British Grand Prix 2008

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Silverstone, Jul 06, 2008

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Lewis won with over a minute
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Heikki Kovalainen fifth
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Lewis leads the championship tied on points with Massa and Räikkönen
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Vodafone McLaren Mercedes third in the Constructors’ Championship

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, the first of the team’s two home races. After an eventful race over 60 laps (308.355 kms) in changeable rainy conditions, he had lapped all but two drivers and came home 68.5sec ahead of Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) in second place. Lewis’s team mate Heikki Kovalainen who had started from his first ever Formula 1 pole position ended up fifth. Halfway through the championship, after nine out of 18 Grands Prix, Lewis is back in the lead with 48 points; he is tied on points with Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen. Heikki is sixth overall with 24 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is third with 72 points; Ferrari leads with 96 points.

The start:
Heikki started from his first ever Formula 1 pole position whilst Lewis lined up fourth on the grid. On a wet track, Heikki accelerated into an immediate lead whilst Lewis passed Räikkönen and Mark Webber (Red Bull Renault) on the inside and was second after the first corner.

The race:
lap 2: Lewis attacked his team mate on the front straight but remained second.
Lap 5: Lewis passed Heikki for the lead and immediately opened a gap.
Lap 10: Heikki spun at Abbey and dropped to third behind Räikkönen.
Lap 19: Heikki came in for his first pit stop (7.9sec) and dropped from third to sixth place.
Lap 21: Lewis and Räikkönen made their respective first pit stops simultaneously. Lewis was stationary for 8.0sec and maintained a small lead over the Finn.
Lap 23: More rain. Lewis’s advantage over Räikkönen was now 4.6sec. Heikki followed in third place, another 13.5sec behind.
Lap 27: Heikki overtook Räikkönen, but was passed by Heidfeld at the same time. Lewis was in the lead with 29sec ahead of Heidfeld; Heikki was third.
Lap 34: Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) overtook Heikki entering Stowe: the Finn dropped to fourth. At the end of that lap, he came in for his second pit stop (6.6sec) and resumed in ninth place.
Lap 37: In heavy rain, Lewis ran wide into the grass, but maintained a 26sec lead over Heidfeld. One lap later, Lewis pitted for the second time (7.3sec) and stayed in the lead. Heikki was now sixth.
Lap 46: Heikki overtook Fernando Alonso (Renault) and moved up to fifth.
Lap 48: Following Jarno Trulli’s (Toyota) pit stop, Heikki was fourth.
Lap 51: Heikki spun and dropped to sixth place.
Lap 58: Heikki overtook Alonso and improved to fifth place.
Finish (lap 60): Lewis took the chequered flag 68.5sec ahead of Heidfeld; Rubens Barrichello (Honda) came home third ahead of Räikkönen and Heikki.

Comments

Lewis Hamilton
“This was the toughest race, but also one of the best ones I have ever driven. It was so extreme and slippery out there, very similar to the Japanese Grand Prix in Fuji last year. I had troubles with my visor and tried to clean it a couple of times. I thank my team for a great job; they did fantastic work and we always made the right decisions with the tyres in the difficult conditions. When I came round the last time, I saw the crowd standing up and I prayed: ‘Just finish, just finish.’ It was a very emotional moment to win my home grand prix and I want to dedicate this victory to my family. As everybody knows I had some troubles over the past few weeks and they have been always there for me and supported me. To pull on another Vodafone McLaren Mercedes rocket red victory T-shirt feels awesome.”

Heikki Kovalainen
“Congratulations to Lewis on his superb home win. I had a good start and, for a few laps, Lewis was really pushing hard – which meant he eventually managed to overtake me on lap five when I ran a little wide. It was an extremely difficult race with lots of things happening. It was so easy to get caught out today by aquaplaning and slippery conditions: I spun twice but I was not the only one. At least I scored four points and helped to increase our constructors’ points total.”

Ron Dennis
"To win your home grand prix is always special, and so today is indeed a special day for Lewis. It's also a special day for all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. But above all it was a magnificent grand prix, full of drama, and it was won by a man who mastered the treacherous conditions faultlessly. Lewis's was one of those drives that will live in the memory for a long time – but it should be remembered that, fabulous though Lewis's performance was, it was also the result of brilliant teamwork by our engineers and mechanics. As for Heikki, he qualified superbly yesterday and clearly showed that he too is truly world-class. He shouldn’t feel too disappointed today because he demonstrated once again that his racing skills are beyond question. His time will come."

Norbert Haug
"Lewis managed a superb and most impressive win and over the 60 laps, he was on average more than one second per lap faster then Nick Heidfeld in second place and he lapped all drivers behind third place. We are back in the title fight and that’s great! Unfortunately Heikki suffered from understeering throughout the longest part of the race. It’s a pity because he had a very good set-up in qualifying which helped him to achieve his first Formula 1 career pole position. Lewis is back in the lead with 48 points; he is tied on points with Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen. We are now focusing on our second home Grand Prix in Hockenheim in two weeks’ time. Please come there to the Mercedes grandstand and watch Lewis and Heikki there will be a first class programme for all the visitors behind the grandstand. To all team mates my sincere thanks for achieving this result today – let’s try to do the same at Hockenheim when our next home Grand Prix takes place."

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Book Review: Hilliers Fundamentals of Motor Vehicle Technology

I am aspiring Motorsport engineering undergraduate and i have found Hilliers book of fundamentals of motor vehicle technology (part one) priceless in teaching me about the anatomy of a car. It gives in excellent detail everything my inquiring mind has needed in the build up to my course. It begins with the very basics reasoning why chassis are like they are, why the drive is at the back in most cars, why steering is only for front wheels etc, and leads very well into more complex components.
It explains in leyman's terms and builds up vocab and technical ability as you go through, very thorough and very well written book which covers the following chapters in very very good detail, with a vast range of components and concepts explained:
Chapter One: Vehicle evolution, structure and layout
Chapter Two: Engines
Chapter Three: Transmission Systems
Chapter Four: Steering and Suspesnion Systems
Chapter Five: Braking Systems
Chapter Six: Body and Chassis Systems
Chapter Seven: Vehicle Electrical Systems
Chapter Eight: Bearings

At around 600 pages thick.. the detail of all of these chapters is fantastic along with surprisingly easy to understand diagrams of even the most complex systems and components. A fantastic guide to a car for any student or any petrol head. If you are really into motorsport please check out my blog for technical explainations and general bloggings:
http://motorsportengineering.blogspot.com/
Thanks

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Should Formula One be single engine format?

From Blogger Pictures

Formula one began 58 years ago with the Alfa Romeo team of Farina and the great Fangio hitting the top, and ever since the first race in 1950, the aim of formula one has been to put engineering to its limits, safely, how fast can we go without dieing?

As a motorsport engineering student, I see the whole idea behind the sport is engineering to perfection, the best car, fresh ideas force breakthroughs and the cars get faster, more efficient and safer, and in time these developments inevitably get passed down the line to standard road cars. I believe removing the freedom of engine design and engineering from the formula one teams would be a massive step in the wrong direction.

A look at the first championship-winning car - Alfa Romeo 158/159 -

This is one of the most successful cars ever to be put onto the track. Designed firstly in 38 and developed throughout the 50's with the latest design and engineering, it was a single seater, 1498 cc, and 8 cylinder root type supercharger with around 425 BHP at its peak in 1951.

The modern day car of Lewis Hamilton however - Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes MP4-23

Lewis Hamilton recently raced this latest championship winning car to victory in Interlagos, Brazil. It boasts a 2400 cc engine (almost double the Alfa, get still with a V8 engine), which develops over 7000 horsepower at 19,000 Revs per minute! That's 15 times more powerful than the car of 50 years previous.

Alot of fantastic minds go into developing the engines and parts to an F1 car. Even with a set engine set I guess there are still areas to develop: removing weight, extra grip, down force, better efficiency levels, cooling systems etc.. But the primary weapon of a formula one car is obviously its engine and the flair of design and ingenuity going into designing these would be a massive shame to loose. The developments of an engine in the history of the sport is very clear, a V8 engine has become over 15 times more powerful!

I can see the argument for a similar engine however. The smaller teams such as Force India and the recently unfortunate Honda team would benefit greatly from a level playing field, whereas teams such as Ferrari and McLaren would find themselves with yet more competition. It may make for a more open competition, but it depends, should a team win purely on driver skill and the speed of their pit crew? Or is the engineering and massive amount of work that goes into reaching for that extra bit of speed and grip what makes you a worthy champion? I believe both, a team may have a great driver, but to be true champions its fantastic to see a true breakthrough in car technology in the process, which pushes one team to be greater. Forcing all competing teams to improve, become more efficient with methods, refine designs, and more importantly, get faster.

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Body Types

There are five common body styles for light weight passenger vehicles, the main purpose of these is to provide comfort and safety for those inside as well as being a load bearing structure. Most cars are made by 'Unitary Construction' (chassis-less) with all the components assembled within.
This means cars can be mass produced, often with pressed steel bodies although this is heavier than the increasingly popular aluminium body. Hand made cars, F1 cars and more expensive sports cars are occasionally moulded from GRP (fibreglass) which is primarily a glass reinforced plastic, which is very light and strong, although very expensive.
Steel bodies have the advantage of being painted and treated and are therefore rust resistant and is generally more appealing to the eye as well as being relatively cheap.

The most common five styles of LPV are Estate, saloon, coupe, convertible and hatchback.

Saloon:


BMW M3

A very common style which typically carries 4 - 5 passengers, with either 2 or 4 passenger doors, the design is based on three 'boxes' the front box being the engine section, the middle for the passengers and the rear box for the boot (storage). Theses 'boxes' are blended together and the passenger shell strengthened with the front and rear sections providing 'crumple zones' which cushion damage and shock on impact to keep the passenger section in tact.

Estate:


Classic Estate - Volvo 240

(aka station wagon) has a larger interior than than most cars as the roof is extended to the rear creating a large boot area which can take large loads or extra seats very easily as well as having stronger suspension added to the rear to contain these loads.


Coupe:


A Modern Day Coupe - 2 door Mercedes Benz CL600

a coupe often has a rigid roof section and two doors although some have two very small seats in the back, these are often only suitable for children, this design is primarily for carrying two passengers including the driver, and as such is smaller and more sporty looking.

Convertible:


The king of the convertible: E-Type Jaguar

(aka cabriolet or drop-head coupe) this design has a mechanical or fabric roof which can be removed to form an open car, often used in hot countries. Although the increased drag caused by removing the roof can often cause minor handling problems, making the car under or over steer in corners as the aerodynamics are different.

Hatchback:


Peugeot 307

Very similar to the saloon, however the trunk (boot) is moulded into the centre section of the car, very popular due to its versatility, again containing 4 passengers and often with 4 doors and a fairly sizable storage area, larger than the saloon but smaller than an estate.

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Alternator Diode

The alternator is a form of generator. When the engine runs, this generator provides electrically energy to charge the cars battery. This provides electrical energy for the electrical systems within the vehicle as well as keeping the battery fully charged. (a Dynamo generator is used occasionally but an alternator is fitted in most common vehicles.) The generator must change the mechanical (kinetic) energy into electrical energy.
In very simple terms an alternator works by electromagnetic induction (try researching faraday's laws) the mechanical energy in this system is used to rotate a magnet within a 'stator' (often soft iron) usually with a multi phase output, meaning more electrical energy is created more frequently.

The energy this alternator provides must be limited roughly to the voltage of the battery (around 14.2 Volts) however as the engine rotates faster, as will the magnet within the stator and so more energy will be produced which must be controlled to prevent damage to electrical components or overcharging.
An alternator diode is a solid device which allows current in the circuit to flow in only one direction and are highly sensitive to both heat and voltage therefore they are used to prevent surges which can damage the battery and regulator. This diode provides a similar protection to these kind of conditions as a conventional fuse protects against current surges within a common home plug.

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Four Stroke Engine

Animation of a four stroke cycle

A four stroke engine is the most common internal combustion engine of modern times. It uses a spark ignition system which is very similar to the compression ignition in a diesel engine. The 'four - stroke' is so called as it applies driving power and supplies force through four 'strokes' which, amongst other things, applies fuel, compresses it, lights it, provides a driving force as well as pushing out the exhaust gases. (To under stand the following you will have to understand the basic layout and terminology of a reciprocating engine if you don't know do a Google image search or try Wikipedia for a good diagram of a cylinder.)

THE FIRST STROKE: Fuel Induction


Image of the first: intake stroke

In the first stroke the piston moves downwards within the cylinder, this downward movement creates pressure which opens the inlet port and closes the exhaust port (at the top of the cylinder) The sucking effect of the piston moving down pulls a mixture of air and fuel into the cylinder, this is inducing the fuel. As the piston reaches its BDC (bottom dead centre) this is the end of the first stroke, the inlet and exhaust ports are closed and the mixture of fuel and air is sealed within the cylinder.

THE SECOND STROKE: Fuel Compression


Image of the second: Compression stroke

In the second stroke, the piston is moving upwards from its BDC to its TDC (Top dead centre) this is an upward motion providing an upward force which compresses the fuel, both ports stay closed at the top of the cylinder throughout the stroke, maintaining the pressure to compress the fuel.

THE THIRD STROKE: Ignition and Power


An image of the third (power) stroke

The third stroke or 'the power stroke' is what provides the kinetic energy which powers the engine. In this stroke the piston moves in the same way as it does in the induction stroke (stroke one), from the TDC to the BDC, This time however both ports remain closed. Due to the compression in the previous stroke, the fuel is very hot, compressed at the top of the cylinder. At this point, in a petrol engine, a spark is applied to the fuel which then burns very rapidly into a high pressure gas forcing the pison down the cylinder and providing the force which powers the engine and is what moves the piston throughout the other strokes in the cycle, the stroke ends with the piston at its BDC and both ports closed.

THE FORTH STROKE: Exhaust release


Image of the forth stroke of the cycle: Exhaust

In this stroke the piston moves from its BDC to TDC providing an upwards force and the exhaust port opens. With the piston moving up and the port open, the burnt gas mixture is forced out of the cylinder through the port. When the piston reaches its TDC and all the fuel has been released the exhaust port closes and the inlet opens ready for the fuel induction which follows straight away.

This system is for a four stroke petrol engine, in a diesel however it works slightly differently. During the first stroke in a diesel, the engine draws in a charge of air only which is then compressed and reaches high temperature, then during the third stroke high pressure diesel is injected into the air creating a combustible mixture which is ignited by the temperature of the air which burns. Other than those two differences, the diesel four stroke works exactly as a petrol four stroke engine.

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