too bad they dont have that thin front really wide rear tyre look of the early 90s
friend of mine called the rear tyres floor cutters and he does have a point
and what the heck did de la rosa do to these poor poor rear tyres?
Also, it's useful to have a track map with numbered corners when drivers are talking to their engineers/mechanics. If everyone is working from the same numbered map, there's no confusion about which corner is which.
But that map is hardly useful whilst driving, so to refer to corners means they must have them memorised.
I always thought the map was to show marshall posts in case they need to escape in a hurry, but then I thought "why would they wait for a marshalls post if they need to escape? Just run!".
Of course the drivers memorise the corners, but when they're talking to their engineers, having a numbered track map avoids confusion about which corner they're talking about. There's no need to talk about oversteer in the right-hander after the left-kink before the bridge...you can just say 'Turn 5'.
This is how I've heard an F1 driver explain the reason for the track-map. I can't remember who it was though.
So when do they glance at the map? Because it sure isn't whilst they're driving. So, therefore, if it's already memorised why not remove the map altogether. What, then, is the point?
Any word on what Williams might be planning for their 30 year anniversary ? It'd be wonderful if they could do a deal with the sponsors and have some of their old liveries on the car this year. Bit like the Yamaha anniversary on Rossi's bike at Laguna Seca a couple of years back.
Apparently during testing there will be 6 (?) liveries in recognition of their past, including old 'famous' liveries. I hope they put the Camel colours back on (but not with the white airbox, which looked rubbish).
It just makes it easier for discussion if everyone is using the same corner numbers. The driver knows which corner he is having trouble with and looks up the number on his map. He then tells the engineer that he has problems at corner number X. The engineer looks at his numbered map and can see exactly which corner he's talking about.
For some circuits the corner numbers are obvious, but at other circuits there can be room for different interpretations of what is a 'proper' corner and what is simply a kink. Having a single standardised track map in each team removes any possibilities for confusion.