Just read on the ‘Motorsport magazine’ website that the drivers ear pieces will now have accelerometers built in to enable the g forces experienced by the head during an accident. Pretty amazing, IMO.

Do you have a link for that article? That’s an interesting development, they already had a high-g warning light on the chassis to warn Marshall’s. If you look at pics of mansell etc driving with unsupported, exposed necks it’s surprising there weren’t more serious injuries.

Wendy Driving.

Accelerometer – ear piece link

Annoyingly Red Bull are looking okay 🙁

Cars sound shite (and v. quiet) as well.

How many good laps do we think Mercedes have got in them before they eat their tyres?

Apparently the tyres will be more durable this year. Hmmmm….

Surprised Magnussen is 0.5sec behind Button after showing good pace in the tests.

Cars sound shite as well.

Are you kidding me?? That V6 turbo sound is the nuts!! Given the choice I’d take an atmo 12, but I can deffo live with a V6. 🙂

loving the new engine tech this year – simply absurd levels of complexity in the powertrain.

pondo – Member

Are you kidding me?? That V6 turbo sound is the nuts!! Given the choice I’d take an atmo 12, but I can deffo live with a V6.

This years cars:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8cPMbXI5L8[/video]

2012
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNfX5jVqyNw[/video]

Would this:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh6bwZ4ooTI[/video]
Still be as exciting if it sounded like this:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doiAnjUvqbo[/video]

Not in my opinion. 😐
I don’t give a poo if it’s v12, v10, v8, v6 or a 4 pot. As long as it sounds fast and exotic. These sound like they’re slow and boring. It’s part of the drama. It sounds like they’re driving round on half throttle the whole time. 🙁
Hopefully the racing will be good to make up for it.

I like the the different sounds this years ‘engines’ are making – a lot more varied than the somewhat monotonous guttural noise of the v8’s / v10’s – but they do need to be quite a bit louder, imo. One of the best things about going to a GP, IMO, is the shear hair tingling decibel levels of the engines, and i don’t think this years would cut it for me, if i was trackside.

Incidently, here is another good insight into this years cars: clicky

Amazing why? I’m working with accelerometers which are easily small enough to fit in an earpiece and cost a few pounds. Hardly rocket science.

Very interesting. Faster on the straights slower and less controlled in the corners is definitely what we want. Should also be interesting if there is a significant difference in straight line and cornering speed between the Red Bull and the Mercedes for a similar lap time – simplistically the car with the better straight line should be at an advantage, but there are always options for a car carrying more cornering speed if cleverly driven.

Good article in this months Racecar Engineering. The cars don’t have engines, it’s a power unit, and the throttle pedal isn’t, it a torque demand. Also interesting rules regarding qualifying, they must start their fast lap with a full energy store, but it can’t be filled in the pits, and it would mess up tyre warming to do it on the out lap, so they’ll have to fill it in the preceding laps, and it will be hard to re-fill it after one fast lap to be able to do a second.
Also all the fuel use rules will be interesting.

aracer – Member
thekingisdead » Just read on the ‘Motorsport magazine’ website that the drivers ear pieces will now have accelerometers built in to enable the g forces experienced by the head during an accident. Pretty amazing, IMO.
Amazing why? I’m working with accelerometers which are easily small enough to fit in an earpiece and cost a few pounds. Hardly rocket science.

I know. Its such a simple solution (that i’d never have thought of)