Four paddles in the McLaren?

[Hun200kmh]

Just read this on F1-live and decided to share.

The secret of McLaren's run of pace in the last weeks may have been revealed by a British newspaper.

A technical report published on the Daily Telegraph website said back-to-back Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton, and his teammate Heikki Kovalainen, are making use of a unique four-paddle steering wheel.

With the conventional two paddles for changing gears, the extra two paddles allow the drivers to easily select different engine torque settings throughout the course of a lap, the renowned writer Mark Hughes claimed.



The solution could be allowing McLaren drivers to limit wheelspin under acceleration out of corners, thus making canny use of the new-for-2008 ban on traction control.

"This is part of McLaren's current performance superiority over Ferrari," Hughes added.

© CAPSIS International
Source: GMM

Could this be true? I find it hard to believe, because the throttle input is already something that gives drivers a chance to avoid wheelspin, so a paddle to select "Torque settings" basically is just adding another "Input" coming out of corners. What's the point in saying "don't mind the throttle, now you can floor it out of a corner if you use the litle paddle. Meanwhile, don't forget to upshift with the big paddle ... "


If it's true, I'm already guessing the name of Logitech's next wheel ... DFGT4P

 

[DQuaN]

The steering wheels have had four paddles for a long time. As far as I was aware they were for the clutch.

 

[superberkut]

That would take a bit more training to shift on impulse, then.

 

[ExigeEvan]

From what I read in the original Telegraph article they were simply pressed at the same time as the gear-shift paddles. The only reason this feature is not incorporated into the gear-shift function is because of an FIA rule to do with engine management happening collectively with another input (such as throttle).

Quick look on teh Telegraph site.

Plus point

McLaren's four-paddle steering wheel for traction:

McLaren's steering wheel features four paddle levers rather than the usual two. The upper two are conventional gear-change paddles, one for upshifting, one for down. The lower two allow different engine torque settings to be chosen. Using two fingers at the same time allows the car always to have the most favourable engine torque setting for each gear, thus giving the driver a tool for limiting wheelspin out of slow corners without then suffering a reduction in power in the higher gears, where wheelspin is not an issue. The rules stipulate that any change in torque settings cannot be triggered by the same driver input as a gear change. Having two separate levers gets around that rule, while still allowing the change of gear and torque setting to take place simultaneously. This is part of McLaren's current performance superiority over Ferrari.

 

[Roo]

This was reported - again by Mark Hughes - in the July 10 edition of Autosport, as part of their British GP review. It's not just Mclaren, Renault are using it too, but only on Piquet's car.

Mclaren have also been using asymmetrical radiator ducts recently - the right duct is partly closed off whilst the left remains fully open.

 

[Metar]

It's actually the third set of paddles - six in total. Apparently, Renault have installed such a system since Silverstone:

The shifter is designed to pass the regulation stating that engine-maps cannot be changed automatically - only by the driver manually. So, by putting the engine-map changer and the shifter in the same place, McLaren allowed the drivers to chose an engine-map suitable for low- and high-speed corners, making driving without TC a bit easier. The shifter has been around since the start: Australia:

This is what McLaren have been up to lately:

I need to set up an organized thread for technical development and testing-parts... Honda have some "visual treats" at Jerez, too.

 

[superberkut]

Then are the paddles seperate for maintenance or another issue if shifted at the same time?

Good snapshots, by the way.

 

[Metar]

Then are the paddles seperate for maintenance or another issue if shifted at the same time?

Good snapshots, by the way.

They're separate because it's not allowed by the rules to change maps together with the shift - so the two functions can't be on the same paddle. With a separate one, but so closely located to each other, you can shift and change maps at the same time - but with a different paddle, so it's legal.

 

[Brett]

Very interesting development by McLaren! 👍 I have always liked these interpretations of the rules and regulations and how team engineers exploit any possible loophole for the benefit of the team.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I wonder if the FIA will ban it.

 

[Metar]

They cannot ban it at the moment, since, while the rules do require the engine-maps to be changed from the wheel, it doesn't state from which side - and whatever is legal under this year's rules can only be outlawed by a vote of every team. They might ban it for next year, though I don't see why.

 

[niky]

It's very dicey to ban the system... in fact, I can see more teams taking it up.

Basically, the idea is to make it so that such functions are not automatically triggered... so they can't be combined with another control. But the FIA can't ban multiple engine maps... teams need them to keep the engines alive for the two races that they're supposed to last.

Not only is this a brilliant idea in terms of ease of changing maps... it's ergonomically correct, too. Instead of the driver removing his hand from the wheel to fiddle with settings, they're just a flick of the finger away.

I can see this type of control being applied to other things, as well... but where they'd find the space...

 

[Metar]

I can see this type of control being applied to other things, as well... but where they'd find the space...

After Kovalainen's mishap at Australia, I can see something along the lines of "I didn't mean to shift, I just wanted to drink some water!"

 

[flat-beat-eric]

After Kovalainen's mishap at Australia, I can see something along the lines of "I didn't mean to shift, I just wanted to drink some water!"

Haha !

I know they are the 'best' drivers in the world but they have to think about so much at those high speeds, I find it really impressive.

 

[waggles]

2 paddles are the clutch, 2 for engine maps, and two for gears.

From assuming due to Chris Harris' test of an F1 car.

The clutch is used to rev the engine to get out of sand traps, and to start the race, in some cases, where a launch control system would just add weight.

 

[Metar]

The clutch is used to rev the engine to get out of sand traps, and to start the race, in some cases, where a launch control system would just add weight.

It's mainly used to modulate clutch-slippage at the start or when launching from the pits, where launch-control is plainly outlawed.

 

[niky]

After Kovalainen's mishap at Australia, I can see something along the lines of "I didn't mean to shift, I just wanted to drink some water!"

Reminds me of Hammie's flub last year that cost him the championship... where he hit the wrong button and put himself into limp mode.

 

[mipuumal]

They cannot ban it at the moment, since, while the rules do require the engine-maps to be changed from the wheel, it doesn't state from which side - and whatever is legal under this year's rules can only be outlawed by a vote of every team. They might ban it for next year, though I don't see why.

While it is unknown whether this is the big reason behind their recent pace, I wouldn't be surprised if the FIA banned it.

Remember in 2006 when the FIA suddenly banned Renault's dampers and in 2007 after Australia when Ferrari had to change their floor design because the FIA changed testing procedures to make their system illegal, not to mention flex wings (don't remember when that was).

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I can see this type of control being applied to other things, as well... but where they'd find the space...

Maybe they can add one for Max Mosley...

 

[superberkut]

They're separate because it's not allowed by the rules to change maps together with the shift - so the two functions can't be on the same paddle. With a separate one, but so closely located to each other, you can shift and change maps at the same time - but with a different paddle, so it's legal.

Thanks, Metar.

Racing is all about multi-tasking; as much a mental sport as it is a physical one (in terms of exertion).

 

[Metar]

While it is unknown whether this is the big reason behind their recent pace, I wouldn't be surprised if the FIA banned it.

Remember in 2006 when the FIA suddenly banned Renault's dampers and in 2007 after Australia when Ferrari had to change their floor design because the FIA changed testing procedures to make their system illegal, not to mention flex wings (don't remember when that was).

Unlike your two examples, they have no legal grounds to ban it other than if all teams agree to ban it - that's how it goes mid-season. It's also not their recent pace, since they had it since the start of the season, as I showed in the screenshot from Australia.

The mass-dampers were banned not by using a new rule, but by arguing that they are sprung (hence moveable) aerodynamic devices - and they sort-of are. The floor was designed as illegal in the first place, but so that it would pass the admittedly sloppy flex-testing procedures at the time. The engine-maps, however, are completely legal, and the paddles too - the only difference is that the maps are more important without TC, and therefore changing them a lot is more beneficial. Schumacher was famous for tweaking his settings on every corner - that's pretty much the same, only you change it with a paddle instead of a knob.

 

[niky]

The mass-damper rule still pisses me off... while they do help cornering a lot... arguing that they're aerodynamic devices and not suspension devices seems to me to be a lot of hoohaw just to take that edge away from them. They could have just written them into the rules for the next season... right?

Damn FIA politics.

 

[Metar]

I think if Renault didn't lose their dampers, the Ferrari crew would never have made up that much ground. The post-dampers Renault was pretty average...

 

[Scaff]

The mass-damper rule still pisses me off... while they do help cornering a lot... arguing that they're aerodynamic devices and not suspension devices seems to me to be a lot of hoohaw just to take that edge away from them. They could have just written them into the rules for the next season... right?

Damn FIA politics.

Even bigger question is why were Mass Dampers deemed to be illegal and J-dampers not?

Most of the team now run J-dampers (and some have done as far back as the entire Mass Dampers issue), they serve an almost identical purpose to a Mass Damper (in that they damp minor vibration to help ensure that tyre contact is maintained with the road) and also contain a movable part.

Now the two systems do operate in differing ways, with a Mass Damper being a sprung weight (and quite a hefty one) and a J-damper being a weight that rotates on a threaded spindle; but the final effect you get is pretty much the same and both certainly have moving parts.

Let me also be quite clear here I don't personally believe that the Mass Damper should have been banned as a movable aero part, never have (and said as much on threads here on the subject).

Anyway, Renault have just started (as in the last few races and if rumours are true) running J-dampers; Ferrari has run with them for quite a while and McLaren have had them the longest. A number of other teams are either believed to be running them or developing them. The reason why Renault have left it so late was down to the whole McLaren/Renault spying issue of last season, one of the key piece of information involved was McLaren's J-damper system.


Regard

Scaff

 

[niky]

Well... politics. A lot of what happens in F1, unfortunately... is plain politics. The Renault Mass Damper thing, because Renault was showing its tail-pipes to Ferrari... the McLaren spy scandal... where numerous other teams were caught with illicit information and many others complained of obvious spying with not-so-much as a slap-on-the-wrist for offenders.... simply because (conspiracy theory be damned... the evidence is out in public) McLaren was too dominant...

Old men playing old men's games... it'll be so nice when Bernie steps down...