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This helps (?) explain Costa's role, at least how HE sees it:
"I will be engineering director, leading the team that will take care of designing and developing the car. I will also follow young technicians. It's an exclusively designing job, I won't go to the track, a bit like I used to do in Ferrari before becoming technical director." SOURCE autosport.com
Enzo Ferrari was a great man. But he was not a good man. -- Phil Hill
Yes, it is very clear. Admittedly it wasn't clear before, but it is now.
Bell is in charge, Costa and Wills are supporting him with responsibility for defined areas.
Mercedes happen to have called the two areas as "Technology" and "Engineering", in my world they are one and the same thing, but reading what has been said the two areas are "Geeky stuff and R&D" and "hands on getting a car designed & built"
What I'm optimistic about is that Costa will have certifiable information on how to get Merc to work its tyres.
The Ferrari 150th penned by Costa is too easy on its tyres. A fact made clear by the cars speed on harder tyres, with its inability to get heat into them quickly enough.
The Mercedes W02 on the other hand chews through its tyres more quickly, not the best quality on a Pirelli-shod F1 car.
The know-how he brings in this respect will bode well for Mercedes so long as it is applied correctly.
The problem is, with the W03 already on the drawing board, what can he do to accommodate these ideas? Im sure with Bell in charge we will see something fairly conservative but with good scope to add developments, if this is the case Costa's appointment could not have come at a better time.
raymondu999 wrote:Was that because of Costa? Or Tombazis? Remember that Tombazis was working with Newey in 2005; the year with no tyre changes
The "flaw" of the F150th (other than not having RB7 levels of DF) was that it was too conservative in its tyre usage.
Costa took the bullet for that, so I would say Costa headed the 150th development programme. Maybe even a direct link to its tyre usage from a decision he made.
Heh relax JET; I'm not slagging you off on that; just thinking aloud; as tombazis was at McLaren with Newey in 2005; and it was also a point made of the F10 last year that Tombazis was potentially one of the reasons that they were so kind on their tyres
raymondu999 wrote:Heh relax JET; I'm not slagging you off on that; just thinking aloud; as tombazis was at McLaren with Newey in 2005; and it was also a point made of the F10 last year that Tombazis was potentially one of the reasons that they were so kind on their tyres
Im chilled dude
Im sure Tombazis had more than a hand in the F150th and others. Costa will have seen how he works
JohnsonsEvilTwin wrote:
The know-how he brings in this respect will bode well for Mercedes so long as it is applied correctly.
Acosta is stated to 'officially' begin December 1st, but when does he actually get to work?? Now? What's normal in these situations? If he doesn't see a drawing or mock-up or is given access to MB designs to assist with, then I don't really think he is going to be too busy with W03 developement.
