Finally!!!! The truth about Sato's...

[sharkie17]

David Richards finally admitted that all the engine failures more than likely is Satos fault...
As if we didnt know...

Discuss please

[West]

I heard they use experimental parts on his engine also, so who knows.

[bernard]

Well his driving style shure seems faster than buttons. If honda is incapable of supplying him with an engine that survives his driving style, then i suppose it's not his fault. I'm not really a Sato fan either, though. He should try to work on his mistakes, and honda should be the one worrying about the engines.

[Guest]

If Sato is quicker than button that's fine...but he still needs drive within the limits of the engine which Button has obviously learned to do. BAR could be second in constructors points if Sato would drive within the engine (even if it may be strong enough for Sato's style) limits.

[Guest]

Basically Sato joined Villeneuve's team at BAR-Honda. I remember prior to races Villeneuve used to say "Tell me how my car will break & it will happen...".

You get what I mean?

[bernard]

...but he still needs drive within the limits of the engine which Button has obviously learned to do

Button hasn't "learned" to drive within the engines limits. He just simply drives slower. His driving style isn't as agressive, and that is why he lacks that certain edge to his driving. He's quick, but something just is missing from there. He reminds me a lot of David Coulthard. He is fast, but he will never be a world champion. Sato, on the other hand, drives very agressively, and is FAST, but unfortunately this brings out the Honda engines reliability issues. I won't mention his reckless driving as it is a whole another thing.
Just look at mclaren. Kimi's engine has blown more than once a weekend this year. Davids twice, i think. Coincidence? I'll just mention that in 2002 Kimi's engine broke something like 5-1 comparing to David. Coincidence? I don't think so. He pushes the car, and it brings out the weakness in the engine. Coulthard drives like an old lady, and his engine lasts, taking him to a max 9th position.

[Guest]

If Button has a smoother but not as fast drivingstyle how do you then explain how Schumacher is the fastest and still manages to keep his car in one piece ?

/ Fx

[bernard]

If Button has a smoother but not as fast drivingstyle how do you then explain how Schumacher is the fastest and still manages to keep his car in one piece ?

ummm... i don't know... how about his car is a ferrari? Do you even need to ask?

[Guest]

I read somewhere that Berger's Engine (Honda) always used to break down more often than Senna's - the explanation from the Honda Engineers was that Ayrton was more sensitive with the car - this proves that a car can be driven quickly without it necessarily breaking down...

However if Sato was given experimental parts then that could be the problem...

I'm not sure about who is the Team Leader in BAR but if potentionally Sato was faster than Jenson you could see some sense in giving him the new bits.

What I don't understand is why the don't give them to Anthony Davidson and let him 'test' them on the friday - if they show any signs of breaking then don't fit them that weekend!

[joseff]

On the subject of car abuse, it's also worth noting how JPM suffers from more engine failures during 2001-2003 compared to Ralf

So, it could be true...

[Guest]

yes,Sato has the same reliability woes as Villeneuve had...and it seems really appropriate to look at the way the two cars are run within the team.
On the other side it might be Button is using the engine more sensitive in feeding in throttle as grip allows whereas sato may purely rely on the traktioncontrol and floor it .Just a guess.
Cutting out sparks ,retarding timing and leaning out of the mixture all are able to harm the engine and contribute to shorten the engines life..so there might be the clue.

[West]

yes,Sato has the same reliability woes as Villeneuve had...and it seems really appropriate to look at the way the two cars are run within the team.
On the other side it might be Button is using the engine more sensitive in feeding in throttle as grip allows whereas sato may purely rely on the traktioncontrol and floor it .Just a guess.
Cutting out sparks ,retarding timing and leaning out of the mixture all are able to harm the engine and contribute to shorten the engines life..so there might be the clue.

Yeah, I was thinking maybe they were relying on traction control too much. But Honda should still take that into account when building their engines, since the technology is there.

[Monstrobolaxa]

If Button has a smoother but not as fast drivingstyle how do you then explain how Schumacher is the fastest and still manages to keep his car in one piece ?

Well Schumacher in fact is more sensitive with the engine then any other driver...1 or 2 seasons ago there was an interesting interview with Ross Brown and P. Martinelli and both of them agreed that Schummy was fantastic with the engine! He is able of turning the engine off before it explodes he pays attention to the sound of the engine. Martinelli said that the first time Schummy did it the team didn't beleive it (in 1996)! The telemetry didn't show anything...but Schummy said something was going to happen....so they stripped down the engine and found a piece of metal in the oil sump and another stuck to one of the pistons.....the engine would only last another 1 or 2 laps....but he detected the problem before it happened.

About Satos woes.....they're not exactly the same as Villeneuve....Villeneuve suffered essencially from gearbox probs (from it selecting neutral instead of shift up...down to selecting 2nd and 5th at the same time) and EMU constant resets....100% engine probs he only sufered 2 or 3 last year. (a little less then the number Sato already suffered this year)

[-shr3d-]

hey all,

i just put a post in the tech forum on this subject before i found this one...
maybe someone can help with a technical insight....
it would be fascinating to know how each team has their traction control set up and whose takes the most out of the engine. i know that from the last 2 races in Melbourne, Renault sounds the sweetest.. you dont even hear it cutting in and out...

[pompelmo]

FINALY