Why is it so difficult for F1 drivers to run in wet?

Every generation of racing driver has its own supreme talent. Rarely there is a difference between this person and his peers when the conditions are wet or variable, then established knowledge becomes.

However, it is difficult to argue against most of the names of autosport’s spreadsheet in the Grands Prix, which is greatly affected by the rain, the reality is somewhat more fine than this.

Even some of them once-or-two-two-generation had days where they have not stood on the cosmic heads and shoulders on everyone. Take the last Sunday in Australia, where Max Verustapane The track was one of the many top-raj talent to slide from the track; There is never a man who looked at another level in Brazil last year, was very happy to be in another place in one race.

Fundamentally it is a question of physics: how much contact the tires are making with the rubber road, and what is its purchase on the surface at any time.

Thanks to the modern data science and the single-tire-cylinder format of the Formula 1, it is usually linear to run the variable in a completely drought. The drivers would have installed through practice what is the level of grip in a particular corner on a certain tire, and how it changes through the tire fall and fuel load. Otherwise unexpected threats – such as oil or gravel – will be marked by the pitwall.

Wait running introduces more variables because it is almost impossible to exist in the constant position of ‘wetness’ for the track: at any point it is either wet or dry. To an extent, there are more confident prizes available for drivers or who are ready to entertain the higher risk.

In the wet, the absolute level of grip is low, and so it is difficult to find, as it is dry – and the grip available at a certain location will vary in the lap after lap. High wing levels can assist a driver here, but the cost (mainly in a straight line drag penalty) may be greater than the advantage when drying or drying of the track.

Nevertheless there exists a limit: the point that is more than the capacity of the tire to increase the forward speed mechanical grip, and/or their ability to spread water. Current generation Pirley wet tires can spread 85 liters of water per second-more than that range. They float on the surface of the water instead of contacting the track, and the driver may ride on a boat.

By 1966, the aquaplanning F1 was less than an issue because the cars had run on narrow wheels and tires, which were less prone to riding on the surface of the standing water instead of bite. Fater tire post -’66 of the wet racing challenge was added rather than subtract it.

This, you will imagine, where the ‘felt’ of the greatest drivers responds to a problem, even modern data science cannot solve the fly.

In addition, because the full wet tires of Pirelli are also a missing rare vision on wet weekends. If this compound is receiving enough rainfall for the need of water-mashing capabilities-double-dug-all water that they are displaced in the air pose a safety threat. It is impossible to see through that volume of spray, so the unavoidable result is a safety car signation or a red flag.

Full wet tires deteriorate so fast that no one wants to use them.

In Temps Paradu, before laptop and telemetry, a race will start more or less that may come. In Nurburgring in 1968, the contestants did not rain continuously, as well as about 180 meters in fog as well as 180 meters, in all weekends – so the organizers mandated in another practice session on Sunday morning and run the race anyway, even if nothing changed.

Jackie Stewart was only persuaded to participate in that additional practice session as the team’s boss Ken Tierel told him that it was better to see where the water was already sitting in comparison to the first encounter in the race position. From the third row of the grid, he took out the edge to get out of the spray wall made by cars, as soon as he snatched the edge and won for more than four minutes, on a large scale because he wanted fully as soon as possible. “Total Madness” was how JYS described it.

Contemporary F1 is now thankful to the greater risk-affect, but it still wrestles with wet challenges. The Rogue’s Gallery of Persian Grands Prix, Spa 2021-a race-a three-hour waiting between three contracted laps and laps behind the safety car is a waiting for three hours-the same with the 2005 Indiananapolis Fargo of 2005.

Two years later, Ficical Ardains Micromet brought the way to the more Ordor F1 as the sprint race was running behind the security car, running on Pirelli’s wet tires throughout the region, compulsory by rules in such circumstances. Only the driver who did not pits for intermediate as soon as the security car was parked was those who could not double-defoxy in the pitbox.

Pireli has robbed a ‘super intermediate’ tire, which is close to wet, but is less prone to self-destruction, which survives from such scenes-but nothing has come, partially due to difficulties in testing in such circumstances. Most of its tests have been artificially on wet surfaces.

The FIA’s proposed ‘Spray Guard’ was a good idea in theory but Testing last year made a very little difference. – Because most parts of the spray were produced by wheels and tires, but generated by the underflour aircraft, depending on the current generation of cars.

Just as the ‘full weight’ is out of the running question, the variable conditions in Melbourne prove to be disgusting due to the boundaries of intermediate compound over the last weekend. As soon as a dry line begins to develop, the tires deteriorate until the drivers take them away from the racing line to a quick dip in the remaining water. Nevertheless, it is delaying unavoidable.

The result is large and large, a procession, because for a very long time to get away from the drying line for a lot of risk.

Calculation of the moment to swap the slix – or back -back – with luck – also includes the decision; When? Lando Noris, George Russell And Alex albon At the end of Lap 44 at Albert Park, he led to pits for inters, they looked a little early seeing the relatively dry status of one and two regions. The circumstances then fell in his favor as there was rain on the rest of the track. Gambles can often look like talent.

When conditions change in this fashion – dry (Ish) to be wet – the default option is intermediate tire because the wet is very sensitive and delicate. It is better to tip here and there on the intermediate and the burn is waiting for the meylander to wait.

And what is the ‘myth’ of mega-talent that can overcome their machinery and physics rules? One may argue that the modern F1 driver is standing in the cosmic shadow of the Arton Army’s performance in the 1993 European Grand Prix at Donington Park, where he reached the fifth place before the fifth in the early lap, and then finished a full lap ahead of his old Nemesis Ellen Prost.

For some readers it would be a tentmount to condemn it to write, but Donington 1993 was a performance of driving talent enriched by a full suit of clever traction-control electronics in a well-balanced car. The army made the best tool at its disposal one day, prostly saw clearly.

Portugal 1985, where 26 cars were introduced and classified as only nine, provided a more compelling argument for talent, which is a decisive factor in the victory of a fugitive wet on drivers in similar devices: the top eight Goodyer rubber and the team were finishing a lap in front of Elio D Angelis. We return to the points of awards to be available to drivers with more confidence or risk for risk.

Nevertheless, even the champions can put a wheel in the wrong place, especially on the street circuit where the white lines are painted. Wet 1984 Monaco Grand Prix was one of the famous What-Maete-Hive-Beans that was a clerk of Jackie IKEX (no slum in wet during its time) quickly extended the race, while the army was pursuing Prost. Earlier, Nigel Mainell exited the lead, which was immersed on one of the white lines climbing the road out of the steveot.

To declare the manager of the Lotus team Peter War, it was declared that “Nigel Mainell would never win a grand prix, unless there is a hole in my ass”. He was wrong about that. And did Mencell want a tendency for confidence, bravery or risks? Definitely not.

In the wet, no one is absolute. Like those days Michael SchumacherIn 1996 in Barcelona, ​​Juan Manual Fangio in 1957 in Nerburgering, and Lewis HamiltonIn 2008, in silverstone, stand out because they are extraordinary, even among the best.