So the other debate is, was it Schumacher who was the aggressor in his prime, or was it all along Brawn's influence that told him to be like that?
My View on Todays GP Vettel did a Vettel today, a supreme controlled race throughout, congrats to him. Raikkonen showed what he is capable of, an attacking race brought him the goods he deserved, Grosjean followed suit in 3rd. I think he has had enough of crashing. Mclaren's pit crew can explain what happened today, because I don't have a single clue how none of their drivers didn't get on the podium. Mercedes, well what can I say. Rosberg has taken a turn for the worse after that win went to his head, you cannot win races driving like that boy. If there was gravel where Hamilton and Alonso had to make a move, he would have been given a drive through. Alonso, a passionate drive from the Spaniard. I hope the winning car comes soon to this driver, he always gives his 100%. Well done to Paul Di-Resta for getting well into the mix throughout the race. Unlucky for Kovalainen, he was having a great race up until the puncture, and well done to Schumacher for a foot-down race from 22nd to 10th, who we yet have to see what he can do without any interference of mechanical issues or accidents, the determination is still there. A lot of weaving by many drivers this race, but nothing has been said.. tut tut. We have had 4 different winners in 4 races, can the trend continue?
I'd love a diffferent winner for each race this season, sadly it would never happen, but it would be fun watching Kovalainen win in a Caterham.
Apparently McLaren have aluminium wheel nuts and titanium axle stubs. I learnt not to do stuff like that in high school DT, no wonder they're having problems, literally a schoolboy error.
They should just let them race. Things would be far less grey. Punish the absolute cucumber moves and let the rest fly.
The amount of torque that goes through it and at the speed the nut rotates at there's bound to be a lot of friction between the two parts and a chance of cross threading the nut. Also the wheel rotates at high speed and absorbs a lot of large impacts on bumps and kerbs, there's a lot of force on the nut to keep the wheel attached. Also every time they take a corner the inside wheel will be pulling against the nut. Basically if you use two different materials the harder one, in this case titanium, will erode the softer metal, the aluminium nut. Strictly speaking you shouldn't really use fasteners of a different material, such as aluminium rivets in a steel assembly, to mix aluminium and titanium in an assembly that has such high loads placed on it seems like a recipe for disaster. Hasn't worked out at all well for them, I don't know what the other teams are doing, I think Gary Anderson said the wheel nuts are usually steel, so presumably the other teams are using steel axles as well. It would appear McLaren are using a titanium axle to save weight, I can't work out why they wouldn't use a titanium wheel nut as well.
They're not the only team to use aluminium wheel nuts but I don't know how common it is. The point, however, is to ensure it's the wheel nut that takes the damage if there is cross-threading. They can easily (not quickly, but easily) use another wheel nut. If the axle thread is damaged then they're screwed. This is why the spare wheel gun has a spare wheel nut ready fitted.
The fact that it is McLaren that seem to have this trouble far more than anyone else, rather than it being farily evenly spread through the field suggests that there probably is a design flaw, but who knows why, possibly the difference in heat expansion between the nut and axle, possibly the design of the nut itself makes it easier to cross thread. We know they practice the stops, but they don't practice under proper race conditions, maybe it's that difference that makes the race day change so much more liable to error, like the cars heat.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99103 Pirelli responds to Michael Schumacher's criticism of its tyres Won't be the last time we hear about this i guess....
I must admit I'm starting to dislike the tyres, I think having a 'cliff' is a bad thing, the tyres should just gradually fade, not become almost undriveable in the space of 2 or 3 corners, and I'm not keen on the way they degrade, some of those 'marbles' are huge and I thought they ruined part of the China race, as few drivers were brave enough later in the race to try certain overtakes because of the risk they'd go off because the marbled track is like an oil patch
