Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 181 The "Gyokusai" Concept of Japanese Enterprises

A major rule change was made in the 2010 F1 season: the permanent ban on refueling during races.

It's important to understand that, as part of F1 strategy, allowing refueling is just as crucial as choosing a setup and pit stop for undercuts (tire strategy overtaking).

Furthermore, during the era when refueling was permitted, there were numerous cases of multiple stops at stations, such as Schumacher's famous four-stop strategy in 04.

Ferrari, through extreme light fuel and soft tires, coupled with staggered pit stops to shorten their time, effectively shattered Renault Alonso's hopes of challenging the Prancing Horse dynasty ahead of schedule.

Schumacher and the Ferrari team proved with their strength that the Prancing Horse dynasty at its peak was invincible!

However, the cheering segment during the event also brought huge safety hazards and immeasurable unknown impacts.

The reason is that in order to shorten refueling time, F1 refueling hoses are all high-pressure pumps. If a mistake is made, the gasoline will be sprayed all over the entire race car and the pit area like a high-pressure nozzle.

In a normal civilian vehicle, even if the fuel nozzle leaks, as long as there is no open flame, the fuel level can still be maintained within safe limits.

Because F1 cars put immense strain on their engines, stopping means no cool air passes through the intake, resulting in extremely high temperatures in the engine block casing.

If gasoline splashes onto it at this point, it will be ignited by the high temperature, causing the entire race car to catch fire.

A similar incident occurred at the 09 Brazilian Grand Prix, where Kimi Räikkönen, nicknamed "The Iceman," was sprayed with gasoline, causing his car to instantly burst into flames and become a huge fireball.

Fortunately, the F1 racing suit has top-notch fire resistance, so it only suffered minor damage.

If the rain were to fall on the "Matthews" (staff) at the pit stop, their work clothes wouldn't reach the top-tier fire resistance level of F1 drivers, and the consequences would be unpredictable.

In addition, during the championship race in the 08 season, Ferrari driver Massa was forced to drive out of the pit lane with the fuel line dragged along due to a staff error, which caused him to lose his leading position and the race win, indirectly affecting the outcome of the overall championship that year.

Taking all factors into account, the FIA ​​ultimately decided to ban refueling!
In a sense, this rule change is beneficial to small and medium-sized teams.

The simpler the steps, the lower the chance of errors, which is equivalent to closing the gap with large fleets.

Briatore had a feeling that after the FIA ​​simplified the pit stop procedure, the time it would take for each team to change tires would increase further, and the old standard of about 3 seconds would definitely no longer be applicable.

2.5 seconds will become the dividing line between large and small teams!
Moreover, Huabu believes that his standards are not high, considering that this is under the ideal training conditions during the winter test.

In a real competition, you also need to face the complex environment of entering and exiting the station, the pressure brought by the event, and a zero margin for error!
In fact, the 2.5 seconds in training is roughly equivalent to the 3 seconds in a competition.

Hearing the floral fabric "reprimand" the crowd, some of the repair technicians looked indignant.

Although Briatore is famous, he is also notorious. What makes him, as a team manager who was parachuted in to "reap the rewards," so why does he act so high and mighty?

However, compared to the angry repairman, Odeto surprisingly calmed down after being subjected to a series of sharp words.

He had realized that he, too, had been unknowingly influenced by laziness.

A championship-contending team must meet the highest standards!
"Bei brought us hope, so we cannot let him down for his efforts and hard work, and we cannot let him lose because of the team."

"We will carry out the instructions from Manager Briatore without any discussion."

This time, Odette's attitude was equally firm; he did not compromise, but rather agreed.

Just as the atmosphere inside the team was becoming increasingly tense, Trulli's unwilling voice came through the earpiece.

"The race car engine has a problem; it seems to have blown."

[Did the engine explode?]

Upon hearing this TR voice message, Briatore and Odette exchanged a glance, both sensing an ominous premonition in each other's eyes.

The TF110 has a very advanced design, but that's precisely where the biggest problem lies.

With the advent of the "exhaust diffuser", the engine is no longer just a power unit; it also takes on the important function of a "blower", and even the way it works has changed.

Engine output mode, replacing engine maximum speed, has become the most important optimization direction for F1 car power units.

Mercedes' R&D team even developed a way to make the engine open its valves to blow air even when the accelerator is off, essentially turning the engine into a blower to maintain downforce when cornering with the accelerator off.

Before various advanced technologies are applied to racing cars, they need to undergo hundreds of tests at the research and development base to find the balance point.

It's a pity that the Toyota team has withdrawn from F1. How could they possibly invest money in such meaningless testing? It will inevitably be someone else who takes over and runs it.

The HRT fleet doesn't have the capability or time for this yet, so they can only use winter testing to verify it in the field.

Now a problem has arisen: the high-power output engine can't handle it.

"Trully, stop in a safe place and wait for the tow truck."

Briatore immediately replied, then signaled Odette to communicate with the race center, trigger the yellow flag and the safety car.

At the same time, he pressed the voice button again and switched channels to talk to Chen Xiangbei.

"North, Trulli's car has an engine failure. You need to come back and have it repaired."

Until the cause is found, Briatore can only temporarily suspend testing to avoid a second power unit being damaged.

The total cost of an F1 race car is approximately $12 million, with the power unit accounting for 60-70% of that, which means it costs around $8 million.

In fact, the engine itself only costs a few hundred thousand US dollars.

The problem is, if you want to buy something, will the merchant sell it to you at cost price?

Especially for F1 race cars, which are not mass-produced and are practically handcrafted in small workshops, the engine development and testing costs have to be spread out to cover the astronomical costs.

The HRT fleet purchases from Toyota, and each unit actually costs no less than two million US dollars.

The team is currently not well-funded. Apart from the Chinese sponsors brought in by Chen Xiangbei, there is no other capital or advertising involvement.

This is similar to the Brawn GP team at the beginning of the year; "newcomer" teams without results do not receive the favor of investors.

As manager, Briatore had to consider the team's overall operations.

"receive."

Chen Xiangbei responded with a comment, then slowed down the race car, preparing to enter the maintenance lane.

He had some doubts in his heart: why would Truss's tank explode when he was perfectly fine? Could it be that he was just unlucky?
A record of 14 first-lap retirements is indeed quite outrageous.

Keep in mind that his entire professional career is less than ten years, and he retired from races 14 times in the first lap alone. The number of retirements from other races must be at least double that, which means that his overall retirement rate is at least 20% to 30%.

With this kind of luck, you've already lost half your investment before you even start.

Of course, Chen Xiangbei didn't believe in any metaphysics; he was just thinking about it casually.

TF110 drove into the maintenance lane and stopped in the parking space. A-Yong helped him unbuckle his seatbelt and get out of the car.

Chen Xiangbei immediately asked Odeto, "Odeto, what's going on?"

"We don't know yet; we need to wait for the race car to be towed back to the pit stop for inspection."

Odette shook his head, saying that there were too many factors that could cause an F1 car to blow up its engine, making it impossible to confirm.

After all, without turbocharging, squeezing out more than 800 horsepower from a small 2.4L engine must have come at the cost of shortening engine life.

Consider the Mazda Atenza, Toyota Camry, and Avalon – these are passenger cars equipped with 2.5L engines, with a maximum horsepower of only around 200 hp, a world of difference compared to racing engines.

It's perfectly normal for an engine to blow up when you floor the accelerator.

"I think the power output is too extreme."

Bob Bell, the design director standing at the back, offered his guess.

"Too extreme?"

Upon hearing Bob Bell's answer, Briatore pressed further: "Is our tuning problem, or is it a problem with Toyota's design?"

"It's most likely a design flaw on Toyota's end."

Upon hearing this answer, everyone present turned pale!
If it's a tuning issue, it's easy to solve; you just need to reduce the engine's output power a little.

With 860 horsepower, this is indeed a significant improvement compared to the average level of F1 cars last year.

But if Toyota has a design flaw, then there will be big trouble.

Putting everything else aside, with the Toyota F1 team's withdrawal and the massive layoffs at its European R&D headquarters in Cologne, Germany, the engine division has naturally been greatly affected.

Toyota's racing engine division has now relocated to Toyota's global headquarters in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

The greater the distance, the higher the communication cost, and the time difference alone is difficult to solve.

"Why is this happening?"

Odeto couldn't help but ask another question.

"Eager to win."

"Toyota's good performance last year gave the R&D team hope, but the news of its withdrawal extinguished that hope."

"In order to save the team and prove their strength, they will inevitably have to take some radical actions." "Squeezing the engine's potential to its fullest extent is one of the means."

"This is the fundamental reason why Toyota engines can surpass Renault's, reaching as high as 860 horsepower."

Bob Bell built three amazing cars, demonstrating his expertise in racing car development.

When Chen Xiangbei was driving, the temperature was abnormal, and Bell noticed that the engine power was a bit high and the output power curve was fluctuating.

It's normal for a new engine to have some problems; otherwise, what's the point of testing it?
Now he understood that this was caused by excessive output power.

Faced with Bob Bell's explanation, Chen Xiangbei had very mixed feelings. To some extent, he could understand the motivations of Toyota's R&D personnel.

This is just like how Honda's R&D team risked their lives to build the PA109 race car!
Seeing their team on the verge of bankruptcy and withdrawal, especially when the racing was on the rise, they must have felt a deep sense of resentment.

They staked all their best technical reserves and cutting-edge technologies on this TF110, all to create the fastest race car in the paddock and complete their final dance!
However, with the assistance of the super Aguri team and the Mercedes team, the three companies can share the R&D pressure and have sufficient resources to try and solve problems.

The Toyota team couldn't do any of that; they couldn't even get the engine started.

The RVX-09 engine's off-the-charts peak performance is a testament to their "suicide pact".

Either this race car has explosive performance, or it will blow up!

It seems there are no shortcuts in technology, and the latter outcome ultimately occurred.

Just as everyone was speculating about the reason, the tow truck had already taken the TF110 race car back to the pit stop, and the oil dripping from the engine seemed to confirm Bob Bell's guess.

Indeed, the power output was too high, and the materials couldn't withstand it.

Meanwhile, the scene of the tow truck entering the station also attracted the attention of other team members.

"It seems that driver Bei's lap time was achieved through extreme car tuning; no wonder he can go so fast."

"What's the point of this kind of tuning and setting the fastest lap time during winter testing? Is it just for vanity?"

"I think it's to prove that he's capable of skipping grades; nobody likes being called a paid driver."

Discussions weren't limited to ordinary members; even the strategy team and engineering team were talking about the TF110 race car's malfunction.

After all, this was the first engine failure during winter testing, and we can learn from the lessons of others.

Especially for the Red Bull team, which shares the same design philosophy, Horner and Newey carefully examined the TF110 race car, trying to determine whether the problem lay with the power unit or the chassis design.

"Newey, what do you think is the reason?"

Horner asked a question, naturally deciding to ask a professional about such matters.

No one understands Formula 1 racing better than Newey!

"The problem lies with HRT and Toyota; neither of them truly understood the essence of new technology."

what?
Horner was quite surprised by this statement; he had expected Newey's answer to directly point out the specific fault.

"Why do you say that?"

Horner countered with a question.

"The exhaust diffuser is a technology that changes the power output of a race car. Simply pursuing the highest horsepower will inevitably lead to this result."

"I assert that the fastest car this season will not be the most powerful or the most fuel-efficient. Rather, it will be the one whose output mode and torque curve are best matched with the exhaust diffuser."

"The Renault engine perfectly combines these two aspects!"

Newey wasn't boasting; Vettel had already completed his test lap before the yellow flag appeared on the track.

However, everyone's attention was drawn to the TF110 race car that had blown its engine, and no one paid attention to Vettel's performance or lap time.

His time was 1 minute 19.66 seconds.

Without Chen Xiangbei's outstanding performance as a precedent, this lap time would be considered quite good, only 0.1 seconds away from last year's pole position time.

However, when a rookie surpasses pole position, he will inevitably become the focus of the entire event.

But only the Red Bull team's strategy group knew that neither the RB6 car nor Vettel himself could perform at most 80% of their potential.

Newey was indeed a super genius in the era of air-powered cars. He really figured out the concept of airflow in racing cars. Even on the first day of winter testing, he mastered the true workings of exhaust diffusers.

Conversely, the HRT team only used this thing as an auxiliary tool to increase downforce in corners.

"Truly, describe what happened."

Bob Bell, on the other side, was also trying to find the real cause of the problem.

"The engine and tire temperatures were consistently high. After crossing the warning line, I pressed the accelerator hard and heard an abnormal noise from the engine. Then the fluid pressure gauge dropped rapidly, and I knew that the race car had blown its engine."

"Did you try to control the window of opportunity to cool things down?"

Bob Bell pressed further, knowing Trulli was eager to win and wanted to take the number one driver's seat.

However, the heat dissipation of the race car must be taken into account.

How to lower the temperature?

"The faster the speed, the more cold air enters, which means more hot air is released—it's a vicious cycle!"

Trulli, being a straightforward person, felt that using engine exhaust to increase downforce was a brilliant idea that no genius had ever come up with.

The tires were already hot, and the hot air blowing on them caused the temperature to skyrocket.

If we consider the operating temperature of a fully heated slick tire under normal conditions, it's like chewing gum stuck to the track.

Under the catalysis of high temperature, the tire surface has become a sticky trap for rats.

Even if the car doesn't blow its engine, this kind of tire wear wouldn't last through the sixty laps of the main race.

In some ways, this TF110 race car was similar to the Haas of later generations, with extremely high tire wear.

They often achieve good results in qualifying, but disappear completely in the main race, especially in long distances where they are simply a mess!
Has the design direction really gone wrong?
The feedback from Trulli made Bob Bell question his life choices.

There are advantages and disadvantages to a small team taking over a prototype vehicle. One advantage is that it saves on research and development costs and time.

Historically, the HRT team didn't even have a wind tunnel. They were just an assembly plant that would love to have a ready-made prototype to take over, otherwise what they built would only become "mobile roadblocks" on the track.

However, strong racing teams often don't want to take over someone else's prototype car.

The drawback is obvious: brilliant design ideas are difficult to share and resonate with.

Especially with F1 racing cars, a product with extremely precise and complex aerodynamic layouts, even though Bob Bell is quite capable and has led the development of several Mars rovers, he still couldn't achieve a perfect resonance with the ideas of Toyota's designers.

In comparison, it would be much easier for Ross Brown to take over RA109.

After all, he was in charge of the design and development of this car, so there was no learning curve whatsoever; it was ready to use right out of the box.

Seeing that Bob Bell was completely bewildered, Briatore decisively stepped forward and gave the order.

"That's all for today's test. Bell, go find the reason. There's no need to rush."

"Bei, go and get feedback from the engineers and technicians on the car's tuning."

"MAN, stop staring and get moving!"

Briatore clapped his hands to rouse the crowd.

As a "new" team, we absolutely cannot wallow in the atmosphere of failure; we must find something to do to boost our morale.

"Roger that!"

As expected, once Briatore made the arrangements, the crew members adjusted their mindset and each went to their assigned work station.

At this moment, Chen Xiangbei approached Hiroki Sawano and Liang Chi and spoke.

"Bridgestone tires are relatively soft and not very durable. It is recommended to increase the tire pressure slightly higher than usual to reduce the contact area between the tire and the road surface, which can also reduce overheating of the tire tread."

"The front wing has a medium angle of attack to avoid excessive drag on straightaways while ensuring front wheel grip."

"Racing tends to understeer, so the rear wing height can be lowered appropriately. I can handle oversteer vehicles."

"The clockwise track requires dealing with a series of right turns, so the front suspension is set to be stiffer and the camber angle is increased to -4.0° to compensate for the extra wear on the left front tire caused by the right turns."

As Chen Xiangbei continued to provide feedback on the racing, Briatore wore an extremely satisfied smile.

Only by understanding racing and mastering your own car can you become a top professional driver, as Schumacher demonstrated.

Chen Xiangbei's current appearance reminds him of Schumacher's tuning back then!

(End of this chapter)