Renault: Mass Damper System si penalizarea lui Alonso

from www.gp2006.com

Quote:
Are you confused about the mass damper situation, unsure exactly what the problem is and why the FIA banned a system that was invented by Renault engineer Rob Marshall and has been in use for some time? Well, you are not alone. This unique technology was first used by the French based squad in the 2005 Italian Grand Prix and until now has been raced relatively unnoticed, but suddenly, after the French Grand Prix a few weeks ago, the sports governing body decided it was illegal and ordered teams to remove it from their respective contenders.



The following is a more detailed explanation of the system and the politics surrounding it as explained by our spies in Germany report….



At the back of the cars nose there is a mass of approximately 10 kg that reacts on a spring against the movements of the chassis and this results in a much smoother ride over bumps and kerbs and as a result of this system, the Renault R26 uses the tyre contact patch much better and it also benefits on the aero side as the front end of the car is less pitching. Unfortunately, over the winter break a few engineers left and took the technology to other teams, Rob Marshall, then inventor, for example went to Red Bull where the system was applied to the RB2.



In 2006 Ferrari, Red Bull, Toro Rosso and MF1 all followed the same route while Honda and McLaren were still only testing it. Renault and Ferrari then transferred the principle to the rear of the car as well. At Hockenheim, Honda wanted to run a system with one mass damper in the nose and one other in the tank area, but 13 days prior to the race the FIA banned the concept with the argument that it is a moveable aerodynamic device. This action is a bit strange, because the FIA could have been aware of this argument already at the start of the season when they allowed various teams to use it.



It was McLaren who started to point the finger in the direction of this ‘problem’ as they had tried such a system in two tests but could not make it work properly. The FIA finally argued in the same way that saw them ban the tower-wings from BMW. They were afraid that other teams would develop these concepts into something extreme. One team for example was asking whether they could try a 30 kg mass-damper oscillating not only in a vertical but also horizontal and diagonal direction. For those who are able to set the system up in the right way, it was an advantage. Red Bull-driver Christian Klien explains…



“On a bumpy circuit you have much less locking front wheels under braking with a mass-damper than without.”



Ferrari seemed quite happy with the ban, although they had had these dampers in their cars for quite a while. But there is a crucial difference between Renault and Ferrari as the Renault R26 is conceived around that system. The aero, the suspension set-up, the tyre usage, the weight distribution are tailor made for a car that runs very calm over bumps and kerbs. If all of a sudden something unsettles the car, the aero cannot react perfectly on the spoilt airflow. This then results in reduced downforce and consequently in higher tyre wear. Ferrari however had built the car independent of the system as it was put on board afterwards, so the effect of taking it out of the equation was much less dramatic. Maybe they lost one or two tenths on McLaren, who never had it in the first place, but they gained between three and five tenths on Renault, and they are their main rivals this year, not McLaren.



Because the system is of such importance for Renault, Pat Symonds prepared a documentation to prove that the first purpose of the mass damper is a better contact of the tyre to the ground rather than an aero-advantage…



“Whatever we might gain on the aero side is less than 10 percent compared to a simple measure to our conventional suspension setup.”



The stewards in Hockenheim agreed with that view and overruled the FIA judgement. An hour later the FIA announced that they intended to appeal against the stewards decision but they never did so during the weekend and just the announcement was too big a risk for everyone to use it, as the deadline to launch an appeal is this Friday, August 4 in Budapest.


The background for waiting is simple. Had the FIA appealed in Germany, the court case would have had to have taken place before Budapest so waiting means to gain time until after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Obviously the authorities would never admit it, but like this they have a wonderful tool in their hands that will keep the championship exciting. It seems that the system is being re-allowed in Budapest and nobody has to be concerned about losing points if the court of appeal eventually bans it, so it looks as if the mass-damper will be a match-winning device this weekend as there are a lot of bumps on the track and you have to ride the kerbs.