Team slipstreaming...

[roost89]

Why isn't it used in F1?
In World Touring Cars it is used alot in Qualifying.
In F1 I very rarely see the cars running anywhere near each other, they always set-up more for free-air driving. Surely it would be of greater use to the teams to run cars behind another, at least in Practice to see how they would behave.
Also in Qualifying, I could see it be of use to a team, say Renault, where one driver is clearly faster than the other, to use the slower car to provide some sort of tow over the start/finish to give an extra boost to the opening sector.

Does the con simply out-weigh the con in this instance? Getting into said tow, around the provider simply too much of a detriment to the teams. Or would this be classed as team-rules.

[Giblet]

I don't think getting two drivers to do a dance like that that could potentially take them both out during quali is not a good idea.

Plus, the advantage for one car would require the driver to set up the perfect place to pass would be very difficult to pull off.

As well, good luck getting the ego of an F1 driver, even a number two, to be happy to not only be slower, but subservient to their team mate?

A better strategy would be to have both divers qualify as up as high as tehy can, then maybe try to help each other during a race.

but team orders are not allowed in F1.

Those are 5 reasons of the top of my head

[roost89]

Those are some good reasons, I must say. I hadn't thought of the driver ego thing at all and you're right, I can't see any driver being subservient to another.

It seems rather implausible now.

Thanks for the reasons Giblet

[andartop]

I'm sure I've seen that done in the past though, I'm just not sure when, where or by who. I'm pretty sure it was either Ferrari or McLaren. Anyone?

[Giblet]

In the 60's teammates would follow each other around Monza and the old Spa slipstreaming back and forth, but this was more due to the fact that the cars had little to no downforce, and there was no penalty to follow another car in it's slipstream, only a bonus that less power is needed to go the same speed and now you have something in the tank. It wasn't a grand plan.

Nowadays, even with the OWG's attempts, it is clear that modern F1 cars will always have wings, and these wings will not work as well if they are not in open air.

[noname]

I'm sure I've seen that done in the past though, I'm just not sure when, where or by who. I'm pretty sure it was either Ferrari or McLaren. Anyone?

I remember Mika towing David, I think it was on the main straight of the Indy.

Today, apart from aerodynamics, limitations come from relatively short qualifications, packed with action, and very even grid. There is just enough time to make two runs in each part (one might not be enough to move to the next phase as Ferrari has shown few times already). Track is constantly full of cars and so there is no time left for a towing run.

[Scotracer]

Since Touring Cars don't produce much downforce they don't lose any pace from the wake in front but they do gain in straight line-speed with reduced drag.

In F1 it is much different - they may gain a bit of straight line speed but the aerodynamics are affected so much in the rest of the circuit that the end result would be a slower lap time.

[nudger]

I'm sure I've seen that done in the past though, I'm just not sure when, where or by who. I'm pretty sure it was either Ferrari or McLaren. Anyone?

yes im pretty sure i saw senna doing it with burger during qualifying somewhere or other

[Shiny Side Up!]

I think it is down to the switch from a 1 hour / 12 Lap Qualifying session to the 3 segments. In the past, both drivers could get a good lap in early on low fuel, and if they were confident in their times they could then experiment with slipstreaming to see if they could orchestrate a great lap time - but it is relatively tough to do when the cars can't follow in one another's wake in the corner coming on to the straight.

With the 3 session Qually, in Q1 there is too much traffic in too short a time to slipstream, and in Q2 it is much the same - still a lot of traffic in a short time span. In Q3, it is all about burning off as much fuel as you can for that one flier on fresh tires at the end - the teams again don't have time to organize a slip streaming session without unduly disadvantaging one of the drivers.

[Patriiick]

Berger was notably known to tow Senna on one-lap qualif runs (with qualif tires) in Silverstone and Germany in 91.. Berger had the development engine (that would not usually last long) that summer while senna had the reliable version.

For the record, Honda pretty much built a new engine in 6 months that year..