Red Bull RB6

[raymondu999]

1. On one of the onboard videos it is very very clear the use of not just a left hand F-Duct, but right hand one as well. Are Redbull running 2 switched systems???

That's interesting. Could you perhaps show a video where you see this happening?

[Darknight]

1. On one of the onboard videos it is very very clear the use of not just a left hand F-Duct, but right hand one as well. Are Redbull running 2 switched systems???

That's interesting. Could you perhaps show a video where you see this happening?

Saw it while watching the race, i have been trying to find onboards of the redbulls but cant. I am sure if someone here who has access to reruns can help out and confirm that (if i recall correctly) webber was using both hands to switch F-Ducts on the left and right.

[forty-two]

Two things that i noticed during this race related to the RB6:
1. On one of the onboard videos it is very very clear the use of not just a left hand F-Duct, but right hand one as well. Are Redbull running 2 switched systems???
2. In the post race interview, Vettel when asked about his poor start said he let go of the "First Clutch" perfectly. Do they have more than one clutch??? Is this common in current generation F1 cars???

It's not recent the use of two clutches in F1

I think you'll find that the car is fitted with only ONE clutch, but the drivers have two paddles which control it. Martin Brundle did a piece on it during last years coverage.

From memory, for starting, the driver pulls both clutch paddles, releases one of them, and the remaining paddle is then in control of the single clutch. As this paddle is released, the clutch is engaged.

A few years ago, there was a team on the grid (McLaren from memory) who were using a paddle to enable the drivers to feather the clutch while re-applying power during a race. Not sure if this is now banned, but I expect some of the esteemed members of this forum can advise.

[raymondu999]

Martin Brundle did a piece on it during last years coverage.

Actually I think that was Australia or somesuch race this season.

[shamikaze]

A few years ago, there was a team on the grid (McLaren from memory) who were using a paddle to enable the drivers to feather the clutch while re-applying power during a race. Not sure if this is now banned, but I expect some of the esteemed members of this forum can advise.

I am pretty sure it was McLaren and they had 6 paddle's at their wheel. The 2 additional paddle's allowed them to manually "tweak" the torque from the car. If I remember well, this came the year after TC was banned and by allowing the torque to be manually regulated (problable not 100%, but within a certain window (ie 90->100%), they had a manual version of traction control whilst still being able to keep the throttle pinned to the floor.

There was an article on it on both here and on formula1.com (tech-analysis).

[BreezyRacer]

Well upon reflection I think we can say that the speed advantage that Red Bull have relied on has disappeared and now we're looking at a tooth and nail dog fight at each track, possibly between three teams. Should be exciting for fans. Where do you think Red Bull's development efforts will turn to next? Will they continue to develop the F Duct even though it's outlawed for 2011? What is Newey to do next?

[segedunum]

I'll reserve judgement until after Hungary. The Red Bull should be quick there given how they were at Monaco and I would expect Horner to raise the horsepower issue again. I have to say that in Germany they didn't look to have the best grunt in a straight line although I doubt it is thirty or forty horsepower.

[Boost]

A few years ago, there was a team on the grid (McLaren from memory) who were using a paddle to enable the drivers to feather the clutch while re-applying power during a race. Not sure if this is now banned, but I expect some of the esteemed members of this forum can advise.

I am pretty sure it was McLaren and they had 6 paddle's at their wheel. The 2 additional paddle's allowed them to manually "tweak" the torque from the car. If I remember well, this came the year after TC was banned and by allowing the torque to be manually regulated (problable not 100%, but within a certain window (ie 90->100%), they had a manual version of traction control whilst still being able to keep the throttle pinned to the floor.

There was an article on it on both here and on formula1.com (tech-analysis).

McLaren set some of the five allowable maps to a torque reduced level, so when the driver changed up a gear he would also move to a map which allowed more torque so had a crude form of traction control (the map change had to be initiated by the driver it couldn't occur by the gearchange process).

I'll reserve judgement until after Hungary. The Red Bull should be quick there given how they were at Monaco and I would expect Horner to raise the horsepower issue again. I have to say that in Germany they didn't look to have the best grunt in a straight line although I doubt it is thirty or forty horsepower.

I wish Horner would shut up about power equalisation. He already has an engine which is more fuel efficient, has good cooling qualities so doesn't need enormous radiators and has good overall packaging requirements (Adrian Newey didn't want the Merc unit due to its overall envelope requirement) which give advantages over the other teams that cannot easily be sorted yet he also wants power parity.

[mx_tifoso]

Please no more bending/flexing wing related posts in this thread*, please take them here; Flexing wings controversy 2010.


*Or any car thread for that matter.

[Shaddock]

Two things that i noticed during this race related to the RB6:
1. On one of the onboard videos it is very very clear the use of not just a left hand F-Duct, but right hand one as well. Are Redbull running 2 switched systems???
2. In the post race interview, Vettel when asked about his poor start said he let go of the "First Clutch" perfectly. Do they have more than one clutch??? Is this common in current generation F1 cars???

Two clutches are banned. In the time before seamless gearboxes, McLaren developed a twin clutch gearbox that the FIA banned under the grounds of 'it being' or could 'act as' a CVT.

[PNSD]

They have two paddles !

One on each side. Same with the gears too.

[mx_tifoso]

[marcush.]

quite interesting fluid couplings there..

[myurr]

Two things that i noticed during this race related to the RB6:
1. On one of the onboard videos it is very very clear the use of not just a left hand F-Duct, but right hand one as well. Are Redbull running 2 switched systems???
2. In the post race interview, Vettel when asked about his poor start said he let go of the "First Clutch" perfectly. Do they have more than one clutch??? Is this common in current generation F1 cars???

Two clutches are banned. In the time before seamless gearboxes, McLaren developed a twin clutch gearbox that the FIA banned under the grounds of 'it being' or could 'act as' a CVT.

I have no knowledge of what they actually use but when Vettel described the two paddles and the 'first clutch' I imagined that it was a two stage mechanism on a single clutch. One paddle would disengage the clutch to a certain point (for sake of an example let's say 50%) whilst the other paddle would disengage the clutch fully.

So at the start the driver will hold the rev's they want, dump the first clutch paddle and balance the throttle until they're ready at which point they dump the second paddle and they're fully away. I guessed that this was how they'd tune their start procedures e.g. when they do their practice start out the pit lane on the way to the grid. The engineers would the adjust the exact amount the first paddle releases the clutch.

[zgred]