much better job.

Most tracks that I've seen use brushes to remove standing water. Jet trucks to actually dry the track, which isn't needed for Formula 1.

That's mostly restricted to ovals. NASCAR has run in the rain on road courses. You have problems with sheet flow on an oval and the speeds are just way too high.

[dans79]

in the far distant memories that i have, i seem to recall a novel drier being used on a wet track. it was a jet engine, mounted at about an angle of 45 degrees, on the back of a truck. mind you, the truck must have had good brakes and be well loaded at the rear ! does anybody else remember where that truck appeared and where / when ?

Nascar has used jet driers since 76, They were basically just a small jet engine from the 50's mounted to the back of a truck or trailer. Theyr have kind of been considered a safety hazard since Montoya hit one, and set ~200 of fuel and the track on fire.



I haven't followed nascar in almost 20 years, but i know for a while they experimented with other methods that weren't so bad for the asphalt. Like this compressed air one.
https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/n ... ks/431657/

[PlatinumZealot]

Looks to me like RP is running less downforce. Perez was even or very close through the first part of the lap and then it all fell away at the end through the twisty bits.

Yup. RP higher top speed and better accel but Mercedes braking about 25 meters later and holding tighter lines and powering on earlier.

[PlatinumZealot]

They were sold, but that is the critical thing. Renault is betting that RacingPoint cut open a W10 brake duct from last year and copied it for this year. This is in my opinion close to being illegal.

Unless their is something in the rules that prevents that, or something in sales contract that prevents that then it would be legal.

You buy the part, not the intellectual property. Just like in real life when you buy something, you do not get the right to copy and manufacture it.

Copying is the key word. Reverse engineering is not "copying" in the sense of direct duplication from drawings or surface data, and F1 aero parts are not copy protected.

A brake duct is no different that T-wing, no different than the high top side pod, or the floor slits.

[Wouter]

[nacho]

Looks to me like RP is running less downforce. Perez was even or very close through the first part of the lap and then it all fell away at the end through the twisty bits.

Yup. RP higher top speed and better accel but Mercedes braking about 25 meters later and holding tighter lines and powering on earlier.

Perez was missing apices on some corners by some margin, I think there might have been some time lost there.

[Just_a_fan]

F1 aero parts are not copy protected.

A brake duct is no different that T-wing, no different than the high top side pod, or the floor slits.

They are protected because they are intellectual property.

The key is that only Mercedes can act to protect the design as it is theirs. If Mercedes choose not to take action to protect their IP then that's up to them.

[Unc1eM0nty]

FIA rules say it's not allowed, every thing else is academic

[foxmulder_ms]

I dont even understand why this is a significant point..

1) It is the last year's part.
2) It is only about brake ducts so even if hey found to be "illegal" they can just change it with a 2mm wider/taller one and case is closed.

It is no about the whole car anyway. I think media is just making a mountain out of molehill..

[PlatinumZealot]

F1 aero parts are not copy protected.

A brake duct is no different that T-wing, no different than the high top side pod, or the floor slits.

They are protected because they are intellectual property.

The key is that only Mercedes can act to protect the design as it is theirs. If Mercedes choose not to take action to protect their IP then that's up to them.

Christian Horner disagrees with you. It is all about if documents were exchanged.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/christian ... t-copycat/

“I’ve always stood by the fact it is easier to sell a car than to copy it,” Horner told Sky Sports F1.

“You can see the closeness of those two cars but I’m sure it is probably within the rules because they is no copyright within Formula 1.

“They can photograph, they can scan them and can recreate that shape but it depends how they have had access to those components which is what Renault is complaining about.

“But it’s the fastest route to competitiveness as Racing Point has demonstrated.”

[foxmulder_ms]

OMG!!! I agree with Horner..? That cannot be good.

[zibby43]

Was this the first time Renault publicly said that they believe RP has received drawings and parts?
Spicy.

No, it was not.

In a detailed long-form interview with Motorsport.com 4 days, Renault's Executive Director Marcin Budkowski said the following:

• "Furthermore has there been an exchange of designs and of parts potentially? We believe there has been. Potentially, in the legal way, but nevertheless, if it was legal to exchange them last year, it's not legal to race them this year."