Fia and plank tests in 2023

[organic]

What they do is definitely different to what they've publicly said they do.

This is a leap of faith. I mean is the insinuation that Jo Bauer is being dishonest?

No it's that they're simplifying things to make communication clearer

[chrisc90]

Whats the actual probability of being selected on a different number of occasions?

[dans79]

Whats the actual probability of being selected on a different number of occasions?

moderate considering its based on the whim of an individual!

[chrisc90]

I mean it shouldnt be hard to work out the chances of it being truely random, vs what the FIA 'randomness' tests actually are.

Im just crap at maths so no good asking me haha

[Zynerji]

Just check them all for plank wear. It's a 3 minute check.

[dans79]

I mean it shouldnt be hard to work out the chances of it being truely random, vs what the FIA 'randomness' tests actually are.

Im just crap at maths so no good asking me haha

it's a small sample size so it isn't worth normalizing or doing a distribution fit, but if you finish in the lower points scoring positions your chances of getting checked are higher.

[Big Tea]

If the plank is laminated, why can they not use a different colouring for the penultimate layer, which would show on a 10 second visual check (and all cars)

[dans79]

If the plank is laminated, why can they not use a different colouring for the penultimate layer, which would show on a 10 second visual check (and all cars)

Its a continuous laminate, what you are suggesting would require two laminates that are bonded together. Imo teams could game that, just by messing around with the bonding compound.

as Zynerji suggested they could easily check every single car if they wanted to.

Here are some close up shots via twitter.
https://twitter.com/NorthHertsSam



why someone is removing the entire plank, and then using a depth mic is beyond me. It should be much easier to jack up the car, and remove the individual blocks and measure them with a regular mic.

[dans79]

I should add if the hole in the block is smaller than the hole in the plank (thus their would be an inner lip), then they could just use a pin anvil mic. They wouldn't have to remove anything then!

[dans79]

this reads like a bunch of excuses.......
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/fia-s ... /10537934/


Imo a large portion of the FIA's staff wouldn't last long in the real world. In the real world "this is how we have always done it" isn't a legitimate reason to not make your process better!

[chrisc90]

I bet there would be a lot of unhappy people each week if planks were always checked.

To be fair. its a super simple check really. Spec titanium skid blocks from the FIA each measuring dead on 10mm. In the pic above they are only held on by 2/3 bolts so a cordless screwdriver/impact wrench would soon buzz the bolts out. Check the removed blocks with a digital caliper/micrometer and I dare bet you could have the check done in 5 minutes with a few people working on it. Give them back to the teams for re-assembly afterwards as its unlikely the plank will be re-used.

[dans79]

Give them back to the teams for re-assembly afterwards as its unlikely the plank will be re-used.

Just toss them in the trash, that's what the teams do with the planks and blocks anyway.

Imo this should go beyond just the planks, as the fia has several "random" tests.

A lot of their standard tests are dirt simple, as all they are doing is hooking the mcu up to a laptop.

[Rodak]

I bet there would be a lot of unhappy people each week if planks were always checked.

To be fair. its a super simple check really. Spec titanium skid blocks from the FIA each measuring dead on 10mm. In the pic above they are only held on by 2/3 bolts so a cordless screwdriver/impact wrench would soon buzz the bolts out. Check the removed blocks with a digital caliper/micrometer and I dare bet you could have the check done in 5 minutes with a few people working on it. Give them back to the teams for re-assembly afterwards as its unlikely the plank will be re-used.

Except that this is how the plank check is required to be done per 2023 FIA Technical Regulations, section 3.5.9, Plank Assembly:

e. The thickness of the plank assembly measured normal to the lower surface must be
10mm ± 0.2mm and must be uniform when new. A minimum thickness of 9mm will be
accepted due to wear, and conformity to this provision will be checked at the
peripheries of the designated holes.
f. The plank assembly must have four precisely placed holes the positions of which are
given by RV-PLANK. To establish the conformity of the plank assembly after use, its
thickness will only be measured at these holes, regardless of whether plank or skid
material is present.
Four additional 10mm diameter holes are permitted provided their sole purpose is to
allow access to the bolts which secure the Accident Data Recorder to the survival cell.

[dans79]

I bet there would be a lot of unhappy people each week if planks were always checked.

To be fair. its a super simple check really. Spec titanium skid blocks from the FIA each measuring dead on 10mm. In the pic above they are only held on by 2/3 bolts so a cordless screwdriver/impact wrench would soon buzz the bolts out. Check the removed blocks with a digital caliper/micrometer and I dare bet you could have the check done in 5 minutes with a few people working on it. Give them back to the teams for re-assembly afterwards as its unlikely the plank will be re-used.

Except that this is how the plank check is required to be done per 2023 FIA Technical Regulations, section 3.5.9, plank assembly:

e. The thickness of the plank assembly measured normal to the lower surface must be
10mm ± 0.2mm and must be uniform when new. A minimum thickness of 9mm will be
accepted due to wear, and conformity to this provision will be checked at the
peripheries of the designated holes.
f. The plank assembly must have four precisely placed holes the positions of which are
given by RV-PLANK. To establish the conformity of the plank assembly after use, its
thickness will only be measured at these holes, regardless of whether plank or skid
material is present.
Four additional 10mm diameter holes are permitted provided their sole purpose is to
allow access to the bolts which secure the Accident Data Recorder to the survival cell.

The rule doesn't conflict with what chrisc90 said in any way.

[Edax]

this reads like a bunch of excuses.......
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/fia-s ... /10537934/


Imo a large portion of the FIA's staff wouldn't last long in the real world. In the real world "this is how we have always done it" isn't a legitimate reason to not make your process better!

I think you’re underestimating the amount of pressure involved. Simple tasks become rapidly more complicated when you raise the stakes.

To illustrate. I did a lot of ultrasonic inspections during my studies and considered myself extremely proficient (it was only later that I learned how much I still had to learn).

Anyway in my first job I was asked to do an inspection in an arbitrage case. I can tell you that it is an entirely different story when you do a measurement in your lab, or at a client with a lawyer and a cameraman watching over your shoulder. A 5 min measurement suddenly becomes an hour long stressful affair.

I can imagine this is the type of environment scrutineers have to work in. The teams don’t want you to inspect their stuff, and they are looking to dispute your results in case they don’t like the outcome.

So you have to be very confident in what you do and take the time to do everything right. And then 3 hours is not a lot of time, even for “simple” measurements.