Engine revs.

[Jose Alvarez]

Hi, I was looking in formula1.com website inboard videos of several drivers and several tracks durying the qualifiers this past season. When you look in the left animated circle you can see the engine revolutions of each car. I did concentrate in Ferrari and Red Bull and is very easy to see that the revolutions droop a lot less between gears in the Renault engine than in the Ferrary engine. I know that this is between the gear ratios and the differential, but is not a way of getting a better acceleration from one corner to the other even with less top speed?.

[Jose Alvarez]

A closer ratio transmission could be better for acceleration purpose. It can be more straining for the engine but you can reach your top speed faster than other cars with a wider step ratio between gears. Will somebody agree with me?.

[epiclyaddicted]

I'm sure there are others more informed on this than me, but from what I understand, yes a shorter gear ratio is better for accelerating quickly out of a slow speed corner, but it's probably worse for not just ultimate top speed but also acceleration through the 7th gear?

[Ste]

I'm sure there are others more informed on this than me, but from what I understand, yes a shorter gear ratio is better for accelerating quickly out of a slow speed corner, but it's probably worse for not just ultimate top speed but also acceleration through the 7th gear?

Correct.

The shorter the gears, the quicker you hit 7th. So you'll be bouncing off the limiter pretty quickly (Monaco) if your gear ratios are short. Acceleration through 7th doesn't necessarily become slower because of quick gear ratios - as 7th could also be short. If you took the same top speed to hit with a quick 1-6 and a long 7th then yes it'd be veeery slow!

[Ste]

A closer ratio transmission could be better for acceleration purpose. It can be more straining for the engine but you can reach your top speed faster than other cars with a wider step ratio between gears. Will somebody agree with me?.

Short/quick gear ratio's won't be any worse for the engine if the gears are changed at the correct point. You're more likely to over-rev the engine with quick ratio's, but if you're changing at the right time, there's no reason it'll take any life out of the gearbox in comparison to a long ratio.

[Jose Alvarez]

Please, go to formula1.com website and check in car qualifying laps for Red Bull and Ferrari in several tracks. Looking at the revs droop between gears compare both engines and you can see the renault engine drooping less rpms in each gear. It has been commented how A Red Bull with less top speed can be faster in different segments of the circuits. We tend to concentrate only in handling, downforce and tires grip but we forget acceleration out of corners, important, because the majority of the tracks now have many short straightaways.

[Ste]

Please, go to formula1.com website and check in car qualifying laps for Red Bull and Ferrari in several tracks. Looking at the revs droop between gears compare both engines and you can see the renault engine drooping less rpms in each gear. It has been commented how A Red Bull with less top speed can be faster in different segments of the circuits. We tend to concentrate only in handling, downforce and tires grip but we forget acceleration out of corners, important, because the majority of the tracks now have many short straightaways.

Massa 1600rpm loss between gears 6 and 7 - Hungary
Vettel 1800rpm loss between gears 6 and 7 - Monza
Alonso 1900rpm loss between gears 6 and 7 - Spain

Drop in revs between gears is determined by how long each gear is. So if you had a quick 7th gear, the revs would barely drop. The difference between rpm loss might mean Alonso was running a longer 7th gear than Vettel. Massa in Hungary only lost 1600rpm between 6th and 7th gears simply because his 7th gear was shorter.

[zakfourie]

Remember that the revs is also due to each individual engine's characteristic and the engine designer's philosophy.
Many engine properties influence this, like the engine torque, powerband etc.

But I know that Renault are known for their 'driver-friendly' engines with lots of torque.

Gear ratios in my opinion is optimalized by the teams's complicated simulaters and super computers for each and every track. As far as I am concern there is not much you can change with regards to that.

(I am may speak under correction, this is what I am aware of...)

[Ste]

Remember that the revs is also due to each individual engine's characteristic and the engine designer's philosophy.
Many engine properties influence this, like the engine torque, powerband etc.

But I know that Renault are known for their 'driver-friendly' engines with lots of torque.

Gear ratios in my opinion is optimalized by the teams's complicated simulaters and super computers for each and every track. As far as I am concern there is not much you can change with regards to that.

(I am may speak under correction, this is what I am aware of...)

You have to be able to change the gear ratio's. There is absolutely no way you could use a Monaco gear ratio at Monza, for example.

[zakfourie]

No I mean that every track has an optimal gear ratio which is worked out by simulations. This obviously differs from track to track. Didn't mean for the whole season. Sorry for that!

The only way a Monza gear ratio can work at Monaco will be if you have a 12300bhp engine!

[Jose Alvarez]

Sure you have to adapt the gear ratios to every circuit, its common sense, but it seems to me that the Renault engine operates better specially in 5th, 6th and 7th gear than the others,. Torque caracteristics? good gear ratio selection?, differential ratio selection?. More hps in the highest range of Rpms than the other engines, (because of higher torque there)?. Who knows?. I will love to see the FIA take the first six cars at list after a race and use a dyno to check how much the engines deliver before any one touches their engine management systems.