|
|
Just how do Ferrari plan when to make their pit stops?
Is it luck that they get out before the main rivals? Or are there some things happening
behind the scenes? Yes behind the scenes the Ferrari team are hard at work to ensure that
the pit stops are completed in the best possible opportunity.
During the course of a Grand Prix the Ferrari team has five men who monitor the race from
the pit wall. Team director Jean Todt sits in the centre of the Ferrari pit wall stand. On
his right sits technical director Ross Brawn. On the left of Todt is the Ferrari team
manager Stefano Domenicali, on the far left is Carlo Cantoni who is Rubens Barrichello's
race engineer and on the far right sits Michael Schumacher's race engineer Luca
Baldisseri.
What they are looking at is five monitors at eye level and a row of smaller monitors above
each position which give the team masses of information. There are ten available channels
to show pictures from five alternative camera positions. The global picture, on board
camera footage, the rest of the cars, the pit lane and a monitor to check on the latest
lap times.
The team then has five analogue programmes which give the team much more data about the
track temperature, air pressure, weather forecast's as well as detailing information from
the race stewards, this would include any penalties incurred, safety car, yellow flags and
so on. In order for each member to be aware of the race in general as well as
concentrating on their own area three monitors show the TV feed as shown on digital TV.
The top row show the team's own programmes.
Ross Brawn usually commands one of these monitors to show the on board footage from the
car's, this is important for him to be able to gauge the tyre wear and to assess the
driver's performance. Jean Todt and Stefan Domenicali keep a watchful eye on the global
picture, this is an overview of the race and they also watch carefully for any
announcements from the race stewards. The driver's race engineers work mostly with the lap
times which are constantly updated through the various timing points on the circuit.
The information they receive from this assists them to follow and assess how small changes
to the car affect the driver's speed. Both engineers have laptop computers that can show
over 100 data items, which are transmitted from sensors via radio to the car and back.
This data would include oil pressure and water temperature. This data is passed directly
to the central telemetry base in the pit garage.
As the team gathers and assesses this mass of information that the team is receiving they
begin to work on the strategy for the race, should they stop now for fuel? Where will the
driver rejoin the track? Are the tyres finished? What is the opposition doing?
If the race strategy and pit stops are to be completed successfully the communication
between all the team members has to be slick and have no break down. Therefore Ferrari's
nervous system is based on Nato's system of radio transmission technology. This enables
the team to use four separate links simultaneously, one for Michael Schumacher, Rubens
Barrichello, the whole team and one for all the technical and telemetry data.
But above all this data and information, the Ferrari team still have to rely on plain team
work to ensure is all works out as planned. For instance the McLaren team proudly boast
that their command centre is twice as large as Ferrari's, but time and time again the
Scuderia beat them in the pit lane. This is down to the work and dedication of the best
mechanics, the work of the finest driver's, and off course the five men on the pit wall! |
|
| [an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
|
|
|
|
