The enforced summer break

[Born Racer]

Does anyone know the specific requirements of this? Was this a "gentlemen's" agreement or were there very precise rules? For instance, given that I cannot imagine all of the designers stopping entirely, what's to stop a team installing some CFD software on a computer at someone's home? There seem to be plenty of loopholes.

[strider]

As far as I know it was an agreement reached between the teams, which was given the FIA's blessing.

[Born Racer]

They could have been up to all sorts in that case.

[Super Hans]

I doubt much went on. The employees were probably keener to take a holiday than do a bit of surreptitious design work at home. Not that much could be done anyway, with the factory closed.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

Not that much could be done anyway, with the factory closed.

Newey does all his best work the old fashioned way, pencil and paper.

At least the power stations will have been able to build their stocks of coal up again once the wind tunnels were switched off. Did anyone else notice their lights going dim when the break was over?

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by Marbot

Newey does all his best work the old fashioned way, pencil and paper.

Has he got an autoclave in his garage?

[Greem]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

Has he got an autoclave in his garage?

Nah. But he does have a GT40

[broadrun96]

And a 08 or 09 Red Bull chassis, doesn't he?

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

Has he got an autoclave in his garage?

He's probably got a wind tunnel in there too.

[Wims]

Actually, I believe he sleeps in an autoclave

[Marbot]

I think he lost all of his hair in the wind tunnel.

Rumour has it that he said that removing his head hair would shave (sorry) 1.357 seconds off his walk down to the local newsagents.

[Rob29]

Never have understood the need for a summer break to the race season,as they have a 3 month break in winter,when most of us are working?

[Knowlesy]

Is that a joke?

[JamesH]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

Does anyone know the specific requirements of this? Was this a "gentlemen's" agreement or were there very precise rules? For instance, given that I cannot imagine all of the designers stopping entirely, what's to stop a team installing some CFD software on a computer at someone's home? There seem to be plenty of loopholes.

Good time though to run massive CFD simulations on the PC farms they use. PC's at home are not really up to the job of doing the sort of CFD required. Although they could remote desktop in to the main system. Almost impossible to police that.

[Nicholosophy]

Imagine if during the summer break, the F1 teams put their computational power towards some other goal, like discovering a cure for cancer or some other distributed computing task. Perhaps something that was environmentally friendly. That would keep the greenies happy surely.

(I know - will never happen, but still...)

[garcon]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

Not that much could be done anyway, with the factory closed.

That's the element that made me smile the most - it's as if the FIA hasn't yet discovered the laptop computer...

[F.O.F.]

Originally Posted by Rob29

Never have understood the need for a summer break to the race season,as they have a 3 month break in winter,when most of us are working?

Seriously???!?

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Is that a joke?

I'm not sure but it sure was funny!


I don't believe for a second that everything stops completely. Remotely accessing the CFD stuff seems a no brainer, I'm sure it's well within their capability.

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by garcon

That's the element that made me smile the most - it's as if the FIA hasn't yet discovered the laptop computer...

There's more to F1 factories than computers. You can design a new front wing element on the laptop at home, but it ain't going on the car if the factory is shut.

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by JamesH

Although they could remote desktop in to the main system. Almost impossible to police that.

This is the kind of thing I'm thinking about. You can't leave F1 people to gentlemen's agreements because they're so competitive. You need to enforce rules. What about all these 'filming days' that some team(s?) have become so interested in since the testing ban?

If Red Bull did indeed have to strengthen their wings before Belgium, when did they find the time to do that without a lot of re-designing? Where would this have taken place?

[strider]

The most important thing about the two week break is that the guys who are actually on the race teams should get a chance for some R&R. Believe it or not, they do need it and another holiday will be the first thing on their minds when the season is over.

[Born Racer]

Oh absolutely. They're extraordinarily dedicated and work extremely hard, but the thing is, how are they policing it? Are they even policing it?

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by JamesH

Although they could remote desktop in to the main system. Almost impossible to police that.

im not a computer guy but i would have though that if Mclaren, for example, couldn't tell you who accessed what on their network and from what terminal and precisely when then they need to address there own security or lack of it. surely after the 'spygate fine' access to their network must be strictly monitored.