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Written by Dan Carney
American Formula One viewers squinting through bleary eyesat the live early-morning broadcasts from Europe have noticed changes to thesophisticated race cars for the 2017: they are visibly lower, wider andsquatter-looking than last year"s cars. What hasn"t changed is the continuing use of thehybrid-electric systems with electric motors to augment the combustion power of turbocharged1.6-L 90-degree V6s. Teams admit that the internal-combustionengines produce more than 600 horsepower, while the electric motors add another160 horsepower for about 33 seconds during each lap though it is suspectedthat the front-running Mercedes and Ferrari teams are well ahead of theofficial ratings. Engines are restricted to 15,000 rpm by theregulations, but a mandatory instantaneous fuel-flow limit has the practicaleffect of keeping them from ever reaching that peak. The 2016 system of limited "tokens" that permitted in-season updates topowertrain technology has been eliminated, permitting unlimitedongoing development, which is anticipated to help power output laggards Honda andRenault catch up with front-runners Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari as the season progresses, ratherthan locking them into their inferior places, as was the case in past seasons. Lap times have tumbled this season as a consequence offatter Pirelli racing tires and wider wings that stick them to the pavementwith enough grip that the cars now corner with an even more neck-straining 6.5gsof force. Wide track "Practically just by looking at it, one can tell the speedthe new car has increased as a result of more downforce and shorter brakingdistances measured against lap time, not top speed it is written all overits face," enthused Sauber technical director J rg Zander about his team"s 2017challenger. Most of the changes for this year, as Zander suggests, arevisibly obvious. Front wing span is increased from 1650 mm (65 in) to 1800 mm (70.9 in) and thecar"s maximum width is up from 1800 mm to 2000 mm (78.7 in). At 950 mm (37.4 in), the rear wing is 200 mm (7.9 in) wider than before, but at800 mm (31.5 in) tall, it sits 150 mm (5.9 in) lower than in 2016. Rear downforce is furtherbolstered by an enlarged diffuser, which is now 175 mm (6.9 in) deep rather than the previous 125 mm (4.9 in) depth. Finally, themaximum width of the car"s fuselage is increased to 1600 mm (63 in) from 1400 mm (55.1 in). "It is a sea change for Formula One," noted Bob Bell,technical director for RenaultSport. The sport needed one after several seasonsof predictable Mercedes-Benz dominance. "When you get a reset, that [performance]gap closes down," he said. "The regulation changes help level the playing fielda little bit." The deregulation of some aerodynamic restrictions alsopermits some creativity, Bell pointed out. "We are freer on aero than before." RenaultSport explored some of those options using Europe"slargest 3D printer for sintered metal parts to produce components for theteam"s 60%-size wind tunnel model. The 20,000 printed metal parts each yearare supplemented by the team"s 3D Systems plastic printer. Today, teams use 3D printing for models, but McLarenrevealed that it is using a Stratasys 3D printer at the track to produce somereplacement parts on-site. RenaultSport predicts that within a decade teamswill be able to replace complex castings such as the gearbox housing withprinted parts. An invisible change to the 2017 cars that is related to thewider wheels and tires is the use of "blown hubs." The cars" wheel hubs havebeen designed to flow air to cool their bearings and the cars" brakes, but withthe wider tires creating more aerodynamic drag, teams were motivated to reduce front-tire drag by increasing the airflow from the brake cooling-duct by filling the low-pressurewake alongside the wheel face with higher-pressure air from the hub. Fatter rubber Pirelli says it has rethought the entire concept of the F1tire in response to changes in technical regulations that make the tires widerthan before. New construction techniques have improved the distribution offorces in the bead area and footprint, providing greater consistency anddriveability through corners, according to the company. The object, in response to criticism in recent seasons thatdrivers were forever taking it easy on their tires when fans wanted to see themrace, was to provide more durable tires as well as to raise the level of grip. "Sometimes a problem in the past was that the drivers couldnot be aggressive and attack on the tires," noted 1997 F1 world champion driverJacques Villeneuve. "Right now it is a tire where the drivers can actually beaggressive." "Drivers can now enter a corner a little bit sideways andnot destroy the tire and still be aggressive," he explained. Last year, suchbehavior would quickly disarm an attacking driver, as the ruined tires wouldslow his car. Tires for 2017 are about 25% wider than before, withthe fronts growing from 245 mm (9.6 in) to 305 mm (12 in) wide and the rears expanding from 325 mm (12.8 in)in 2016 to 405 mm (15.9 in) this season. These wider tires are also 10 mm (0.4 in) larger in outerdiameter, though the wheel diameter remains unchanged at the sport"s historic 330 mm (13 in). With the battery-electric Formula E cars running a much-larger 457-mm (18-in) wheel diameter, thetraditional F1 wheel diameter seems ripe for updating the next time the tirerules are revisited but for now that one measurement remains sacrosanct. Pirelli distinguishes its tire compounds usingdifferent-colored sidewall lettering so that fans can tell which tires thatdrivers are using, providing an immediate visual cue regarding how much grip the driver might have or how long thetires might last before the need to pit for fresh rubber. This season sees the arrival of a new, purple-lettered "ultrasoft" compound thatis grippier still than the existing red "supersoft." Yellow indicates "soft"and white is for medium tires. Orange sidewall lettering indicates "hard" compound. For therain tires, intermediate rain tires are green and the full rain tires are blue. "For the 2017 season, thesport asked us to develop tires with less degradation, which allow drivers topush to the maximum," said Mario Isola, Pirelli racing managerduring a tire test. "The target was for lap times that were five secondsfaster compared to Barcelona (race course) in 2015. Yesterday, Valtteri Bottas set a besttime of 1:19.705 on ultrasoft tires. Considering that the pole time in 2015 atBarcelona was 1:24.681, I would say that this objective has been met." Even the regular, yellow-lettered medium-compound Pirelli tire ishugely improved from last year. "At thetest in Spain, it appears to be a very fast, very strong and extremely consistenttire, enabling drivers to be extremely fast. Already it is more than threeseconds faster than the same situation last year." Indeed, this seems to be a summation of the overall resultsof the 2017 Formula One changes, which have seen drivers racing harder than in recent years, tothe satisfaction of the fans. While many enthusiasts still long for the soundof the late V10 engines, 2017"s changes are indicative of a new responsivenessto fans" interest in more compelling racing and more exciting cars, which bodeswell for upcoming seasons.
Date written: 08-May-2017 04:56 EDT
More of this article on the SAE International Website
ID: 7708
American Formula One viewers squinting through bleary eyesat the live early-morning broadcasts from Europe have noticed changes to thesophisticated race cars for the 2017: they are visibly lower, wider andsquatter-looking than last year"s cars. What hasn"t changed is the continuing use of thehybrid-electric systems with electric motors to augment the combustion power of turbocharged1.6-L 90-degree V6s. Teams admit that the internal-combustionengines produce more than 600 horsepower, while the electric motors add another160 horsepower for about 33 seconds during each lap though it is suspectedthat the front-running Mercedes and Ferrari teams are well ahead of theofficial ratings. Engines are restricted to 15,000 rpm by theregulations, but a mandatory instantaneous fuel-flow limit has the practicaleffect of keeping them from ever reaching that peak. The 2016 system of limited "tokens" that permitted in-season updates topowertrain technology has been eliminated, permitting unlimitedongoing development, which is anticipated to help power output laggards Honda andRenault catch up with front-runners Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari as the season progresses, ratherthan locking them into their inferior places, as was the case in past seasons. Lap times have tumbled this season as a consequence offatter Pirelli racing tires and wider wings that stick them to the pavementwith enough grip that the cars now corner with an even more neck-straining 6.5gsof force. Wide track "Practically just by looking at it, one can tell the speedthe new car has increased as a result of more downforce and shorter brakingdistances measured against lap time, not top speed it is written all overits face," enthused Sauber technical director J rg Zander about his team"s 2017challenger. Most of the changes for this year, as Zander suggests, arevisibly obvious. Front wing span is increased from 1650 mm (65 in) to 1800 mm (70.9 in) and thecar"s maximum width is up from 1800 mm to 2000 mm (78.7 in). At 950 mm (37.4 in), the rear wing is 200 mm (7.9 in) wider than before, but at800 mm (31.5 in) tall, it sits 150 mm (5.9 in) lower than in 2016. Rear downforce is furtherbolstered by an enlarged diffuser, which is now 175 mm (6.9 in) deep rather than the previous 125 mm (4.9 in) depth. Finally, themaximum width of the car"s fuselage is increased to 1600 mm (63 in) from 1400 mm (55.1 in). "It is a sea change for Formula One," noted Bob Bell,technical director for RenaultSport. The sport needed one after several seasonsof predictable Mercedes-Benz dominance. "When you get a reset, that [performance]gap closes down," he said. "The regulation changes help level the playing fielda little bit." The deregulation of some aerodynamic restrictions alsopermits some creativity, Bell pointed out. "We are freer on aero than before." RenaultSport explored some of those options using Europe"slargest 3D printer for sintered metal parts to produce components for theteam"s 60%-size wind tunnel model. The 20,000 printed metal parts each yearare supplemented by the team"s 3D Systems plastic printer. Today, teams use 3D printing for models, but McLarenrevealed that it is using a Stratasys 3D printer at the track to produce somereplacement parts on-site. RenaultSport predicts that within a decade teamswill be able to replace complex castings such as the gearbox housing withprinted parts. An invisible change to the 2017 cars that is related to thewider wheels and tires is the use of "blown hubs." The cars" wheel hubs havebeen designed to flow air to cool their bearings and the cars" brakes, but withthe wider tires creating more aerodynamic drag, teams were motivated to reduce front-tire drag by increasing the airflow from the brake cooling-duct by filling the low-pressurewake alongside the wheel face with higher-pressure air from the hub. Fatter rubber Pirelli says it has rethought the entire concept of the F1tire in response to changes in technical regulations that make the tires widerthan before. New construction techniques have improved the distribution offorces in the bead area and footprint, providing greater consistency anddriveability through corners, according to the company. The object, in response to criticism in recent seasons thatdrivers were forever taking it easy on their tires when fans wanted to see themrace, was to provide more durable tires as well as to raise the level of grip. "Sometimes a problem in the past was that the drivers couldnot be aggressive and attack on the tires," noted 1997 F1 world champion driverJacques Villeneuve. "Right now it is a tire where the drivers can actually beaggressive." "Drivers can now enter a corner a little bit sideways andnot destroy the tire and still be aggressive," he explained. Last year, suchbehavior would quickly disarm an attacking driver, as the ruined tires wouldslow his car. Tires for 2017 are about 25% wider than before, withthe fronts growing from 245 mm (9.6 in) to 305 mm (12 in) wide and the rears expanding from 325 mm (12.8 in)in 2016 to 405 mm (15.9 in) this season. These wider tires are also 10 mm (0.4 in) larger in outerdiameter, though the wheel diameter remains unchanged at the sport"s historic 330 mm (13 in). With the battery-electric Formula E cars running a much-larger 457-mm (18-in) wheel diameter, thetraditional F1 wheel diameter seems ripe for updating the next time the tirerules are revisited but for now that one measurement remains sacrosanct. Pirelli distinguishes its tire compounds usingdifferent-colored sidewall lettering so that fans can tell which tires thatdrivers are using, providing an immediate visual cue regarding how much grip the driver might have or how long thetires might last before the need to pit for fresh rubber. This season sees the arrival of a new, purple-lettered "ultrasoft" compound thatis grippier still than the existing red "supersoft." Yellow indicates "soft"and white is for medium tires. Orange sidewall lettering indicates "hard" compound. For therain tires, intermediate rain tires are green and the full rain tires are blue. "For the 2017 season, thesport asked us to develop tires with less degradation, which allow drivers topush to the maximum," said Mario Isola, Pirelli racing managerduring a tire test. "The target was for lap times that were five secondsfaster compared to Barcelona (race course) in 2015. Yesterday, Valtteri Bottas set a besttime of 1:19.705 on ultrasoft tires. Considering that the pole time in 2015 atBarcelona was 1:24.681, I would say that this objective has been met." Even the regular, yellow-lettered medium-compound Pirelli tire ishugely improved from last year. "At thetest in Spain, it appears to be a very fast, very strong and extremely consistenttire, enabling drivers to be extremely fast. Already it is more than threeseconds faster than the same situation last year." Indeed, this seems to be a summation of the overall resultsof the 2017 Formula One changes, which have seen drivers racing harder than in recent years, tothe satisfaction of the fans. While many enthusiasts still long for the soundof the late V10 engines, 2017"s changes are indicative of a new responsivenessto fans" interest in more compelling racing and more exciting cars, which bodeswell for upcoming seasons.
Date written: 08-May-2017 04:56 EDT
More of this article on the SAE International Website
ID: 7708
