Fia and plank tests in 2023

[dans79]

I think you’re underestimating the amount of pressure involved. Simple tasks become rapidly more complicated when you raise the stakes.

......

So you have to be very confident in what you do and take the time to do everything right. And then 3 hours is not a lot of time, even for “simple” measurements.

I'm personally very aware of what the pressure to perform is like. In a previous job I regularly had millions of dollars ridding on my ability to perform my job quickly and flawlessly every day.

What allowed me and my peers to do it every day, was very clear cut procedures. We'd get bonuses/raises if we could come up with ways of doing are job faster or more accurately.

IMo the issue is the FIA does not run the championchip like they should. Other sports do not have the issues the fia does at an organizational level. Sure, every sport has a bad official here or there, but the FIA has organization/institutional style problems.

[Rodak]

The rule doesn't conflict with what chrisc90 said in any way.

Yes, it does. chrisc90 suggests measuring titanium skid plates to check wear but the Technical Regulations, quoted above, requires measurement of the plank itself at the four designated holes. Plank thickness less than 9mm means the car is illegal.

[organic]

Amus

[dans79]

The rule doesn't conflict with what chrisc90 said in any way.

Yes, it does. chrisc90 suggests measuring titanium skid plates to check wear but the Technical Regulations, quoted above, requires measurement of the plank itself at the four designated holes. Plank thickness less than 9mm means the car is illegal.

They are measuring off the plate/block that covers/surrounds the holes. Hence the use of the depth mic.

It is a dumb way of doing it because you have to pull the plank off the car.

[Rodak]

The rule doesn't conflict with what chrisc90 said in any way.

Yes, it does. chrisc90 suggests measuring titanium skid plates to check wear but the Technical Regulations, quoted above, requires measurement of the plank itself at the four designated holes. Plank thickness less than 9mm means the car is illegal.

They are measuring off the plate/block that covers/surrounds the holes. Hence the use of the depth mic.

It is a dumb way of doing it because you have to pull the plank off the car.

Well, that's a point for discussion. The fact is, right now you have to measure the plank; the skid plate is not the referenced surface.

[dialtone]

Yes, it does. chrisc90 suggests measuring titanium skid plates to check wear but the Technical Regulations, quoted above, requires measurement of the plank itself at the four designated holes. Plank thickness less than 9mm means the car is illegal.

They are measuring off the plate/block that covers/surrounds the holes. Hence the use of the depth mic.

It is a dumb way of doing it because you have to pull the plank off the car.

Well, that's a point for discussion. The fact is, right now you have to measure the plank; the skid plate is not the referenced surface.

Precisely. The skid block is there to be cheese grated away and protect the plank. There are no restrictions on the skid blocks aside from its material.

[Rodak]

They are measuring off the plate/block that covers/surrounds the holes. Hence the use of the depth mic.

It is a dumb way of doing it because you have to pull the plank off the car.

Well, that's a point for discussion. The fact is, right now you have to measure the plank; the skid plate is not the referenced surface.

Precisely. The skid block is there to be cheese grated away and protect the plank. There are no restrictions on the skid blocks aside from its material.

Yep. And it should be noted, the titanium skid block has a hugely different wear rate than the composite (or whatever, materials optional with caveats) plank.

[dialtone]

Amus

Imho none of these arguments makes too much sense. It’s fine to not test them all, but there has to be a trigger that will force them all to be measured. They can just send the plank to FIA.

If FIA wants to do a random check, the way to do it is to ask for all the planks and picking them blind from the bin. Measure and then figure out who owns it. If enough of your samples are positive then measure them all.

That is of course true if they were serious people.

[Rodak]

Amus

Imho none of these arguments makes too much sense. It’s fine to not test them all, but there has to be a trigger that will force them all to be measured. They can just send the plank to FIA.

If FIA wants to do a random check, the way to do it is to ask for all the planks and picking them blind from the bin. Measure and then figure out who owns it. If enough of your samples are positive then measure them all.

That is of course true if they were serious people.

That's a reasonable point, but with the number of regulations to be checked, how do you make it a possible thing to do in a reasonable time? Please assign a ranking to each check and go from there; that's pretty difficult. There has to be some sort of triage with the checks.....

To check every car to every regulation at every race is impossible. Tell me what you would like to check for every car at every race. Not every car is weighed, as we see as they enter the pits; what would you do to ensure legality?

[dans79]

Not every car is weighed, as we see as they enter the pits; what would you do to ensure legality?

Every car that finishes the sprint race or the main race and makes it to parc ferme gets weighed, its listed in every post race scrutineering document.


COTA sprint race
https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files ... eering.pdf
The ont car that didn't get weighed was stroll.

COTA main race
https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files ... eering.pdf
The ont cars that didn't get weighed were Alonso, Piastri, Ocon.

[AR3-GP]

What do people think is the reason for all of the hoopla surrounding plank inspections now? These procedures have been public and done the same way for years. I'm not quite buying the faux outrage from the paddock. Even the two drivers that were disqualified had their planks inspected in previous GPs. Why was the procedure okay then, but now now?

[ValeVida46]

What do people think is the reason for all of the hoopla surrounding plank inspections now? These procedures have been public and done the same way for years. I'm not quite buying the faux outrage from the paddock. Even the two drivers that were disqualified had their planks inspected in previous GPs. Why was the procedure okay then, but now now?

Pretty simple really.
If the consequence of being checked is disqualification, all planks should be checked.
Not just those deemed suspicious.

I wouldn't be surprised that Mercedes and Hamilton knew about running the car lower than permitted and took a chance. A whistle blower will soon appear.

FIA meanwhile should launch an investigation by collection all the meeting transcripts, text messages and emails of Mercedes of the Austin GP

My word
I guess Ferrari get the free pass in your witch-hunt?

[Henri]

What do people think is the reason for all of the hoopla surrounding plank inspections now? These procedures have been public and done the same way for years. I'm not quite buying the faux outrage from the paddock. Even the two drivers that were disqualified had their planks inspected in previous GPs. Why was the procedure okay then, but now now?

Pretty simple really.
If the consequence of being checked is disqualification, all planks should be checked.
Not just those deemed suspicious.

I wouldn't be surprised that Mercedes and Hamilton knew about running the car lower than permitted and took a chance. A whistle blower will soon appear.

FIA meanwhile should launch an investigation by collection all the meeting transcripts, text messages and emails of Mercedes of the Austin GP

My word
I guess Ferrari get the free pass in your witch-hunt?

These guys are anti-merc no matter what lol

[FW17]

What do people think is the reason for all of the hoopla surrounding plank inspections now? These procedures have been public and done the same way for years. I'm not quite buying the faux outrage from the paddock. Even the two drivers that were disqualified had their planks inspected in previous GPs. Why was the procedure okay then, but now now?

Pretty simple really.
If the consequence of being checked is disqualification, all planks should be checked.
Not just those deemed suspicious.

I wouldn't be surprised that Mercedes and Hamilton knew about running the car lower than permitted and took a chance. A whistle blower will soon appear.

FIA meanwhile should launch an investigation by collection all the meeting transcripts, text messages and emails of Mercedes of the Austin GP

My word
I guess Ferrari get the free pass in your witch-hunt?

Leclerc isnt the one betting all his money

[Cs98]

People want to have their cake and eat it too. On the one hand they want to pretend plank control is a big issue (even though they were blissfully unaware before last GP) and on the other hand they would never apply such rigour to other controls. Why should all planks be controlled after every race any more than every car should be weighed during quali, for example? If inconvenience and time is a good enough excuse in one case it's a good enough argument in the other too. Data driven spot checks have worked for decades, it's no more an issue now than it was two weeks ago. Also unfortunate to see drivers fueling the fire with vague accusations. If Hamilton knows someone drove an illegal car (except himself and Charles ofc) he should submit a formal complaint to the FIA, not spread rumours in the media.