#13 Formula OneTM Half-term Report (Part 2)

The previous part of this article features several key themes of the 2014 Formula 1 season. Meanwhile, in this part we will see how the abolishment of the Front-Rear Interconnected Suspensions (FRIC) system will impact teams in terms of performance, the unsuccessful attempt to turn up F1 volumes and Pirelli’s new 18-inch concept tyres.

The cartoon figures of F1 drivers

Ø  Measures to increase the sounds and its setback

With the move from V8 to V6 engines, the volume produced by the engines will be significantly reduced, by around 11dB. That is quite something. 

The unsuccessful vuvuzela style exhaust bolted on to the Mercedes W05 Hybrid during a testing this year

As a result, Mercedes have tested a vuvuzela style megaphone exhaust (as shown in picture below) in attempt to make the quieter new cars sound louder during the in-season testing in Barcelona, earlier of the season. However, it was not a great solution as the move did not make the sound much louder.

Ø  Removal of FRIC

People concerned with Formula 1 would know the FRIC suspensions have been around for many years and are not something new. To keep it simple, FRIC are used to help generate more underbody downforce by adjusting the car’s ride height when it is braking.

Theoretically, without the FRIC in a car will add to its instability when the car brakes and during corner entry. If you have something like FRIC, you can possibly lower the car’s overall ride height when the car changes attitude. As a result, engineers are able to have a more aggressive front wing aero-map that in turn increases the car’s overall downforce and therefore grip.

The figure shows how the hydraulic actuators are connected in the Mercedes W05

However, FIA deemed the FRIC have contravened with certain technical regulations and imposed the abolishment with immediate effect, starting at the German Grand Prix.

The pecking orders remained more or less the same after the removal. As we can see in the German Grand Prix, a race still won by Mercedes, did not produce significant overall performance differences between teams. With not much low-speed corners, the removal of FRIC did not produce much difference.

A closer look at the complicated suspension detail

Teams expected a smaller performance gap in Hungary, a tight and twisty circuit which requires a lot of braking. In such conditions, the removal of the systems will impact certain teams more than others. Again, the overall order in the grid did not changed much in the final classifications. Anyway, the effects of the removal remained to be seen in coming races.

Ø  New 18-inch concept tyres

F1 cars currently use 13-inch tyres, Pirelli has suggested that running with the larger wheels and tyres would lead to greater technology transfer between F1 tyres and road car rubber. A move away from the existing 13-inch rubber would not be without its problems, as the tyre forms an important part of an Formula One car’s suspension and damping, hence any change would necessitate a significant re-think of suspension geometry.

The different compounds supplied by Pirelli in Formula 1

However, the new tyres are believed to have stiffer sidewall that helps maintain the tyre’s structural rigidity and make it easier for the tyre to maintain a constant pressure. The diameter of the concept 18-inch tyres is bigger by 30 mm but the weight is approximately the same as the 13-inch tyre due to a smaller sidewall. It is interesting to note how great the impact of the usage would lead to technology transfers to road car tyres in near future.

Ø  Summary

As the second half of the season just two weeks away, be well prepared to see how the teams fared after the summer break. A message to all Formula 1 or automotive fans, I hope I do have enough time to make analysis on something like this or any car-related subjects again in near future.

Although the information in these articles came from several resources from the net, it swallowed up plenty of time to re-think, adjusting and compiling everything into a single simple report, and not just adapting to the ‘copy and paste’ method. Hopefully there will be more ideas exchange for us automotive enthusiast. Excuse me for any inappropriate words used or any misinterpretion that are deemed misleading.

Sources: http:// en.m.wikipedia.org

               http:// www.skysportsf1.com

               http:// www.grandprix247.com

               http:// www.formula1.com

               http:// www.f1zone.net

By: Vincent Ti

#12 Formula One TM Half-term Report (Part 1)

With the Formula 1 season approaches the summer break, some teams are looking forward to the break more than others while some cannot wait for the next race to come. It is cruel but true all the time because in Formula 1, when your progress or rate of development are slower than others, then you are taking a step backward relative to your competitors, and, vice versa.

Formula One heading for the beach

As the compulsory break for teams get underway, we take a brief analysis over the key themes of the first half of the FIA Formula One 2014 season.

Ø  The dominance of Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid

The team has enjoyed a flying start to their campaign; claiming every pole, led every lap and most importantly, won every race up to the Monaco Grand Prix. The winning streaks only came to a halt at the Canadian Grand Prix where Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Racing beat Nico Rosberg to the win, after the car’s motor generator unit for MGU-K failed.

As the season progresses, Mercedes went on to win a few more races up to the German Grand Prix by their drivers. However, the last race before the summer break was the Hungarian Grand Prix. With chaotic conditions between the rain and safety car interventions, Daniel Ricciardo, once again took initiatives and pounced on the chances with perfect strategies to win his second race of the season and also in his Formula1 career.

The Mercedes W05 Hybrid

The F1 W05 Hybrid is said to be so dominant because of an innovative design feature on the PU106A, the car’s engine. It is reportedly that the compressor and turbine of the turbo are packaged at the opposite ends of the internal combustion engine, which gives them the edge in packaging, aerodynamic efficiency and battery usage. (For more detailed explanation on the engine’s configurations, see #7 Understanding 2014 Formula One Engines - Technical Specifications and Configuration

To sum it up, Mercedes has won 9 races out of 11 in the first half of the season, with the remaining two won by Red Bull Racing. In the constructor stakes, Mercedes lead the table with 393 points after 11 races, followed by Red Bull Racing with 219 points in second. Only 7 points separate the third and fourth-placed teams of Ferrari and Williams at 142 points and 135 points respectively.

Ø  The Championships fight getting more intense as the season evolves

The fight for the driver’s championship looks increasingly likely to be the affairs between the Mercedes drivers – Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Given the superiority of their cars on the tracks in terms of efficiency and performance, few would have bet their money against any one of the Mercedes drivers claiming away the most coveted prizes in Formula 1 this year.

Nico Rosberg (left) and Lewis Hamilton (right) in happier times

Nico Rosberg has 4 wins under his belt to his Briton team-mate Lewis Hamilton, 5 wins. Owing to more finish in the points, the German leads his team-mate by 11 points. The following is a synopsis detailing the duo’s key battles for the title that we have witnessed so far this season.

Australia

ü  Hamilton took pole position but retired from the race due to an engine problem.

ü  Rosberg won the race.

The start of Australian Grand Prix 2014

Malaysia

ü  Hamilton won from pole.

ü  Rosberg finished second to complete a Mercedes 1-2.

The Malaysian Grand Prix podium

Bahrain

ü  Rosberg took pole but lost place to his team-mate to finish second.

ü  Hamilton won the race.

Playful fisticuffs between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg may just get serious

China

ü  Hamilton won from pole.

ü  Rosberg finished second.

The Chinese Grand Prix 2014 podium; Rosberg (far left), Hamilton (second from right), Alonso (far right)

Spain

ü  Hamilton won from pole.

ü  Rosberg finished second behind his team-mate for the fourth consecutive time.

Monaco

ü  Rosberg stopped and skidded his car down an escape road at Turn 5, Mirabeau during the dying period of qualifying, bringing out the yellow flags.

An aerial view of the glamorous Monaco Grand Prix

ü  This prevent Hamilton from setting his own pace and the relationship between the two became severely strained as a result.

ü  Rosberg won, Hamilton finished second.

Canada

ü  Rosberg took pole, finished second due to a MGU-K failure.

ü  Hamilton retired with a rear brake problem.

Daniel Ricciardo claims his maiden F1 win in Canada

Austria

ü  Rosberg qualified third, won the race.

ü  Hamilton does the damage limitation, started ninth and finished second.

Britain

ü  Hamilton won after qualified sixth.

ü  Rosberg suffered his first race retirement of the year.

Germany

ü  Rosberg won from pole.

ü  Hamilton finished third after suffering brake disc failure in his car during qualifying that left him starting in 20^th place.

Lewis Hamilton crashed into the barriers during the qualifying session of the German Grand Prix

Hungary

ü  Hamilton’s car caught fire in qualifying, require a change of gearbox and chassis; started the race from pitlane. Rosberg on pole.

This guy is hot on fire!

ü  Hamilton was told not to hold his team-mate up with one-third of the race still remaining due to different strategies employed between the drivers.

ü  Hamilton ignored the team orders and the relationship between the two may have subsequently worsened as a result.

ü  Hamilton finished third, Rosberg fourth.

ü  The Formula 1 season approaches the annual compulsory break before the next race in Belgium.

Ø  Dwindling worldwide TV audience

Unlike in seasons past, Formula 1 have suffered big decline in global TV ratings in recent years. According to reports, a number of factors are apparently responsible for the alarming drop in the ratings.

In the Latin American zones alone, the decline in ratings has been a staggering 50 per cent. In Italy, the number of audience depends on the successes of Ferrari, the drop is 20 per cent based on the data from the first five races of 2014. In Spain, the decline is around 15 per cent.

Sebastian Vettel

According to analysis, the ratings decline began with Sebastian Vettel’s utter dominance a few years ago, when the global audience fell from 515 million in 2011, to 500 million in 2012. 

A further drop of 50 million viewers was recorded last year, ending with a nine-race winning streak by Vettel.




The major market in China and France did not help ease the situation, whereas Germany’s ratings decline was reportedly 10 per cent last year, but it has continued to drop a further 3 per cent in 2014, despite the prominence of Mercedes.

When conducting a survey across the globe to receive the feedback from fans about the new Formula 1, many were unconvinced with the quieter V6 engines. Most agreed that drivers are starting to save fuel and do not race their heart out during the race.

Ø  Summary

What is FRIC?

Have we had enough? Definitely not. In the first part of the article, we take a brief look at how the championships fight evolve as the season wear on as well as global audience’s perceptions concerning the V6 eras.

The sequel to this article will feature more technical aspects that set the difference between teams as well as the regulation changes which occurred in mid-season – abolishment of the Front-Rear Interconnected Suspensions (FRIC) system (pic)

Besides that, further improvements aimed to bring back those glitter days of Formula 1 will be discussed. So, stay tuned for the next part of this article to keep yourself abreast with the latest mind-blowing technical changes analysis!

Sources: http:// en.m.wikipedia.org

               http:// www.skysportsf1.com

               http:// www.grandprix247.com

               http:// www.formula1.com
By: Vincent Ti

#11 You are not Nobody, You are Somebody

We should recognize and acknowledge our talents, only to have the capability to fully unleash the true potentials hidden within us

     It was at one typical Sunday morning, I woke up super-early just to catch the sunrise on the hilly terrains of a golf course.

Gazing up at the skies, I was pondering how great it would be if everyone could choose what type of person they are, how they wanted to be – at the first place. Because if we do, we would not have all the excuses to blame on the root of the problems in the event things go extremely wrong.

Wouldn't it be amazing if we have all the great chances that come from every part, every corner of world, and they pop up right in front of us? Just like the air around us, surrounded by vast spaces and have a limitless extent of boundary.

But life is not a bed of roses; we cannot just imagine how fortunes will come without us practically striving for it. Just like the prospect of the money falling from the skies, it is virtually impossible. If we do not appreciate the values of the opportunity whenever it comes to us, that elusive moment would then be a foregone conclusion.

Most of us do not plan to fail, but fail to plan. I found this phrase from an abstract of a book and it gave me enlightenment on the importance of self-value in a person.

All of us have our own strengths and weaknesses. Growing up in different environment and culture, everyone do have the unique strengths that play in their hands. Meanwhile, I feel most of us do have one weakness in common. It is the inability to pinpoint and understand what type of person we are indeed. We seldom know what we want and what to expect from others.

Just as the phrase mentioned goes, most of us fail to plan. The failure in planning is in the sense we feel dishearten when people criticize us, we feel what others say are truer than what we think. Why is this so? It is because we lack the understanding of our key capabilities and inabilities. Our mental approach plays an integral part when we receive feedbacks about us. If we do not know what type of person we are, when somebody talk something bad about us, we tend to believe in. We magnify the weaknesses in our own eyes. In such circumstances, it is viewed as a self-destruction behavior.

On the contrary, if we know our strengths and weaknesses well, we know the how-to to deal effectively with criticisms.

Remember? When we are kids, our parents still encourage us even though make mistakes. But the moment we grow up and stepped into the society, nobody will care about us just like how our parents did.

In the working world, everyone seemed to be so materialistic and power hungry. They will find even the tiniest of flaws in our work and make us feel extremely bad. In fact, it is worth realizing the fact that not all the comments made by our bosses or colleagues on us are necessarily the right call.

Strange but true, our mindsets and perception constantly affect the way of our thinking. For example, if we think we are capable enough to complete a task, we are certainly up to it. At the end of the day, it is the belief that determines the fruit of success.

Knowing how-to and really putting your hands to do something are entirely different agendas. If you know how to operate a machine, it does not mean you know the loops and holes in it because you do not use it. Although you do not have first-hand knowledge on that machine but still try to explore the gimmicks behind it, would put you in a better situation than the former’s case.

Similarly, if we know our key strengths already, why not we maximize our talents in that specific area? We do not want to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Because if we are specialized in cooking, definitely we should not go for baking classes. Just like how an exponential graph look like, the longer you take to realize your strengths, the distance between you and your goals grow multiple folds.

One of the happiest things that ever happened to us would be the people around us are aware of our existence. They are aware of how important we are and how great the impacts we bring to their lives.

Being able to achieve that is already worth millions of Christmas. If you feel you are already in that category or more than that, then congratulations! You can pop your confetti because it gives you something good to celebrate.

By: Vincent Ti

#10 Take a Deep Breath and Recite

The feelings of sorrow can be hard to bear, give it a go and appreciate what we have for now

     There are always ups and downs in everyone’s life. We cannot predict what will happen tomorrow because if we do, everything will be foreseeable.

Research found that drinking coffee keeps the brain cells healthy,
so the next time you get mad at somebody,
sit down and take a sip of coffee and relax

Similarly, when we get to know someone, we do not have any knowledge on that person’s background. We do not know what is up in the minds of that person. It is imperative to have reservations and not to treat a person with all our heart until we find them trustful and dependable.

Just as my mother constantly cautioned me, my lack of patience is the foremost of my transgression. I am reckless, impatient and impetuous when dealing with things. When dealing with people, I often lose my patience when I see someone not doing things up to my standards. I lose my temper most of the time, and, as a result, the people who work with me find me so ‘uncool’.

     

If that statement was proven to be correct, then I am bad in dealing with people whom I entirely not familiar with. Because of my impatience, things would have turned awry given my poor management in the PR. Whatever it is, gone are the days where I always shout at the others that often led to more ensuing arguments. I started to realize that anger management is very important and lashing out at someone is not a wise option either. 

So when we feel angry the next time, take a deep breath. Try to calm down by finding something to do which we find them pleasing and enjoyable. Remember, we should not let trivial matters let us down. There are more people that need our attention, just like our family members. We should not invest too much of our time and energy on something that hardly reap any dividend. Think of our parents and family members who care at us the most.

By: Vincent Ti

#9 Be Afraid of Dark

     The word ‘love’ can stand for several different meanings if we search for it in the dictionary. One of the most common meanings for that word can represent the feeling of a warm personal attachment or deep affection, towards our parents, friends or even our life partner.

But what if our feeling of ‘love’ towards someone falls on deaf ears by them? Should we carry on with that commitment which we initially believe it will work in reality or should we just forget about it and goes on with life? Talks are always easier than done. In fact, when a person is entangled in a one-sided relationship, the sense of helplessness, confusion and perplexity are often more than a bitter pill to swallow.

Believe me, a true relationship always require genuine connection, attachment and involvement from both parties. A one-sided relationship will never last for long, if it does not fail.

Personally, I am not an expert in relationship but you cannot call me a dumb in this area for what I have experienced during these few years. I vividly remembered my father told me that every first love will most probably not last forever. Neither one can find his or her eventual life partner in their first attempt of love.

To put everything into perspective, if we truly want to make our first love works, we certainly have to pull our socks up in order for that relationship to prevail.

Also, in a relationship, there is a cruel fact that does not guarantee all our hard work and efforts being poured in will be rewarded with reciprocal action by the opposite. At a certain point in our relationship, we will inevitably feel aggrieved by the lack of response from our partner.

We always feel that as long as we have done our every best, our partner can feel it eventually. In reality, only our opposite half knows better if they can sense our contribution and commitment towards them.

Here the problem comes, in a relationship, when we feel that we have given our 100%, we expect our partner to do the same. 

What if the so-called ‘100%’ is just returned with 50% or 60% back to us? What if our partner tells us that he or she thinks there is someone else in his or her mind apart from us? Feeling angry and unappreciated?

If you ask me what would be my action, I can just say that I will divide my opinion into two versions in handling the problem, depending on the existing situations, ways of communication between a couple and a multitude of factors.

For the first option, we can speak and discuss directly to our partner regarding the problem to sort out the ideal solution together. But what if our partner still could not make up the mind in the end?

Are we going to get real mad about it and slam the door before walking away? At most of the time, this is not the right way to vent our frustrations as it may result in a more horrendous aftermath.

For the second option, we explore something which is absolutely contrary to the aforementioned method. I strongly feel that the former involves anger, hatred and jealousy at most of the time. Yes, it is true that it may work on certain people but when facing with a mild mannered and undecided type of person, it backfires.

In using the second method, it strongly requires patience and an awful lot of dedication from a person. Just ask yourself: ‘Am I really love that person?’ If you think that person is worth waiting for, then just let it be and give some time for our partner to decide.

    

The biggest fear in a relationship is when facing with the trauma of broken heart. The feeling of agony, anguish and hurt are identical to a shattered glass. Once the glass is broken, we can hardly join them back as if it is in its original state. In my first relationship, when facing with argument or even knowing that the opposite was committing infidelity at the back of me, I felt OK because I realized it was not worth feeling sad for a woman I do not love.

In my second relationship, which is also the current one, my heart cries when I learn that I could not completely win my girlfriend’s heart over ‘just’ because she has someone else whom she think she could not give up.

I felt lost and was suffering from emotional pain at certain point, again and again. Just as I mentioned earlier in this post, there is always no guarantee of return for all our efforts, no matter how hard the struggle is in the process. In the end, the commitment could rendered meaningless if the opposite does not see the actual values of it, including love. Looking back at what had happened, I was pretty perplexed with the astonishing fact that I could even put up with my girlfriend over some fiery arguments in the past weeks.

Call it kismet or what; I started to agree upon a statement made by a profound figure I met a few years ago. If something that really belongs to us, it stays with us forever. If something does not belong to us, no matter how hard we fight for it, it would not stay with us either.

The same rule applies to a relationship, if someone is destined to be with us, there is no way for our partner and us to stay apart. Therefore, there is no point to force a relationship to go on when both parties find themselves unhappy over each other’s companion.

It is true that suffering from constant heartache in a relationship will cast a shadow in our conscience. It is true that suffering from a love failure may impede and hold us back and to have reservation for another relationship in the future. It is all true because we felt as if we have fallen deep down into a tunnel, covered with no lights, all the darkness…

How should I describe all the feelings and translate all of them into words? I wonder.

Perhaps if we look at the bright side would probably bring some relief in the sense of gaining more experience for our future relationship. There is no point to fill our mindsets with negativity. After all, it does not bring any benefits to our daily lives. Because it is just a matter of time before we can find our way out of the dark tunnel, isn't it?

As the title of this post suggests – be afraid of dark. It should not be misinterpret as we should be afraid after we fall to the ground in our first attempt of walking. Our feet hurt when we fall, but it is a matter of how we can prevent it from happening again as in the same manner in the first fall.

To learn smarter and be more careful in our steps will be the key that prevents us from making the same mistakes that led us to the first fall. As a whole, if we are to avoid the painful experiences we had today, we should remember the pain and suffering they bring to us.

Look at the bright side. Forget about the past and focus on the future. We cannot make adjustments to anything that had happened but we can make the road ahead of us better. Nothing is impossible because there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

By: Vincent Ti