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Owing to the current nature of Formula
One cars and today's circuits, a commonly heard phrase is that "the vast majority of
overtaking occurs in the pit lane." But this is not really the true picture as
passing in the pit lane is illegal.
This phrase is something of a misnomer as cars filing down the narrow strip of tarmac to
their garages are subject to a strict speed limit and any perpetrators are heavily fined.
Given this, physically overtaking another car in the pit lane is only possible in the land
of make believe. So how is this phrase now ubiquitous in Formula One?
Take for example the following situation: If two cars are running nose to tail, and the
leader takes to the pit lane for new fuel and tyres, he will generally rejoin the track
some twenty seconds behind his former adversary. However, when the second car pits for new
fuel and tyres, he will have endeavoured to make up enough time on the track and in the
pit stop to leave the pit lane and rejoin the track ahead of the original leader - thus
"overtaking him in the pit lane".
The importance of overtaking in the pit lane is paramount as modern Formula One cars
struggle to pass each other on today's race tracks. All with ferociously good brakes, they
can make up little time braking later than other cars and such is their reliance on the
aerodynamic grip generated by their wings, running close behind a competitor (where there
is less air) is often more of a hindrance than a help. As such, teams are making more and
more effort to perfect their pitstop routine and strategy and who better than to watch,
than the exponents of this mercurial art, Ferrari.
Along with its technical partners, Ferrari spends hours researching, developing and
practicing these pit stops. Ross Brawn, Ferrari's Technical Director is widely
acknowledged as the best strategist in the paddock. Bridgestone is working very closely
with Ferrari to develop the very strongest tyres and of course Shell is working very
closely with Ferrari to develop the very best fuels.
A fuel for a race must serve two main purposes. It must deliver power, but at the same
time it must be sufficiently economical to allow the team to choose how frequently and
when is the best moment to spend valuable time in the pit lane refuelling.
"This is of course the main part of our job," explains Tobias Tasche, Shell's
Trackside Manger. "The FIA dictates that the fuel used in Formula One, be very
similar to fuel available in everyday road cars. Because the fuels are so strictly
controlled by the FIA, we are not that free to experiment, of course, with our knowledge
of fuels and engine technology there is still plenty of scope to tailor the fuel
formulation to match exactly the appetite or the engine and there are always tolerances in
the composition of a fuel we can explore to maximise the race strategy. Of course, the
work we do is essentially optimising road fuel to suit the Ferrari engine, so anything we
learn here with Ferrari we pass back to the road fuel too. Ferrari is our highest profile
test rig! "
"The analytical equipment we use is so accurate, we can push the tolerances of each
stream (component part of a fuel) to the maximum without exceeding the regulatory
limits," continues Tasche. "This means that we can develop fuels to suit
Ferrari's particular desires. For example, if we are approaching a series of races that
demand good fuel efficiency, then we will reflect this in the fuel we provide the
team."
Put simply, race strategy generally revolves around the amount of times a car intends to
stop for fuel and new tyres. Stopping once is not always the quickest way to win a race as
this obliges the car to run with a heavy load of fuel at the beginning of the race and
makes the vehicle slower. Stopping three or four times will allow the car to run quickly
but handicap the driver as he has to stop for fuel over and over again.
Who better to explain this Ross Brawn himself; "There is a requirement for a car's
performance, to keep the fuel tank volume as small as possible. At one-stop races, where
the fuel tank is full, this can be a limiting factor, therefore we need a fuel with the
highest volumetric efficiency possible. Shell has developed fuels to enable Ferrari to go
for an extra one or two laps before a pit stop and this has often been crucial."
In a sport where a draw is never an option, overtaking is still the key to success in
Formula One and Shell's contribution to this is vital.
"Fuel is on the critical list of components that effect our competitive advantage. If
we are not competitive then we cannot win races," continues Ross. "The
performance, efficiency and stability of the fuel are all crucial factors to enable the
team to win races." And when Ferrari's Ross Brawn recommends Shell, you can be sure
that this is a from the best in the business. |
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