Lewis Hamilton heads around track in his No. 44 machine. — Photo Credit: Mercedes

After conducting an investigation following the Belgian Grand Prix tire failures, Pirelli have concluded that debris on track caused the increase in tire cuts during the race weekend. They refuted the claim that their tires had structural integrity issues.

Pirelli said the “condition of the circuit” was pointed out to the FIA on Saturday and the track was cleaned. Even so, Pirelli said the FIA need to “evaluate the way in which circuits can be cleaned most effectively.”

Full press release

Following the recent technical analysis carried out on the tyres used at Spa, Pirelli concludes that:

1) The tests carried out by Pirelli on the tyres used at Spa have confirmed the absence of any structural problems. Pirelli has undertaken in-depth analysis on the materials and production processes used, utilising two different methods of tests and checks.

Microscopic analysis, carried out on a large number of the tyres after the second free practice session, showed no signs of fatigue or integrity issues. The same result was confirmed for the tyres used during the race, which were cross-sectioned and analysed in Milan. Some of the tyres used in the race were subjected to a further laboratory fatigue test, passing all the assessments conclusively and confirming that there was no structural degradation or problem on-track.

Since the start of 2015, 13,748 slick tyres have been used: including on especially severe tracks like Sepang, Barcelona and Silverstone. No problems have ever been discovered, underlining the fundamental solidity of the product.

2) The events of Spa can therefore be put down to external factors, linked with the prolonged use of the tyres on one of the most severe tracks of the championship.

The external factors are demonstrated by a total of 63 cuts found in the tread of the Formula One tyres used over the course of the Spa weekend, following numerous incidents that took place during the support races before the Formula One grand prix. In the previous 15 events (10 races and five test sessions) an average of only 1.2 cuts per event were noted. All this indicates an anomalous amount of detritus on the track in Spa, with a consequent increased risk of encountering a foreign object.

If even a small piece of debris – made of carbon or any other particularly sharp material – penetrates and cuts the various structural parts of a tyre (which is obviously subject to high-speed use, and more susceptible if used for a prolonged period) without penetrating the actual structure, this can cause a failure that is different to that found in the event of a normal puncture, which is characterised by a loss of tyre pressure. And the former was the type of event seen on Sebastian Vettel’s tyre at Spa.

As for Nico Rosberg, in whose case the tyre usage was less, the tyre held up – as the footage clearly shows – and the failure was not instantaneous. For four corners previously, an element of the internal structure of the tyre was visible, coming out of the tread pattern. This highlighted the existence of the damage and the consequent start of the tyre’s attrition.

Throughout the Spa weekend (including practice, qualifying and the race) cuts caused by debris were found on the tyres of other drivers, which damaged the construction but did not cause any failures.

3) At the end of qualifying on Saturday at Spa, following the exceptional number of cuts noted to the tyres, Pirelli pointed out the condition of the circuit to the FIA and asked for it to be cleaned, as well as for the teams to be told. The FIA reacted promptly in arranging for the track to be cleaned and advising the teams.

Together with the FIA, Pirelli proposes a study to evaluate the way in which circuits can be cleaned most effectively.

Photo Credit: McLaren Formula One Team

In an interview with Autosport, Honda’s Chief of Motorsport Arai has said that he believes their engine has 25 more horsepower than the Renault engines. Arai cited the “size zero” aero package as the prime reason for McLaren’s woes this year. He also added that there’s less than a 30 horsepower gap to Ferrari and 40-50 horsepower separating McLaren from Mercedes.

You can read the full article on Autosport here.

Sebastien Bourdais with experimental LED Tire Lights on course during practice for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway — Photo Credit: John Cote

IndyCar and Sebastien Bourdais tested out an LED wheel display system during Friday practice before the season finale in Sonoma. The No. 11 machine ran with lights on both the front and rear wheels.

According to IndyCar’s press release, the LED’s “have the potential of displaying logos or words for commercial partners, race or car information or other programmed details.” The system is under consideration by IndyCar for inclusion on the 2016 cars.

If approved, these lights could show race information similar to the LED panels that were introduced onto the cars earlier this year – the current panels just show race position and pit stop times. Some ideas are different colors for the current flag conditions (yellow while under yellow, green while the race is green, etc.), black or red colors depending on the current tire that’s on, or different colors for current championship position (driver in first has red tires, second has blue, etc.).

There are a ton of different options for what can be done with these lights if they come to fruition for next season. Like the current LED panels, I was skeptical of the visibility of the lights at first, but that’s why IndyCar tested them at Sonoma during the day. Speed of Light Media owner Guy Margetson said “we’re testing three colors in the brightest light of the afternoon sunshine to see how it is displayed.” From the initial images, it looks pretty good.

What do you think of these tire panels? What kind of information would you like to see displayed during a race? Let me know in the comments below.

Check out some more images of the experimental LED lights below.

Photo Credit: John Cote

Sebastien Bourdais apexes Turn 9A during practice for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway — Photo Credit: John Cote

Through just two races of the season, IndyCar teams are still figuring out what works and what doesn’t with their aero kits. Honda, after being outpaced in most of the practice sessions, were able to claim their first win via a lucky/good (depending on how you look at it) strategy call by James Hinchcliffe. 

One thing we’ve noticed so far is that none of the Honda teams have elected to run the inner, smaller endplate which is visible on the stock aero kit rendering in the red box (upper right). This element has been left off throughout all sessions by every team. The current design teams are using is highlighted via a red arrow above. 

The endplate itself is used to decrease drag by controlling how the air comes off of the wing and directing it along the wing tip vortices. This reduces disturbance in the air that would be created by “dirty air” that is not streamlined coming off of the car. The endplate also helps direct air around other parts of the car which is particularly important in front of the tire. A clean air-stream can increase car performance greatly.

With the flap setup covering the entirety of the tire (directing the airflow around the tire), the performance that would be gained by using the endplate was decided not to be beneficial to the teams thus far. They have managed to control the air wash to their liking without it. 

Another picture of the endplate:

With IndyCar heading to New Orleans this weekend for the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana, there’s a few things to watch for in terms of aero kit development.

Structural Improvements
The opening round at St. Petersburg was a carnage filled race. Aero kit bits and pieces littered the track throughout most of the race, mainly the rear bumper pods and front wing elements. By one count, as many as 12 front wings were lost or damaged during the race. This can cause some unsafe conditions for drivers and spectators, too; Gabby Chaves’ bumper pod flew off of his car and hit a spectator around turn ten. Part of the reason for this is of course the track itself; St. Petersburg is a small and tight circuit that features lots of contact every year, similar to Long Beach. NOLA Motorsports Park is a lot wider, 40-50 feet in most places, and there shouldn’t be as much contact there. Even so, in order to combat future debris filled races, IndyCar has mandated that both Chevy and Honda issue “structural upgrades to strengthen designated . . . bodywork components.”

These components will be approved by IndyCar and debuted at the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana this weekend. The exact way the two manufacturers will go about making these changes isn’t known yet, but we will get a look at it during Friday practice sessions. From the reports, it sounds as if no new parts will be added to the cars or kits themselves, just a reinforcement of the parts currently on the car. This seems the most likely path as the manufacturers won’t gain a competitive advantage by adding new parts or changing the current ones. We may not be able to notice a lot of these changes if they are material or structural, but new parts would be evident throughout practice. Look out for this increased strength during the race if the drivers start making contact with each other.

Extra Downforce For Rain
Rain is forecast for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in New Orleans. Both Honda and Chevy’s aero kits have close to 200 parts on them, and a large number of them can be tinkered with and changed by the teams and drivers. If wet weather conditions do prevail this weekend, it will be interesting to see how the teams adapt their kits. The need for more downforce and traction on the wet track will have to be met by the teams. Look out for larger wings and flaps in order to increase the downforce on the car. If the race turns out to be a dry one (Sunday currently has a 50 percent chance of rain according to RaceCastWx), teams who choose an ultra-wet setup could be left behind. It will be a delicate balance that the teams will have to find. Watch out for it this weekend.

It’ll be the first true wet conditions that teams will have to run in. The second practice session in St. Petersburg was a wet session but no teams chose to run in it due to fear for the fragile cars.

Photo Credit: IndyCar/PR