BrawnGP

[Lookup75]

There was an article on this site with Button saying that BrawnGP figured out what caused the problem, but they will not reveal what it is.

was it a development problem then?

[raceman]

The problem must be aero-related development because since Silverstone updates, they were going into wrong direction. Now with revised sidepod design and adoptation of sidepod vertical vanes, they seem to have reduced the drag they were having. Proof: Whitmarsh said they would not have won the Valencia GP even if their pit goof-up wasn't there, Brawns were simply too fast.

I also guess due to "some" shortage of funds, Brawns aren't able to produce many 'test' parts to test on Fridays, but just do CFD testing rather than actual testing; like Ross Brawn said at the start of the season, we don't bring too much parts at races. CFD testing varies a little compared to real-life testing.

Though this is just my guess, any improvement/suggestions are always welcome!

[PNSD]

Brawn won in Valencia because the track favoured the car, as did the temperature.

We wont know if they're problems are fixed until the much cooler Spa...

A shortage of funds was never the problem, they have only made two chassis because they are expensive, but in terms of development there is no shortage. The windtunnel is running 24/7 and the team are bringing out updates as fast as RedBull.

The rumour is, according to Niki Lauda that the team, amungst other things (obviously the medium-low downforce rear wing) is bringing a revised rear suspension to Spa.

Brawn have not compramised the cars speed in any way, they have limited spare parts, and only the two chassis, because as far as they see they are "throw away parts". Providing Jenson and Rubens keep it on the black stuff that is fine.

[gcdugas]

There was an article on this site with Button saying that BrawnGP figured out what caused the problem, but they will not reveal what it is.

My guess is that they don't even want to talk about it because it is something in the set-up that affects the tires that any team could implement. Whatever ailed them recently, it was definitely a set-up issue. There was no reason for such a drop off in performance from Turkey to GB other than a set-up issue. Yes Red Bull introduced a significant step in GB but Brawn lost a bunch to ALL the teams since then and now they have found out why. Normally I don't believe much of the obvious disinformation that comes from drivers but in this case we can see by the Valencia win that they are definitely back and we can believe they know what they say they know.

[ISLAMATRON]

ok then, well are the slits in the lower rear wing end plates of the BGP01 new?

[PNSD]

The endplates were introduced at Valencia... At the bottom curved like RedBull's

[mstar]

its definately worth noting as people noted here, the brawn seems to be faster in a straight line now that could be due to aero/reduced drag or simply wing levels either way i dnt recall brawns being this fast in race conditions on the striahgt.

[djos]

its definately worth noting as people noted here, the brawn seems to be faster in a straight line now that could be due to aero/reduced drag or simply wing levels either way i dnt recall brawns being this fast in race conditions on the striahgt.

They where faster on the straights because they had better traction as a result of being kinder to their tyres. Their setup & geometry is perfect for hot harsh conditions.

It's also the Brawn's Achilles heel and the reason RedBull will run away from them at Spa in the cool conditions.

[Jersey Tom]

The conjecture is staggering...

[pipex]

With my very basic armchair aero knowledge, and looking at the pic posted by Giblet, maybe the air straighteners that were added reduced somewhat the drag and allowed the Brawn to have higher straight line speeds. If that is right, things are looking good ...

[djos]

The conjecture is staggering...

Tom, perhaps with your real world experience you could enlighten us? (Im just an armchair speculator)

[gcdugas]

The conjecture is staggering...

Tom, perhaps with your real world experience you could enlighten us? (Im just an armchair speculator)

For a speculator your assertion about the Spa outcome sounded rather forceful. I think that is what Jersey Tom was commenting as "staggering".

If the outcome is any different than Red Bull walking away from Brawn, will you have the humility to recant or will you make excuses?

BTW, if Red Bull does walk away from Brawn, you can all tell us: "I told you so." OK, its a deal.

We have just a few days to find out the results... and what kind of a man you are.

Let the countdown begin.

[djos]

The conjecture is staggering...

Tom, perhaps with your real world experience you could enlighten us? (Im just an armchair speculator)

For a speculator your assertion about the Spa outcome sounded rather forceful. I think that is what Jersey Tom was commenting as "staggering".

If the outcome is any different than Red Bull walking away from Brawn, will you have the humility to recant or will you make excuses?

BTW, if Red Bull does walk away from Brawn, you can all tell us: "I told you so." OK, its a deal.

We have just a few days to find out the results... and what kind of a man you are.

Let the countdown begin.

Forceful? It's just my opinion based on my observations - I'll be disappointed if im wrong and surprised but considering all the results to date I doubt I am wrong.

Valencia was a perfect example of how well the Brawn BGP001 works in hot harsh conditions and so far they have struggled in cool conditions because they where unable to get enuf heat in their tyres (Silverstone anyone?).

[Vasco]

Forceful? It's just my opinion based on my observations - I'll be disappointed if im wrong and surprised but considering all the results to date I doubt I am wrong.

Valencia was a perfect example of how well the Brawn BGP001 works in hot harsh conditions and so far they have struggled in cool conditions because they where unable to get enuf heat in their tyres (Silverstone anyone?).

I believe the hungarian GP was also quite hot, and the Brawns also struggled there. I really think this last victory has more to do with understanding and getting the most out of the car as well as the new updates and tweaks coming through.

Those new sidepod panels should help with aero efficiency at the rear since they smooth out the airflow around the sidepods. As a result, my guess would be that they would end up being stronger than expected in SPA.

[djos]

I believe the hungarian GP was also quite hot, and the Brawns also struggled there. I really think this last victory has more to do with understanding and getting the most out of the car as well as the new updates and tweaks coming through.

Those new sidepod panels should help with aero efficiency at the rear since they smooth out the airflow around the sidepods. As a result, my guess would be that they would end up being stronger than expected in SPA.

That is true however I put that down to Brawn taking a wrong direction and then reverting to what they knew worked for Valencia:

http://www.f1technical.net/news/13118

Ross Brawn: "We've had a good start to the weekend today with two strong practice sessions. The track temperatures are very high here, reaching 50°C this afternoon, so we have been able to manage our tyre temperatures well and not encounter the issues which have hampered our pace at the past few races. Both drivers followed very similar programmes as we revisited some set-ups from previous races as test items to increase our understanding of the car's performance. The initial feedback is that Jenson and Rubens are broadly in agreement on the direction that we should follow from here. and we've pleased to have collected so much data to apply here and take onto the next race in Spa. Overall it's been a positive beginning to the weekend."