- on the grid -should this be stopped? Surely if a car is legal they have nothing to hide. However, any design that can be seen should be open for examination from cameras etc.
I think it's quite funny really, and teams spend millions on innovation, why shouldn't they be able to crowd a few mechanics around the interesting part of the car to try and make their investment last longer, before everyone on the grid copies it?
Well, I can understand a team wanting to prolong any advantage they may achieve from their own research and development. It is almost inevitable that other teams will eventually catch on; but the longer this takes, the more it will suit the innovator. And let's not forget that F1 needs to remain focussed on innovation. Thus, teams should not be dissuaded from trying to steal a march on their rivals: after all, that is why they are there.
within minutes of the arc there are plenty of super slo mo HD shots of pretty much all aspects of the cars. I think it's just gamesmanship by the teams and over all quite entertaining.
This is true, but they usually only get 1 or 2 different views, generally the front elevation, no doubt it isn't just the front that the other teams are interested in. I wonder how many people the big teams employ for clandestine purposes, after all RBR's front wing didn't walk off. good quality cameras could easily be fitted unnoticed into a shoe, for example, where upon a slow walk around the car would supply some great shots from all angles. If I was a team owner for sure I would've employed someone to do just that, and more besides. I would be more surprised to find Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes DIDN'T have information gatherers in their employ, at least a photographer whose sole job is to take phtots of the RBR front wing.
Cue the amusing video of the Ferrari team putting up boards when McLaren were watching them [video=youtube;VPqm7RjgtVY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPqm7RjgtVY[/video]
The title 'McLaren crew members pwnd by Ferrari' is as asmusing at the video! Surely it was the other way around. Did they not think that if they but up some boards, all you have to so is take a few paces in another direction and you can see around them!?
The only way it could be better is if McLaren started bringing out step ladders. Was a little pedantic from Ferrari but its all fun and games for us (and not for the McLaren engineers who woke up next to a horses head)
