Tuesday, June 28, 2011

GreenBkk.com Ferrari | THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN


What do the drivers and engineers say to one another in their radio communications in the crucial 30 minutes before the start of a grand prix? We give you access to secret live recordings made just before the 2008 British Grand Prix. A real scoop

The clocks are there, right above the cars, but no one is looking at them. Everything in the 30 minutes preceding a Grand Prix race rushes by as if you are watching a play with a very large cast of characters. In this case, what magically links the drivers, engineers, technicians and mechanics in those pathos-filled minutes leading up to the ‘off’, are the voices that travel by radio to the red headsets worn by all concerned. There are different channels: those through which drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa speak separately to their respective engineers, Chris Dyer and Rob Smedley; and the pit channel where David Lloyd and Francesco Uguzzoni issue their instructions on what to do in strict observance of the regulations that no one is immune to.

These 30 minutes are crucial, especially when unforeseen variables crop up. If the weather is uncertain – as in the case of this year’s ill-fated British Grand Prix at Silverstone – there are more decisions to be taken, which makes things much trickier. It must be remembered that once the qualifying session is over, no more technical adjustments can be made to the cars. Indeed, with the exception of the cooling panels and the brake air intakes, which may be altered as a result of changes in the weather, as well as the angle of the front wing, which are not subject to restriction, the setup and aerodynamics cannot be changed. Even the petrol is the same as that used at the end of the qualifying session. This means the decisions of the drivers and engineers on how to use the car in the first delicate laps rely solely on the adjustments permitted by the manettino rotary switches on the steering wheel, as well as the tyre pressure – both become very important.

For the benefit of those who don’t follow Formula one closely, that 30-minute period before the start of the race comprises many different elements. It starts with the cars still in the garage. The drivers don their helmets and gloves; they are strapped in, very tightly, so that they become at one with the car; and the steering wheel, activated as if it were a computer, is inserted. The tyre warmers are on; no one knows what type of tyre has been fitted – no amount of scrutiny by the television cameras will reveal what’s beneath the covers. It could be argued, however, that the type of tyre is irrelevant, as they can be changed later on the starting grid. But that single lap preceding the actual race (by now, the morning warm-up is a distant memory, while the formation lap, which happens directly prior to the start, forbids further work to be done on the car) is vital for analysing how the car behaves under the conditions of the track and with the race temperatures. After the engineers and drivers have checked that the radio is working properly – ‘Radio ok, Kimi?’ ‘Yes, the radio is ok’ – the next analysis is of what the other teams are doing. The pit lane is open for 15 minutes, normally 1.30-1.45pm. Here at Silverstone, with the race start scheduled for 1pm, the period in which the drivers must bring the car to the grid, as can be seen from the recordings, is between 12.30pm and 12.45pm. In these 15 minutes the driver can make further reconnaissance laps if he wishes. However, for those who qualified among the first 10 (who must start the race with the fuel load they had during the qualifying shoot-out, while the remainder are free to add more fuel), this would mean fuel consumption that is out of sync with the strategy established during the trials, so, unless it is absolutely necessary, once the car is out, it is taken to the grid. It’s interesting to hear in the recordings the precise instructions that Dyer has given to Räikkönen to conserve petrol and the car: ‘stick to the time that you see on the dashboard after the first Safety Car line [one of the codes well known to the drivers] and do not shift gears quickly. ok, now you can slow down; turn off the engine when you are at the end of the grid, the lads [mechanics] will push you into position.’








The cars leave the garages. The tyres chosen are the standard wet variety, which will almost certainly be used for the first part of the race. During the lap, the two drivers analyse their cars’ behaviour, bend by bend, and, together with the engineers, verify whether things get critical. (The steering wheel graphic displays the layout of the track, with a number denoting each bend. There’s no chance of misunderstanding.) It could be a braking problem on the eighth bend, or one of traction, depending on whether the car is on a stretch of asphalt that has dried out, or in wetter areas of the track. Each driver consults with his engineer over if and how he should adjust the front wing and tyre pressure. Both sets of data are available to both drivers – each can learn from the information acquired without secrets or rivalry between them. When the cars are on the starting grid, the drivers get out and talk privately with their engineers, off radio. In this phase, everything has been done, and the minutes tick away. The pit lane is closed, and the teams have just 15 minutes to fit the wheels, take off the tyre warmers and clear the grid. The drivers are not given to talking much in these minutes and they often make a final trip to the bathroom. It’s a way to take their mind off things and to remind them that even they are human. While this time-honoured ritual of last-minute silence has always been performed in the open, previously, teams and drivers enjoyed an element of privacy – but those were the days when the TV cameras were not so intrusive and image was not as important. The minutes pass. Räikkönen and Massa get into their cars – everything is as it was 20 minutes ago, but now with greater tension. The main theme is still the weather and the choice of tyres. The engineers carry out a final check of the functions. They remind the driver of the initial setting of each manettino on the driving wheel, colour by colour, and go through the start procedure. This year there are no electronic aids to check the traction (they have been banned), which used to be particularly precious when the track was wet and made it possible to entrust the start to the release of a simple button. Reading recordings of this difficult race, one realises that, what might look like errors, are in fact a consequence of this Formula one team’s desire for absolute precision. This is something that has for a long time spilled over, at least for the technology and the means used, into the realms of science fiction.

The tyre warmers of the 20 cars on the grid are removed. All have opted for the standard wet tyres, confirming to the drivers that the weather will clear up. Räikkönen, who had found the car slippery, does not react. He is confident of improving as the laps pass. Massa, who in the parade lap had listened carefully to his car, says nothing. His engineer recommends prudence in the first lap, fearing that some stretches are still too wet and slippery.
The mechanics leave the grid and run towards the garage – they have to make last-minute adjustments due to unforeseen circumstances in the first moments. All eyes are focused on the TV screens in the pits. The drivers are on their own now. True, there’s the radio, but the distance between pit and car is now huge. The track is still sending up sprays of water but it should quickly dry out – well, according to the forecast of Formula one’s sophisticated weather system. During the formation lap the engineers make their last recommendations and ask for any adjustments to be made to the car’s grip. Then it’s back to the grid. Red light. Lights off. Go! The 30 minutes are up. Everything done and planned up to now is transformed into action. Each has his role, even the weather experts who unfortunately really did get it wrong this time. As they say, ‘Motor racing is dangerous!’

Felipe’s radio channel
FM = Felipe Massa, driver
RS = Robert Smedley, race engineer
GS = Giuliano Salvi, vehicle engineer

12:37:17 RS: ok mate… gonna do the time you can do, you are two seconds too slow at the minute, you need to speed up by two seconds, ok it’s coming down now… it’s six seconds too slow, five… radio check, OK for you?
12:37:41 FM: Yes no problem… turn nine now.
12:37:47 RS: ok, see you exit turn nine, lap time is almost perfect, you are one-tenth too slow, almost perfect, just hold it around there… ok, see you coming up to the Abbey chicane, turn 11 left right onto the straight going up to the bridge. Your lap time is absolutely perfect at the minute; you are three hundredths too fast, one tenth too fast, absolutely perfect, just hold it there…
12:38:29 RS: Ok, lap time is absolutely spot on, lap time is half a second too fast, you can slow down by half a second but almost perfect. Just coming up to safety line, so after the safety line coast down, coast down and you do a clutch bite point… ok, clutch bite point please, I see you on the grid…
12:40:02 RS: I will do, just get out now is all I ask, but honestly I think I mean it, we’re still on the … there’s a bit of light breaking towards the sky so it’s gonna be light rain, nothing that… the entry at the minute…
12:41:26 RS: Giuly, did you speak to me or did someone speak to me?
12:41:44 GS: Ok then, thank you.
12:41:51 RS: Giuly, the conditions he said even like this are fine for intermediate. There’s a little bit of standing water but should soon clear.
12:42:01 GS: Ok, thank you.
12:43:53 GS: Fine on Felipe’s car, obviously in the lap before the start we need to work a bit.
12:55:01 FM: You hear me?
12:55:10 RS: Yeah, sorry mate I was a little bit lost doing a pressure check. ok, you prepared? Ok, no no, ok, so five minutes left…
12:55:44 RS: Lads, rear caps, rear caps, we’re doing a deduction.
12:56:45 RS: Ok, three minutes 30 seconds remaining. every piece of information we have at the minute, all the people we know are obviously on the wet tyres; nobody is on any others tyres and the radar at the minute is that this shower, this little rain, will last for five minutes and then nothing to happen afterwards. We know what the lap time is to be and start thinking about the dries.
12:58:02 RS: Two minutes…
12:59:30 FM: Rob, just remember about the torque map five straight away, as quick as possible.
12:59:45 RS: Exactly, you’ve got 15 seconds less down, remember you’re gonna do the first lap and the start in that map because it’s locked, remember. So the first lap you need to be careful, good feedback.
13:00:18 FM: Mixture position safety car, rpm P1, mixture position safety car, rpm P1, get all the gears, get all the gears down, turn seven.

Kimi’s radio channel
KR = Kimi Räikkönen, driver
CD = Chris Dyer, race engineer
CA = Claudio Albertini, engine engineer
AS = Andrea Stella, vehicle engineer

12:30:13 CD: Radio check kimi, can you hear me?
12:32:04 CD: Ok, let’s get the monitor changed for kimi… a couple of cars have gone to the pits… going to the grid now; I think they’ve all gone on extreme wet… Mclaren has mounted inters… just wait a bit, see if anybody else goes on inters…
12:32:41 CD: Ok, Kovalainen just went out on inters.
12:32:54 CD: Hamilton as well on standard wets.
12:34:17 CD: Ok, one of the BMWs just went out on inters as well. I think we have to go to the grid on inters just to see how the situation is… just confirm you can hear me.
12:34:23 KR: Ja, I can hear you.
12:35:58 CD: Ok, let’s go.
12:36:30 CD: Ok, remember the zero procedure: select first gear, three seconds and then go.
12:37:38 CD: I’m not sure how you are for the pace but I see +2 on the split times so if you can, pick up the pace a bit.
12:39:05 KR: I don’t know how it can be so slippery… the car has no grip at all on the track.
12:39:14 CD: Understood, understood.
12:39:28 CD: All front and rear are very bad… I don’t know if we are doing well but it didn’t feel exactly nice.
12:40:00 CD: Andrea, can you check tyre pressures between the cars and let me know if there’s anything obvious?
12:40:21 AS: Yeah yeah, I was just doing it…
12:40:47 CA: Chris, no change predicted lap, no change.
12:40:53 CD: Thanks Claudio.
12:41:03 CD: And Andrea, let me know how the balance situation looks for the two cars.
12:42:01 CD: Tyres away for Kimi.
12:42:12 CD: Andrea, give me the pressure numbers.
12:42:37 AS: Ok Chris…
12:44:37 AS: So Chris, we were pushing a bit more into the corners… you listening to me now?
12:44:45 CD: Yeah.
12:44:59 AS: We were pushing more in the corners than Felipe… in the high-speed part, the first part, he was sliding in the front so it’s difficult to say about the balance… was trying to warm up the front… then braking for turn eight, rear is locking so we’re getting oversteer in braking, then oversteer out of 11 so, traction seems slippery, so mainly traction and rear end… so probably need to go down more with the front wing.
12:48:01 CD: Claudio, just to confirm from his start mixture.
12:48:13 CA: P5 Chris, he starts in mix P5.
12:49:17 CD: Recommendations for Kimi are brake balance forward for corner [specifies bend].
12:54:50 CD: Radio check, Kimi can you hear me?
12:54:58 KR: Ja, radio is ok for me.
12:55:03 CD: So we increase the pressures and drop the front flap another half a degree… Andrea has things to go through with you…
12:55:22 AS: I was having a look at Felipe’s lap. he was having the same issue locking the rears in corner [specifies bend], and I recommend brake balance forward for corner [specifies bend].
12:55:46 CD: Ok, the switch position… you should go five on the white, five on red, five on pink, smooth one on black and eight on orange… the black switch doesn’t have a big effect with wet tyres – there’s another map for the wet – but I put it in smooth so at the pit stop if we go to dry, go straight out in smooth, then go fast if you feel it’s ok… in terms of the weather we are predicting a few drops of rain before the start but nothing heavier, and then nothing for… the forecast… so at least probably for the first half of the race.
12:56:40 CD: In terms of procedures, we do a start off the grid then you go two on the white switch, one on red and safety car on the pink switch… high revs down-shift in the first gear before the burn-out and then at least three burn-outs before the last corner, four burn-outs after the last corner… when you arrive on the grid, white switch to five, red switch to five.
12:58:37 CD: Intermediates for Alonso and Heidfeld, we believe intermediates for Hamilton, intermediates for Kovalainen.
12:59:38 CD: Yes, nobody on extremes, everyone on inters.

PUBLISHED IN HOME, RACES BY ANTONIO GHINI ON 04.13.2011

Credit: Ferrari S.p.A. (www.ferrari.com)

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