F1: How the size of fuel tanks will greatly influence Grand Prix racing in 2010The technical rules of Formula 1 change dramatically in 2010 with the ban of refueling during the races. This will change not only the look but also the performances of the cars.
Auto123.com talked about the effects of that new rule with Claude Rouelle, a former Formula 1 engineer who has also worked in the ChampCar and NASCAR Cup series and who is now the President of OptimumG, a consultancy firm in motorsport engineering. In a nutshell, the size of the fuel tank will more than double, going up from 90 to 210 litres. This is no easy task as increasing the height of the tank will elevate the centre of gravity of the car, and lengthening the tank will increase the wheelbase, two things that should be avoided at all costs. "I think the engineers will extend the fuel tank instead of making it higher," Rouelle told us. "With the exception of the mass of the car, there are three major components that will evolve during the course of a race: the weight distribution, the moment of inertia (due to the amount of fuel left in the tank) and the ride height," he said.
In 2009, the cars had a fuel tank of a capacity of approximately 90 to 100 litres. Cars started the race with about 60kg of fuel onboard, resulting in a car that weighted 655 kilos (605 + 60kg). Things will be radically different in 2010. With an average fuel consumption of 2.5 kilos per 5km (source: Race Car Engineering), the cars will need to embark something like 155kg of fuel at the start of a Grand Prix (about 210 litres). The total weight of the car will be approaching 775 kilos (620 + 155kg). This represents an increase of 110kg in comparison to 2009. "This is a huge increase," Rouelle said. "Such a high weight will overcook the tires if a driver is not smooth. I predict that during the opening 10 laps of a race the lap times will be some 5 seconds slower than the times done in qualifying. The teams will not be able to use the Option tires at the start of a race because they are too soft. The first stint will be done on a set of Prime tires that are harder and more durable, but slower than the Options. Such a high weight will also be very hard on the brakes. On the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit in Montreal -- a track that is incredibly hard on the brakes - it will turn to be a terrible challenge." The main problem is the increase of the weight of the fuel inside the race has an exponential influence on lap times. In other words, putting 20 litres in an empty tank does not have the same consequences as putting 20 litres in a tank that is already almost full. "I remember when we were testing a Formula 3000 at Suzuka," Rouelle added. "Adding 20 litres of fuel (from 20 to 40 litres) slowed down the car by three tenths of a second. But adding 20 litres from 100 to 120 litres slowed down the car by a full second! The influence of weight is exponential and not linear. This means that the 210 litres of fuel that the car will carry early in the race will make the car a handful to drive and will be very hard on the tires and the brakes". Rouelle believes that some clever engineers will be tempted to modify the location of fuel along the duration of the race…
"The rubber bladder located inside the fuel tank is fitted with 9 check valves designed to restrain fuel sloshing when the car is circulating on the race track," Rouelle indicated. "However, these valves can easily be run by electric pumps that would transfer fuel towards the rear or the front of the fuel tank to dynamically modify weight distribution and change the handling characteristics, the way airline pilots do during flights". The President of OptimumG said Formula 1 car are sensitive to variations of just 0.5mm in ride height, especially at the front. "Depending of the vertical stiffness of the tires, the ride height will increase slowly during the race because of the decrease of fuel load. The mechanics will undoubtedly need to adjust the aero balance of the car during the pit stops". Rouelle, who still work as a consultant in the F1 world believes that the teams that will be the most successful will be those whose engineers fully understand the variations in mechanical grip linked to the changes in the mass of the car, to weight distribution and the moment of inertia. "In order to be successful, engineers must fully understand how a race tire works. In this area, teams that do the best job are in order McLaren, Brawn (Mercedes) and Red Bull. But these are my own, personal predictions that are based on what I hear from F1 and the information I have. I may be wrong… but I may also be right!" Rouelle concluded. Photos: WRI2
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