trailer world issue Two 2008

Title The pit lane is located at the edge of the circuit. During the gear- change process a gear can be disengaged and a new gear engaged within 0.0004 seconds. A wink of the eye takes ﬁfty times longer. De- pending on the course, maximum speeds apply here of between 60 and 100 km/h. The speed-limiter should actually be used here, which is actuated at the touch of a button on the steering wheel. This lim- its the speed to the permitted maxi- mum speed for the pit lane and with correct programming pressing the button at the correct time prevents any acceleration above this limit. But in the excitement of the mo- ment, this is sometimes forgotten by drivers. There are hardly any drivers who have not received a stop-and- go penalty, or a ﬁne in training, for contravening this rule. Despitecarefullyworked-outstrat- egies, terrible mistakes repeatedly oc- cur during the pit stops – either the mechanics take too long for refuel- ling or tyre-changing, or the drivers make major driving errors. In this way, a bad pit stop cost Lewis Hamil- ton of the McLaren/Mercedes Team valuable seconds at the Grand Prix in Magny Cours, and in the panic, he overlooked the fact that the lights were on red, meaning that he was not allowed to leave the lane, as a result of which he crashed into the properly waiting Ferrari of Kimi Räikkönen, thereby throwing away any chance of victory. Seconds that decide everything The pit stop by Robert Kubica at the double victory of the BMW Sauber Team at the Canadian Grand Prix took 7.5 seconds. He only stopped in the pits for refuelling, since he was following a 2-stop strategy. It took 12.4 seconds for Nick Heid- feld, who refuelled and had his tyres changed. The team management had ordered him to make two stops, but as a result of a safety-car phase, it was calculated that he could make do with one stop. This was a calculated risk, since it was not at all certain whether the soft tyres would hold out for more than 40 laps. Nick brought the tyres over the distance, but after the stop could only stop shortly before Kubica. His problem: his tank was full to the brim, while Robert Kubica was on the move very quickly, since his tank was almost empty, and he was therefore able to brake much later. On lap 49 came the planned sec- ond pit stop by Kubica. In the mean- time, he had built up so much of a lead that despite his pit stop, he was able to maintain pole position until the ﬁnishing line. Controlled emotions in the pit lane Irrespective of the decision for one or more pit stops, the pri- ority is always to keep the stay in the pits as short as possible. Even a routine stop for refuelling or tyre- changing demands the maximum concentration of the driver and mechanics. Look out for what the Lollipop Man is doing – as the me- chanic is nicknamed who during a pit stop holds out on a long pole the sign “Brakes on” as long as the vehi- cle is still jacked up, and then gives the signal “1st gear”. Don’t take oﬀ too early, before the refuelling hose has been removed or the last wheel ﬁrmly tightened. The emotional component ultimately decides between victory or defeat: How does the pit crew support their driver, how good is the communication between the driver and his team? At the latest when the Lollipop Man lowers his pole and the brakes are released, the displayed time shows accurately to the hundredth of a second how good was the co-operation between the pit crew and the driver, who must also have a great understanding for the technical conditions, in order not to cause unnecessary wear to the materials. This often results in the paradox that the fastest driver with the best lap times is not always the winner. Hectic in the pit lane Races are repeatedly decided by the pit stop. The result then rests no longer on the driver, but on the team, which must work together in perfect co-ordination. Title The record for tyre-changing for the BMW Team is 2.8 seconds. The leader in Formula 1! 10 Issue Two 2008

trailer world issue Two 2008

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