A question about automatic gearboxes at wet races

[AL Racing]

Pre '94 some teams, notibly McLaren had automatic gearboxes instead of the usual semi-automatic. Wouldn't this be a real disadvantage at wet races? In those conditions it's good be short-shifting to kill the wheel-spin, but with automatic gearboxes that wouldn't be possible would it?

[Dino IV]

IIRC they were not fully automated gearboxes, but semi-automatic just like the rest. They only had an additional feature which was quite interesting, and caused a lot of stir back then. They could preset an ideal lap for the gearbox and make it run like that, even adjusting it every time it went past start finish. Not sure they ever used it though coz they announced it quite proud as they could virtually run a car without it's driver to a pole position, which caused so much stir, that it was immediately forbidden. An automated feature they did use - as well as all the top drives that year - was automated downshifting, but that's also just an addition to semi-automatic gearchanging. So when there was a need for short shifting they just did.

[AL Racing]

So here's where my thread ended up, I been wondering where it went. Anyway, thanks for correcting me on the issue, I'd always tought Automatic gearboxes ment no gear-shifting at all.