Bridgestone, Microsoft get exclusive contracts in '07

  • Thread starter Thread starter L8 Apex
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L8 Apex
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/27956/

The bit about Bridgestone isn't much of a surprise, but how about Microsoft being the supplier of the spec ECUs? I can see it now: If somebody's engine starts misfiring or something,the engineers just come on the radio and tell him to hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete to fix it! :D
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So we're now facing a few years with cars frequently rebooting during a race until MS sorts the ECUs issues which will without a doubt appear... I fear this will be very bad for Honda as they already have issues dealing with cooling behind a pace car . let alone parked.....
 
Both are great news to me. Anything that makes it more of a race between drivers than a contest between engineers is a step forward. What mr. Newey and Co can accomplish behind the scene is simply amazing, but I never watched F1 to see how the latest aero/software/engine/chassis updates can shave off .2s off a lap.

I'm also mighty tired of hearing people say that [insert world champion you don't like here] owes his title solely to his car.

That said, hopefully the ECUs will have parameters that can be adjusted according to the driver preferences, since this seems to be quite different from one driver to another, as seen with Barichello at Honda.

Now get these damned tire grooves off and trash those silly engine longevity rules. :grumpy:
 
Flerbizky
So we're now facing a few years with cars frequently rebooting during a race until MS sorts the ECUs issues which will without a doubt appear...
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They already do, with or without Microsoft's input. How many times have we seen a driver screwed over because of "electronics"?
 
Ohmygod, you can just feel a thousand jokes being created…

(Actually, you can just go to /. and see every joke imaginable.)
 
L8 Apex
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/27956/

The bit about Bridgestone isn't much of a surprise, but how about Microsoft being the supplier of the spec ECUs? I can see it now: If somebody's engine starts misfiring or something,the engineers just come on the radio and tell him to hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete to fix it! :D
Click to expand...
Instead of the blue screen of death, we could see the yellow and red ECU of failures?
 
"Gentlemen, Restart Your Engines." :lol:
 
Can you imagine Patrick Head or Ross Brawn having to call Microsoft's tech support? :scared:

Recorded Message: "Your call is important to us. A representitive will be with you in fifty.....seven......minutes."
Head: "**** *****!!!"
(57 minutes later)
Man in broken English: "Hello. My name Steve Jones. Me help you now?"
Head: "**** *******!!! Your **** ECU doesn't ******* ****** work!!!"
Steve: "Okay. Hold please."
Head: "**** *****!!!!"
(45 minutes later)
Man in even more decimated English: "Hello. Me Tom Smith. What I do for you now?"
Head: "You've got to be ******* kidding! I told you!!! My ***** ******* ECU doesn't ****** work!!!"
Tom: (looks up the meaning of *****) "My mother no do that with sheep!!"
Head: "****!! What should I do??!!"
Tom: "Ah, okay. Restart computer. No work? Then jiggle cord."
Head: (dashes phone against wall)
 
Sage
Ohmygod, you can just feel a thousand jokes being created…

(Actually, you can just go to /. and see every joke imaginable.)
Click to expand...
And this is gold :
SuperBanana
Prediction: MS will try to use all sorts of DSPs and such to do signal processing instead of discreet circuits. The cars will run very poorly- and it will be nearly impossible for the team race engineers to figure out why. That's if the electronics themselves even survive the environment.

Hilarity will ensue, like MS engineers telling teams, "well, why don't you just shield all the wiring and run more grounds?" "Because that would add 50 pounds of weight." "So?" Or..."what do you mean, there's no chassis ground?" "Which part of CARBON FIBER IS NOT CONDUCTIVE DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!" I would pay good money to hear tape recordings from Northampton, Maranello, etc...I'd learn all sorts of new swear words.
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Omnis
"Gentlemen, Restart Your Engines." :lol:
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I wonder how long there ECU's boot up. Oh and I wonder how many teams will send each other viruses, through the backdoors on many Microsoft programs running via the ECU's.
 
"Windows ECU OS delayed until 2009."
 
Omnis I wonder how many service packs or hot fixes will be out for it?

Or how many teams will try to hack into each others ECU's, and then leave some type of deleting ECU data in the ECU registry.
 
I don't blame Michelin for having a hissy fit and pulling out a year early. What's the point in using F1 as an advertising means when people will know that the governing body rank you as second choice.
 
Scumi will win his 8th title next year, I mean MS has got to be sponsered by MS hasn't it!!!
 
Wow, this is going to cause all kinds of problems. At least this will ensure lots and lots of laughs. The FIA definitely chose the right company for making ECUs since they see it as absolutely necessary to have a spec ECU. :lol:

And Sage, good link! 👍 :lol:
 

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