Cars built 'for' a certain driver's style

[stripedcat]

Originally Posted by jedrinck

I read in an interview with Alonso a while ago that the tires at the time worked particularly well with Alonso's extremely violent corner entry he practiced then. The high onset rate caused all 4 wheels and more so the fronts to go sideways initially and that caused them to develop more bite mid turn than with a smooth entry. If it's due to a brief peak in temperature or some other magic effect I don't know. A classic case of a driver's personal preference meeting the exact right car and tires.

Yep, that sound about right. Doesn't Alonso like quite an understeery car? Compared to the oversteery tailsliders of Hamilton, Kimi and Vettel?

On that note take a look at Martin Brundle's F1 driving styles video :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOhgI1hQA68

[NPP]

Originally Posted by stripedcat

Yep, that sound about right. Doesn't Alonso like quite an understeery car? Compared to the oversteery tailsliders of Hamilton, Kimi and Vettel?

On that note take a look at Martin Brundle's F1 driving styles video :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOhgI1hQA68

Thanks for this.

Don't know what Alonso's preference is nowadays - he has been driving very differently from his Renault years for a while, probably since the end of traction control but maybe even earlier. He clearly doesn't mind a little bit of corner exit oversteer; when he's going for it, you fairly often see the rear of his car step out quite violently on exit.

[NotJiipee]

Originally Posted by chunder

And the Benettons of 94/5 were the same which is why maybe Johnny, Jos and Lehto struggled abit with them, as they were designed around Michael.

While the Benetton B194 might've not been to Lehto's liking, there's no doubt that his still very sore neck also contributed to his lack of success in the '94 season. In fact, he's been quoted during the 1994 Monaco GP weekend saying "I couldn't feel the steering wheel in my hands, so I never knew whether I was turning too much or too little coming into a corner". Being four seconds off Schumi is quite impressive in those circumstances.

Briatore ruined Lehto's F1 career, which is a shame because he had a lot of potential. But that's probably a subject for another topic.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by NotJiipee

While the Benetton B194 might've not been to Lehto's liking, there's no doubt that his still very sore neck also contributed to his lack of success in the '94 season. In fact, he's been quoted during the 1994 Monaco GP weekend saying "I couldn't feel the steering wheel in my hands, so I never knew whether I was turning too much or too little coming into a corner". Being four seconds off Schumi is quite impressive in those circumstances.

Briatore ruined Lehto's F1 career, which is a shame because he had a lot of potential. But that's probably a subject for another topic.

I agree. JJ's another one of those 'marmite' drivers though. People either thought he was special or a journeyman. He can't have been both and his stellar lower formula stuff certainly suggests he was more likely the former!

What we do know is that he was very very quick in the end of '93 test and did amazingly well at Imola and Catalunya in qualy so the talent as there even when nursing a bad injury.

If you want to see him in full flow chucking a car about, check out the Bologna motorshow stuff on youtube from the end of 1992!

[barnettracing]

Originally Posted by Marbot

None of that explains why Teflonso won two world championships with front tyres that were mostly going sideways rather than frontways every time the car so much as looked at a corner. He's certainly not a driver who likes understeer.

No, he does prefer more understeer to oversteer as he turns in hard/violently. The Ferrari is still an understeerer, although less than the 05/06 Renault. He also seems to use quite a slow rack to give more lock-to-lock. Unlike someone such as Button though, Alonso is able to drive a car with oversteer.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by barnettracing

No, he does prefer more understeer to oversteer as he turns in hard/violently. The Ferrari is still an understeerer, although less than the 05/06 Renault. He also seems to use quite a slow rack to give more lock-to-lock. Unlike someone such as Button though, Alonso is able to drive a car with oversteer.

I'm sure that Button can drive a car with oversteer, but it doesn't get him around the circuit as quickly as someone like Alonso can get it to. Either way, understeer and oversteer are not really traits that you would like your car to have unless some other trait gave a larger advantage if the car had to have one or the other.

[barnettracing]

Originally Posted by Marbot

I'm sure that Button can drive a car with oversteer, but it doesn't get him around the circuit as quickly as someone like Alonso can get it to.

That's what I meant. When we're talking about professional racing drivers 'driving' it is surely implied that we mean 'at the limit/extracting the maximum' (even in these days of soft rubber).

Originally Posted by Marbot

Either way, understeer and oversteer are not really traits that you would like your car to have unless some other trait gave a larger advantage if the car had to have one or the other.

Actually, driving a car that neither understeers nor oversteers isn't always that fantastic. A neutral car can be very unnerving as it does not provide the driver with any feedback and is, therefore, prone to just 'let go'. Any racing car will experience some degree of understeer or oversteer, even modern 'aero' cars, because the tyres are being pushed up to, and beyond, their limit of chemical grip. In something like an F1 car, this loss of grip is momentary, whilst in a Formula Ford car, the slide lasts longer.

One trait or the other is definitely something that a driver would want, although in moderation. I prefer lots of oversteer, whilst others prefer some oversteer, or some understeer etc. If the car is completely neutral, it could suggest it is not being driver near, or at, the limit of its grip.