as mentioned in other threads the kers cancels out the moveable wing. my ? is why is the advantage given to the trailing car? the fia has limited the lead car to one blocking move and now adds the wing thing. if a car is fast enough than a pass should be able to be made. but we have seen twice now with rotus/ferrari that one has to be really faster or the lead driver makes a huge mistake. i just don't like regulated passing. there is plenty of passes made by mid-field cars that are just not televised.
just my rant.

 

so the trailing car can pass the lead car, I think??



Moveable rear wing can only be used during a race on a designated section when trailing car is within a second of the lead car OR "Lapped drivers will be permitted to use the Drag Reduction System to un-lap themselves". Lead car can always use KERS.

Jenson Button was faster than Massa and deployed the wing, but Massa used KERS (I think). It also seems like the rules give the lead car a defense mechanism (KERS + one move) and the trailing car one attack mechanism (wing) thereby ensuring they negate each other.

Also noticed that car balance was getting upset when trailing cars braked into a corner as braking closes the wing and changes the aero. Not a fan of regulated passing either but I dont think the regs seem to have a big impact on passing to the extent I thought they would. Also not a fan of artifically wet races.

 

It will get better, they are learning how to used it and BTW Jenson used both KERS & DRS to pass Felipe

 

one could easily argue that the overtaking car has a distinct disadvantage previously.
The turbulence created by the lead car robbed the trailing car of any opportunity to overtake in corners.
As you got close and into the dirty air the front end would just wash out whereas
the lead car in clean air could maintain cornering and just drive away.

this just balances things out a little.
get close during the corners and then pass 'em on the straights.

 

i understand the washout problem and think that that is something each team deals with as they see fit with their race setup. fia rule changes have reduced the aero packages over the past seasons in an attempt to resolve this and slow the cars down. but this is now getting stupid, having components activated by race control to aid in one car passing another or race control issuing a car to detour ( aren't they racing for position?). hey if the trailing car/driver is good/brave enough than they'll carry more speed in and late brake into the turn and pass on the way out. i love f1, i'm even sort of looking forward to the 2013 turbo 4 bangers,rather it stay v8s.

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpa...s_art_id=43227
Radical Revisions for DRS?

01/04/2011

The FIA appears to have taken a conservative approach regarding any changes to the Drag Reduction System (DRS) and has indicated that any change will be the result of careful analysis. Race Director Charlie Whiting has said the effectiveness of DRS will be examined after the Chinese Grand Prix but with fans and teams already critical of the system, could it be that both analysis and proposed alterations are already well under way? On condition of strict anonymity, a Pitpass source was happy to discuss what some may view as the surprising extremes possible to make DRS more effective.

"It was pretty clear in Melbourne that it (DRS) just didn't function the way, to the extent at least, that we'd hoped. There has been silly talk about a more acute angle change which has already been ruled out for safety reasons. The change in car balance it (DRS) creates is already very dramatic. With that in mind we reasoned that since in any given race situation there are 2 cars involved in an overtake why not look at the other half of the equation, the car that is to be passed.

"A minor change to the existing system would allow DRS to effectively run in reverse as well which will make it an Increased Drag System (IDS). When a driver activates his DRS, a signal can go via race control to make the IDS deploy on the car that is to be overtaken. It's a pretty easy way of doubling the effectiveness of DRS for very little cost."

As dramatic as this seems the changes seemingly aren't limited to DRS alone.

"There was always a concern was that KERS could be used to negate the DRS and I think it was clear from Melbourne that this concern was justified. For this reason we're going to use the same signal that increases the drag on the car to be overtaken, to invoke a KERS Disabled (KERSD) status for the duration of the overtaking manoeuvre."

All of which seems to be pretty significant but will it be enough to achieve the result of making passing easier when DRS is deployed?

"For now, we think this is sufficient but if not other options are being examined and are not limited to DRS. Take the track side of things. I think everyone saw how easy it was for Jenson to pass Massa at Melbourne when he used the slip road at the chicane. This kind of thing already exists at many Grand Prix venues as a part of alternate track layouts and so forth. We are looking at the idea that if the combination of KERS and DRS still cannot create a pass, then, under circumstances when a driver is really clearly quicker than the car he's following, Race Control may authorise the driver to use these slip roads in order to get the job done. It actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it. It's very safe and again, inexpensive"

But what do the teams make of these seemingly controversial and radical ideas? Has there been consultation?

"Look, they're the ones doing all the complaining so really, we are merely reacting to their complaints. Besides, I don't see the changes as radical. I think the idea of a complete change of engine size and format for 2013 is far more radical and yet they agreed to that. Honestly, I feel the teams can be very obstructionist at times, finding all sorts of reasons not to do this or that. But take the F-duct McLaren implemented last year. Before very long they were all over the grid which proves that the teams can find the money and resources to adapt quite quickly… when they want to.

Finally, the observation almost goes without saying but doesn't everything mentioned so far boil down to Race Control having almost complete control over when and where overtaking is going to happen?

"Since you ask, I think I'd prefer to have Charlie and his people in charge of the overtaking as things currently stand rather than leaving it to the teams and drivers. There is a reason it's called Race Control you know."

 

LOL great article

 

F1 rules get more and more ridiculous and contrived.

All they need to do is:
smallish-sized single-element (*maybe* two element) wings with very little camber.
Allow some limited (maybe even spec) underbody venturis.
NO KERS!
No wing adjustments other than in the pits.

They seem bound and determined to stick with every suck idea they've ever had, and continue to add more, instead of doing the obvious and SIMPLE fixes that would make the formula RACEABLE.

 

^^Agreed. What ever happened to simple, elegant solutions to problems. These new "solutions" remind me of some kind of videogame, all very overwrought and silly. Safety, of course should always be the priority, but after that, there are literally a hundred things that could be changed to improve the racing.

 

I don't understand this KERs canceling out DRS thing. The trailing can also use KERS in conjunction with DRS which is what Button tried on Massa. I think the short straight is what made DRS ineffective. We'll see in the next race.

 

The formula is BROKEN. And all this ridiculous crap they're doing is making things WORSE, not better.