dr-baker wrote:IdeFan wrote:dr-baker wrote:...And I imagine that they add weight to the car, and nowadays, when hundreths of a second count, this would not save the time that the extra weight would cost.
They were part of the jack, not part of the car, there's a pit stop around 2:30 in the video so you can see what I mean.
Ooops. Shows how much attention I paid first time round.
But haven't there been on-board car jacks before? Like in sportscars or something? Or am I digging myself a hole (again - at this rate, I'll be burying myself in Australia...)?
I have seen the GT classes in Endurance Racing use on-board pneumatic jacks - partially because of the greater static weight of the cars, and partially because the Endurance Racing series limits the number of personnel who are allowed to work on the car in the pitlane, as a matter of safety. So, by eliminating the need for two jackmen, you free those mechanics either for refuelling or for tyre changing.
I would imagine, though, that in F1 there would be less of a need for such a system, either on the jack or in the car - being in the car would be a disadvantage for the added weight, whilst having it in the jack presumably has made no significant difference to the pit stop time.
Phoenix wrote:Cynon wrote:If Nico Hulkenberg is out of Formula 1 by the end of this year, then next year will we have a guaranteed 50% drop in chicane cutting?
Well, now it seems that Hülkenberg and Willi Weber are asking more money to Sir Frank. Add that to the fact Williams is in a loss of sponsors next season, and Hülkenberg may be dropped after all...(a paydriver in Williams for the first time since 1977? *cringes*)
On the other hand, although Maldonado, who has been linked with Williams, could bring substantial sponsorship in the form of PDVSA, he is also the 2010 GP2 champion, so he isn't exactly slow, it seems. On the other hand, we must consider that Maldonado was Hulkenberg's team mate in 2009 within the ART Grand Prix GP2 team, and, by and large, it seems that Hulkenberg had the better of Maldonado, as Hulkenberg won, but Maldonado only finished 6th in the championship.
His GP2 performance has generally been solid, if unspectacular, until this year - he finished 11th in 2007 (albeit having to miss 4 races with a broken collarbone), 5th in 2008, 6th in 2009 and 1st this year. All in all, whilst not a bad driver, and perhaps worthy of a shot in F1, I think that Maldonado best chance of getting a drive at Williams would be if Hulkenberg has a wretched end to the season. If, however, Hulkenberg has an OK end to the season - perhaps the lower end of the points in each of the final races - I would tentatively suggest that Williams would give Hulkenberg another chance, assuming that Weber is not too overly aggressive with his rumoured salary demands.