marcel171281 wrote: ↑23 May 2022, 11:32
chrisc90 wrote: ↑23 May 2022, 11:16
Does anyone know why it’s always Max that has the DRS issues? Both at the end of last season and continuing into this season?
I wonder if there is weight saving going on (as Christian briefly mentioned in an interview after the race) which is affecting performance however, you would expect that to have a lasting effect rather than intermittently work.
So maybe the problem is hydraulic where by the system can’t maintain the pressure required to keep the flap open. Which could explain why it was working on the shorter stints where the system had more chance to build pressure due to the longer distances. I wonder if max ‘skipped’ using DRS on the shorter straight, but used it on the start/finish it would have helped.
I don’t know how the DRS hydraulics system works so I could be completely wrong.
Another theory is the flap is opening too much and drops back down too far which causes the system to fail in the way it does. Almost like a road cars ECU boost PID can be programmed to allow a small ‘overshoot’ or be programmed to bring things in slower the closer it gets to its expected point. I’m sure I’ve seen somewhere DRS flap angle mentioned which could explain a PID theory.
However, it’s more worrying that the issue has never surfaced on Checo’s car (or at least I’ve seen) which is strange as you would expect any weight saving or other performance measures to be echo’d across both cars.
The work they were doing in the garage to the flap wing, sanding, glueing etc would seem to suggest it not being a hydraulic or system issue which adds even more confusion to the mix.
Would love to see them get on top of this issue that is again showing itself even if it means adding a fraction more weight back onto the car. With the slippery straight line speed of the bulls, the DRS helps that little bit more with top end speed.
Yesterdays DRS problem was very different from the problem last year. Last year the opening was never the problem, it was the oscilation of the DRS flap when open, causing cracks at the mounting point of the flap. Also Perez had the same problems last year.
Max's engineer told him to open the DRS after the curb on the main straight. It didn't help all the time, but looked like it opened more often that way. So maybe the vibrations had something to do with it as well.
Also I wonder if the speed when opening the DRS on the main straight is higher than after turn 9. In that case there would be more downforce on the wing, making it harder to open. That could suggest less hydraulic pressure, needed to open it against the downforce at the time.
My guess is that the issue is not in the DRS hardware. There is little need to go marginal on the force.
Think it is more in safety. Katherin Legge demonstrated in Road America what happens if you enter a corner without RW. No steering and no braking. I guess the same is true for DRS stuck open.
A logical design would IMO be; to have the DRS default closed, and only open by a continuous signal (no latching). It would also not surprise me if there is a sensor driven logic which deactivates the DRS if for instance the car suspects it is off track or otherwise out of control.
That could explain the connection with vibrations although it is odd that the curbs are before the actual deployment line.