During a recent panel discussion last week, a participant asked a very interesting question to the panelists but no one present could possibly answer. The question was; during a VERY wet race, how do they avoid rain flooding the cockpit? Can anyone technically tell me how this problem, if it is actually a problem is solved? Thanks in advance for those who would kindly give me an answer.
Umbrella Girls!!! lol. Once the car is moving rain prevention is pointless because if there is any water still at the bottom of the cockpit it will come out either the hole in the front or once possibly in the back i don't know haven't looked inside an f1 car lately. that and its HOTT inside the cockpit no matter what so it'll dry out pretty quickly so i imagine its not too much of a problem for f1
Air flow at high speeds defined by shape of the car (especially deflector and splitter) prevents raindrops from entering the cockpit in significant amount. Also, don’t forget the airbox (snorkel) that acts as pump (together with engine) and sucks 600 liters of air per sec (and that is the air sucked above cockpit opening). Airbox has a drainage system that prevents air filter from soaking and it works on principle that air can change direction much easier that raindrops/water drops. As it was mentioned, cockpit air is very hot and motion of the car and lower pressure on top of the car/bodywork makes it go upwards (sort of sucks it out) – out of the cockpit, that is a big factor too. Air stream is so powerful that it lifts the drivers head/helmet upwards (remember problems Button faced this season when his helmet harness got loose and choked him on straights as the helmet lifted off.
manchild wrote:Air flow at high speeds defined by shape of the car (especially deflector and splitter) prevents raindrops from entering the cockpit in significant amount. Also, don’t forget the airbox (snorkel) that acts as pump (together with engine) and sucks 600 liters of air per sec (and that is the air sucked above cockpit opening). Airbox has a drainage system that prevents air filter from soaking and it works on principle that air can change direction much easier that raindrops/water drops. As it was mentioned, cockpit air is very hot and motion of the car and lower pressure on top of the car/bodywork makes it go upwards (sort of sucks it out) – out of the cockpit, that is a big factor too. Air stream is so powerful that it lifts the drivers head/helmet upwards (remember problems Button faced this season when his helmet harness got loose and choked him on straights as the helmet lifted off.
I think that was last season in Hockenheim.
Well, it's usually hot in the cockpit; at least some of the water vaporizes. I'm sure the aero at 100+mph will just make the rain slide around the cockpit.
Bring back wider rear wings, V10s, and tobacco advertisements
My experience with heavy rain and a formula car was back in the mid 70's. But it was one heck of a heavy rain. We had only four concerns. Weatherproofing of the systems, especially the electrics. Choice of rain tires, and thirdly, driver visibility. Fourth was the possibility of the pedals being wet, and the driver's feet slipping off them.
When the car is sitting on the grid, an umbrella is used to protect the cockpit. After the race, who cares, the car is saturated, and it needs a complete dry-out. At speed, the rain drops do not fall directly into the cockpit, they strike the driver and airbox behind his head. Some water does trickle down and find it's way into the cockpit, but I believe it is minimal. There is not enough to consider the driver is sitting in a bathtub full of water, at worst, he may be sitting in a very wet driver's suit. As far as wet pedals, every effort is made to ensure the driver's feet are clean and dry when he slips into the cockpit. In a modern F1 car, the feet are elevated quite high, so this should not be any problem.
I do not know if the inflow of water into a cockpit is enough to be of concern, but if the engineers consider this to be a problem, I do not think a solution is difficult. Just a few small holes and maybe a shroud to generate a negative pressure would ensure drainage.
During a heavy rain, it's visibility that is everyone's concern, visibility through the thrown up water, and the misting inside the helmet visor. Everything else is very minor compared to the visibility problem.
As a side note, at the conclusion of our monsoon race, the driver did not have problems with water in the cockpit, nor did he believe his feet were slipping off the pedals. But he sure had visibility issues.
You will see some drivers having boots over their driving boots, then take them off just prior to stepping into the car. Some even have a mechanic wiping the soles of their boots with a rag.
I have heard stories about drivers urinating in their cockpits during the races.
How come the idea of an aerodynamically shaped plastic windshields was never used on F1 cars? There must be a very good cause because other wise it would improve the rain problem in the driver's seat and slightly decrease drag.
taleed wrote:How come the idea of an aerodynamically shaped plastic windshields was never used on F1 cars? There must be a very good cause because other wise it would improve the rain problem in the driver's seat and slightly decrease drag.
From my perspective, visibility is more of an issue than just getting wet. The more visors or cockpit fairing you have increases the possibility of misting and reduced visibility.
What would you rather endure, severe reduction of visibility to almost nil, or wrinkled skin?
mini696 wrote:I have heard stories about drivers urinating in their cockpits during the races.
Michael actually said that it's so hot in the cockpit, it'll dry up in no time. BTW there was a race where Frentzen said he was glad he finished 4th, because he made such a mess in the cockpit he couldn't go on the podium.
mini696 wrote:I have heard stories about drivers urinating in their cockpits during the races.
Michael actually said that it's so hot in the cockpit, it'll dry up in no time. BTW there was a race where Frentzen said he was glad he finished 4th, because he made such a mess in the cockpit he couldn't go on the podium.
