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In final qualifying drivers run three laps, the warm-up, the actual qualifying lap and the cool-down. Because only one of these laps actually counts would a driver be able to somehow use very, very little fuel on the other two laps, maybe an electric motor, or even just get out and push. would this be legal or do-able?
Location: Covilhã, Portugal (and sometimes in Évora)
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LOLOL....interesting question......but all you say would be illegal....the electric engine would be illegal because the regs state that the motion has to be provided by a V-10 with the maximum of 3 litres, 5 valves per cilinder.....etc.....even if it was legal it would be considered as dead weight it would only be used for a very small period and wouldnt bring too much of an advantage...so engineers wouldn't develop it.....
Pushing the car would be considered illegal and dangerous....the car has to be driven and not pushed....escept when you run out of fuel....you can push it....if you don't put yourself and others in danger....so out of the question....
What drivers do is....set a intemed fuel setting for the warmup lap....to heat up the engine, transmission, brakes and tires.....for the flying lap a high fuel setting...and for the slowing down lap....the fuel setting is set as low as possible.
Indeed in their in- and outlap drivers set-up the fuel mixture for minimum consumption via their steering wheel. I do not think any team could have any significant advantage here over the two "slow" in- and outlaps, and as Monstrobolaxa rightly said any other method of propulsion other than a 3 litres normally aspirated V-10 engine would be illegal (even the wind - LOL).
