dren wrote:
Why would you test an engine over 100% when it will never see that? For that matter, teams probably should test all sorts of illegal parts that they'll never use, just to see what they will do. They might as well run in testing with double the allowed fuel, too.
How do you know where the limit is if you don't push it?
You might find that it can cope with being at 105% and still last a race distance, or you might find you can get away with pushing it to 110% as long as its only a short duration.
Until you put the engine in the car and run it through the full loads it actually sees on track then you dont
know whether it will work. You can have a very good guess but you don't know.
The teams put an awful lot of emphasis on maximising testing considering your view that its not really required.