Renault's new 'Launch Control'

[F1freak]

Does anybody know about Renaults new 'Launch Control'? (or whatever it is called now.)

Did you see the way Alonso rocketed off the line!!

I heard the commentators say something about the clutch setup but wasn't paying enough attention to understand it.

[pompelmo]

Launch control is this season strictly forbiden and any kind of clutch set-up!!
Maybe Alonso was just lucky to start like so!

[lordzylos]

I heard the american comentators say that Renault calculates the exact bite point of the clutch for the current conditions on the grid, then locks that setting in place. On autosport.com they have an article about this topic, but they don't mention anything about the clutch. So I'm not sure what they really do, but the end result is great starts.

Here is the interesting bit:

There are fundamentally three ways of controlling wheelspin, via throttle inputs, fuel supply and ignition and it seems that although the launch control ban requires a driver to regulate the throttle inputs rather than doing it via a button, there is nothing to stop the teams controlling the other two factors electronically.

[scarbs]

While launch control as a complete system is banned. the teams have learnt a lot from its use and implemented it into the more manual system used this year. While the launch requires the driver to modulate throttle and clutch himself, their motion and in particular the clutch is still managed by control systems. Hence all the practice starts provides the data to select the best strategy for releasing the clutch (after the driver drops the paddle) for the track, tyres and weather. I'm not sure the level of control required for the throttle, an temporary rev limiter is often used to keep the engine at launch revs.
But what is not allowed is the control systems reacting to wheel spin, this is along the same lines as Ferraris soft traction control in 2000, which would never get the rpm to rise so quickly as to break traction even though it didn't detect wheel spin.
I have also seen the teams working unusually hard on Anti stall systems, bringing the car into the pits, then at idle letting the clutch out while in gear the engine hicoughs for a second but keeps running, ideal for loused up starts of fingers slipping of the clutch paddle at the start.

[dumrick]

I remember, some years ago, when lauch control wasn't allowed, a similar fuss about the lightning starts of the Benettons, so this is just the development of an old line of work, for sure...

[marcush.]

well...renault certainly does know abit more than the rest about getting away from the line.And as they where the class of the field with launch control and assuming they don´t cheat ,their starts where lightning because of better clutch /engine control strategy but not the automated launch sequence.
Obviously everybody else were sleeping and thought f course ...they have a lower CG height ,due to the low engine ...and they might have a better torque spread and sacrify topendhorsepower...
But now everybody is awake:It has to be the clutch or the strategy how you feed the revs and power.My bet is :clutch .

[Guest]

Renault (unsurprisingly) have refused to comment on how they get away, but did suggest people read the rules.


Well I had a look through the rules and couldnt find anything about what is and isnt allowed other than this in the technical regs:

8.2 Start systems :
8.2.1 Any system, the purpose and/or effect of which is to detect when a race start signal is given, is not permitted.
8.2.2 Whichever driver input device is used to initiate the propulsion of the car during the start of a race, a verifiable signal must be provided which indicates it’s instant of operation.

Where are the rest of the appropriate rules?!

[Racer-X]

It seems to be a kind of clutch "filter" witch controls the %of clutch based on the whell spin. As they cannot use the whell speed to control the launch, they are using the engine acceleration, i.e., the speed in which the rpm is increasing. With the diffs blocked it is easy to discover if the engine rpm increases to quick and use the clutch to control it.

[mraormk]

Another interpretation of what might be going on from f1racing.net.......

"'It's not something we want to talk about, but read the rules,' head of engineering at the Enstone-based team, Pat Symonds, told Autosport. An expert said the R24 might limit wheelspin by reducing the feed of fuel to the engine, which would not constitute the normal interpretation of launch-control."

.. I'd imagine all the teams are trying similar things - Renault's system
seems to be working the best so far so they are the ones getting the attention. (and suspicious looks)