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Are
Ferrari using traction control already? - Have
Your Say March 12 - 16 News |
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Formula 1 news, results and statistics when you need it |
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Are
Ferrari using traction control already? - Have
Your Say March 12 - 16 News |
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16-Mar: It was Heinz Harald Frentzen's turn to clarify what he meant by engines running traction control. Frentzen said that he never accused anyone of using an illegal traction control system but the media made it sound that way and added "I said they have something that helps them to come better out of the corner, but it is a legal traction control. And when people asked me, do you think it's illegal, I said I can't answer that question because the FIA has all the data about traction control, and whether it's illegal or not. But also we have the answer of Max Mosley, saying that there are teams running a system in Formula One which reduces wheelspin. It's a system which is not working together with wheelspin sensors. It's a normal, legal system: they predict that wheelspin can happen, and you can program this in the software, but it's not illegal, and I was talking about this system." Olivier Panis has indicated that he is very pleased returning to Formula 1 and is fit and ready for the fight. He explained the loss of his 4th place finish in Australian by saying "To be honest I'm very experienced but I didn't see the yellow flag. Jos Verstappen was following me, he didn't see it either. I am very sorry for the team, because for the first race we did a very strong job, I would have been very happy to score three points. But anyway it's an FIA decision, I accept this, but yes, I am very sorry to the team because I didn't see the yellow flag. We have a good baseline, we have to work very hard for this weekend, and we need to score some points here." Craig Pollock was asked about the
relationship between Panis and Villeneuve and said "I think Olivier
is giving Jacques a hard time, and that's the reason that we hired
Olivier. We want two drivers finishing one behind the other, and it's
fantastic to see. But what Jacques will do, and he's done it in the past,
is he'll have to step up. Don't forget, Jacques on a Friday is not the
same as he is on a Saturday. I've never seen Jacques getting along as
easily with somebody they're both of the same language, they understand
each other, and it looks like there's quite a good friendship building
up." Patrick Head agreed with Craig
Pollock but also added that the Michelin tyres do not perform that well in
their early laps. He also pointed to the fact that all 8 wheel ties on
Villeneuve's car failed and said "Looking at the data, Ralf's
braking-point was the same or slightly later than on the previous lap. I
think it was fairly well known that the Michelin tyres had a bit of a dip
in them in their early laps, so I think Ralf was probably struggling with
a bit of understeer at that time, and I'm sure Jacques had in his mind
that he was going to overtake him. But whatever it was, somehow there was
a misjudgement and the cars hit each other. I think one thing that has to
be looked at closely is, fundamentally, the car came to a halt with
Jacques quite safely, but there are eight wheel ties on the car and each
one of those eight parted, and I think that's the biggest thing that we
have to have a good look at, to understand why, and to make sure that we
improve the performance of the wheel ties to make sure that they do what
they're intended to do." Michael Schumacher recently made comments that the Sauber team could finish on the podium and perhaps even win a race. Peter Sauber clearly disagreed and said " I think it's not possible to make podium places this season. Maybe if we are very, very lucky in a race, a very special race, with rain conditions or something, but not on our own."
16-Mar: With
an air temperature of 33 degrees and a track temperature of 43 degrees,
the drivers had a tough time during the practice sessions. Jarno Trulli who set the fastest time today indicated that this was the first time he had a trouble free session in some time and added "Each time I got in the car, I was able to push 100 per cent and we have been competitive all the way through. It is only the first day, of course, but the good thing is that we have been able to get close to McLaren and Ferrari. We are also able to show that we have made progress with this year's car; it's much better and we are moving in the right direction. I'm happy, not just for me, but for everyone on the team." Mika Hakkinen who was only the 6th
fastest wasn't too concerned about his position but complained of lack of
grip and said "'We are having some problems finding the right balance
for the car to suit this track. The main problem is lack of grip at the
front, which means the car is very difficult to drive. Today is free
practice and you never know what level of fuel the Juan Pablo Montoya was disappointed with today's outcome as he failed to set a competitive and said "It looked like every problem was falling on me today. First a fuel problem, then an electrical problem. We changed the battery and some more bits but in the end this didn't help. I don't know this track at all and I really needed to learn it. From what I could see the circuit is better than what I thought, mainly because it's really very wide." 16-Mar: Malaysian GP – 2nd Friday Practice: A surprise Jarno Trulli sets the fastest time of the day ahead of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. David Coulthard, Eddie Irvine and Mika Hakkinen make the top 6 ... Timed Results ... Full Report ... Notes 16-Mar: Malaysian GP – 1st Friday Practice: Rubens Barrichello sets the fastest time ahead of Michael Schumacher and Jarno Trulli. David Coulthard, Eddie Irvine and Heinz Harald Frentzen make the top 6 ... Timed Results ... Full Report ... Notes
16-Mar:
Jacques Villeneuve has finally spoken about the tragic crash he was involved
in at the Australian GP. Ralf Schumacher blamed Villeneuve for the
accident and thought that Villeneuve overrated himself. Almost 2 weeks
after the crash, Villeneuve described Ralf's comments as highly
unacceptable and said "I made an effort to be neutral in my comments,
to make sure I didn't put the blame on anybody and the other side reacted
like a bunch of babies trying to point their fingers. I thought that was
highly unacceptable. Ralf had problems with his front tires and he was
extremely, extremely slow and he was braking earlier than everybody else
on the racetrack. So if that happens, and you know that that's what's
happening then don't stay in the middle of the racetrack. Stay on the left
or the right and give enough room for someone else to react. If you are
going to brake 30 meters earlier than everyone else because you have
problems there's no way the other people can react."
15-Mar:
At the Thursday press conference for the Malaysian GP, Michael
Schumacher heavily criticised Heinz Harald Frentzen for the comments
he made (story) regarding Ferrari engines
using traction control. He went as far as calling them stupid and complete
nonsense and said "I clearly have to say it is quite a big mistake to
make such comments because it puts the sport in a lot of disrepute. We
have a clean start of the season, the FIA declares the car legal, and then
one person is making such a stupid comment, people write about it. People
think Ferrari has been against traction control from the start of the
season and they think why. But the reason that Ferrari is against starting
like this is not only the issue of traction control because it is quite a
big environment that will be changed from Barcelona on: differential,
launch control, traction control, there's quite a lot of things we were
simply not ready for and if we wanted to be against traction control or
all of these we would have said we don't want it at all. We just simply
could have said this. We simply felt we weren't ready at the start of the
season, that's why we didn't want it, not because we have something
tricky, and if I did my starts wouldn't be as bad as they were last year
in my view. So I think it is very unfair of him to make this comment and
now he doesn't say it's illegal, it's simply "dubious". What is
that? I mean, either it's legal or it's not legal and our one is legal, so
it's great. We are doing a good job, we are working very hard, we spent a
lot of money for that, Nick did a fantastic job, and that only means that
he has to work harder for himself and not look at other people maybe doing
something wrong. I think that's complete nonsense." David Coulthard has indicated that
he is a bit disappointed being behind Ferrari at the start of the season
but are working hard to catch them. He said "I think there is always
a big question of where you are going to be relative to your competitors
and obviously we have always had an advantage over the last few years over
the rest of the guys. So naturally there is a little bit of disappointment
not to have that same advantage. We've got some new parts which obviously
we hope will make the car go quicker, but I think it's quite clear from
Australia that Ferrari have an advantage at the moment and if you simply
look at the performance in Australia over the last few years and the
performance here, even though we had the advantage in Australia we've
always been a little bit behind. So I think that if we are able to be as
quick or quicker in qualifying then it shows we have taken a step forward
with our development. But I don't think any of us know at this time
exactly who is going to perform where on this track." Nick Heidfeld has indicated that he
thought he would be very lucky to score a point in Australia and was
amazed to finish 4th and said "I think it was a surprise to
everybody. We have been going quite well in practice, some people actually
thought that we were underweight, which I found quite nice. I thought if
we were very lucky we would maybe score one point but then actually
getting both cars in the point was really amazing. Also we were really
competitive all through the weekend, on Friday and on Saturday as well.
Obviously we were a bit lucky in the circumstances, but I think we
deserved it." 15-Mar: The Ferrari team have won all the Formula 1 races held at the Sepang circuit. They are hoping to continue that with their third win in a row. For Michael Schumacher, winning at the Malaysian GP would be his 6th Formula 1 win in a row which will put him second behind Alberto Ascari who won 7 in a row (between 1952 - 1953). Michael Schumacher is optimistic but knows that it is not going to be easy and said "For sure it's going to be a pretty tough race physically, but it will be the same for everyone and I am not worried about my stamina for this race. Obviously I have warm memories of the Sepang track which is both challenging yet very safe. I would certainly like to make it a hat trick for Ferrari this year and add another 10 points to my Championship lead. We showed we were both fast and reliable in Australia, but it's not going to be easy to repeat the act in Malaysia - especially if the weather plays a hand in the outcome." Team-mate Rubens Barrichello is looking forward to the race and is hoping to be able to race Michael and said "Malaysia will be hot and humid and that will put a lot of extra strain on the cars as well as the drivers. Although I was not entirely pleased the way the race went for me in Australia, it was still a very positive start to the season and I am looking forward to having a better race in Malaysia and, I hope, racing Michael for the win. It's going to feel strange returning to the same track so soon where the whole team had an incredible party to celebrate our double championship win. I think some have only just recovered." The dispute between Michael Schumacher and Bell helmets has been resolved. Earlier Michael Schumacher decided to switch to Schuberth helmets despite having a contract with Bell helmets. The matter did go to court and Schumacher was forced to wear Bell helmets at the Australian GP to avoid paying around $100,000 for every session he doesn't wear a Bell helmet. Both parties have now reached a settlement that will allow Michael Schumacher to wear the Schuberth helmets starting from the Malaysian GP. The statement read "Michael Schumacher underlines how his earlier comments on the quality and safety of Bell helmets had been misinterpreted. In those nine years of productive collaboration, the quality and safety of Bell helmets had never been put in question. On behalf of Bell, S.P.O.R.T.S. Europe thanked Michael Schumacher, three-times World Champion, for having used its helmets up until today and was pleased to have found a friendly solution to the controversy. As a result of this agreement, Michael Schumacher will no longer use Bell helmets with effect from the Malaysian GP." The terms of the agreement was not disclosed.
14-Mar:
Jacques Villeneuve's Race Engineer and close friend Jock Clear has indicated
that the tragic accident Villeneuve was involved in at the Australian GP
will make him an even stronger character. He added "I don't think it
will affect his racing at all. I don't think he will worry at all, and,
even if it might sound like a strange philosophy, in a way that sort of
accident probably strengthens his resolve and probably boosts his
confidence. To have that sort of magnitude of shunt and come out
completely unhurt I think reinforces the fact that the cars are massively
strong these days. From Jacques’ point of view he is pretty confident
the car around him is going to protect him so he is always taking risks,
he is always putting his life on the line." 14-Mar: "Ferrari Dominant, Or Will They Be?" is the title of the 5th issue from the Diagnosis and Prognosis Series for the 2001 season. In this issue, the Heretic looks at the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix - Issue 5
13-Mar:
Williams' Technical Director Patrick Head has indicated that he is
optimistic for the upcoming race and the season ahead as both Michelin and
BMW performed well. He was not so happy with Montoya's qualifying result
and hopes the Colombian will do better in Malaysia and said "On both
of our previous visits (to the Malaysian GP) we have struggled a bit, but
we intend to get to grips with the track’s requirements this time. Much
will depend upon the Michelin tyres and their suitability for this track.
They performed well at Melbourne as did the new BMW engine, which gives us
every reason to have an optimistic view of our season ahead. Both drivers
drove well in Melbourne, although I am sure that Juan Pablo will be
wanting to improve upon his starting position." Jaguar's boss Bobby Rahal has indicated that the team's aim this season is to gain respectability and that is achieved by reliability. He was happy with both cars finishing in Melbourne and is very optimistic with regards to improving their pace. As for the Malaysian GP, Rahal predicts rain which will make the event exciting and said "Given that both cars crossed the finishing line in Melbourne, I feel that we have started the season on target, especially when you consider the fact that both cars retired from last year’s Australian Grand Prix by lap six. We learned a lot from Melbourne and over time we are very optimistic about extracting more pace from the car. Cosworth introduced a new series two CR3 engine for Melbourne and it has been very well received by the drivers. Combined with our ongoing development with Michelin, I am optimistic about fulfilling our targets over the course of this season. The Malaysian Grand Prix is now at the opening end of the season as opposed to the end and the new date means a high risk of rain. Four times in the past five years it has rained on March 18 in Sepang and this will inevitably make for an exciting spectacle – something we hope to be a part of." 13-Mar: "Are Ferrari using traction control already ?" Topic of the week - Have Your Say 12-Mar: Benetton's Technical Director Mike Gascoyne has indicated that they expected a difficult race in Melbourne and are hoping to introduce a new bodywork package for Malaysia that should help them move higher up the grid. He said "Melbourne was difficult for the team but no more than we expected. Both Renault Sport UK and France are pushing hard on development for Malaysia and Brazil so we can start the process of moving up the grid. We have a new bodywork package in development that we hope will be ready for Malaysia. For the forthcoming race, we have incorporated some specific modifications to cope with what we expect to be very high temperatures in Malaysia. Our focus is on race reliability and our aim is to get two cars to the finish and in a competitive state." Following his recent comments about the
Sauber of Nick Heidfeld using traction control at the Australian GP (story), Heinz
Harald Frentzen has indicated that while he is certain that Ferrari
use some form of traction control, it is unfair to label Nick Heidfeld as
a cheat and wrote "For me, it is beyond doubt that somehow Ferrari
managed to develop an engine software which reduces the power by a certain
margin to the extent that the driven wheels don’t spin. It cannot be
ignored that something like that exists, there is simply no room for a
discussion about that. On the other hand, however, you can discuss if the
device that exists is legal or illegal. I believe that Formula 1 –
thanks to its brilliant engineers – progressed into an area which is
hard to be defined even by the FIA. And this is exactly why the FIA opted
for the right consequence to change the rules in order to legalize
traction control in the future. 11-Mar: Can Ferrari continue their domination?. The Malaysian Grand Prix Preview is now available ... Race Preview Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix Schedule:
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