Greener Technology ordeal GP Canada
06/09/2010
S top and go is the motto on the Ile Notre Dame , in the middle of the St. Lawrence River near Montreal. For people and material, the Canadian Grand Prix means a stress test of the extraordinary kind every time.
The drivers have to force their cars into tight bends from over 300 km /h four times. From seventh gear it goes three times to gear stage two. In the narrow hairpin at 60 km /h, even the smallest gear ratio is required. This ordeal is not only physically demanding for the driver, maximum performance is also required of the brakes.
Brake air scoops have to be enlarged
Nowhere else on the Formula 1 calendar the brake temperatures are higher than on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The teams have to keep a close eye on the values of the sensors during the race so as not to overuse the carbon stoppers. Incidentally, the engineers cannot change anything on the brake discs themselves. The dimensions are stipulated by the regulations.
Modifications are only possible to the ventilation flaps. The aerodynamicists want to keep the funnel-shaped cooling openings as small as possible in order to reduce air resistance and not to lose too much speed on the straight. In the free practice sessions it is important to find the best compromise.
Heavy cars - high braking loads
This year the engineers also have to expect new parameters. At the start of the race, for the first time in a long time, the cars are fully fueled up for the 70 laps. At least 120 - 130 kilograms of fuel are on board. 'Some of them will surely go over the limit again', one speculates in the paddock.
If the material or the driver only affords a small weakness, it usually ends dramatically in Canada. The speeds are high, the asphalt next to the racing line is dirty and the unyielding walls are close. With this combination, errors usually end in total failure.
