Hamilton replied to two questions from the readers and McLaren's technical manager Indy Lall also replied to two questions.Do you ever get bored in a F1-car? I don't mean races, I mean for example the 2nd practice session when you test some small changes in setups by driving on a long straight. Have you ever secretly yawned for example at that time?
Lewis Hamilton:
I don't think that one can ever get bored when driving these cars because driving them is so much fun. I have drove tests on long straights, which starts to repeat itself very much but that isn't still boring at all, because we are talking about driving a F1-car (nevermind if it's on a repetitive track). You don't fall asleep behind the wheel but the day can get long. It's never boring to drive during GP-weekends.
Which similarities and on the other hand differences are there between F1- cars and NASCAR-cars?
Lewis Hamilton:
I think that it could be a little more easier to overtake with a NASCAR-car. It's really difficult with a F1-car and they always change the regulations to make overtaking easier, but when you are driving it is really difficult to get near another car so you can overtake. In NASCAR again it's a bit easier for the drivers to get closer to each other and get a chance to overtake. I think it would suit me too, I would probably enjoy it very much! I believe that there is a certain way by which you have to drive a F1-car so you can get out all possible grip from the downforce. When driving with a regular car again you look more for the mechanical grip. It was really much fun to drive again with a real transmission and a car that had a clutch. The car had immense powers and also quite good brakes. They belittled it to me by saying "you probably won't like this as much as...", but I was all smiles the whole time.
(Hamilton recently tried out a NASCAR-car in a car-show in US)
Do you think aerodynamics has a too significant role in F1 (compared to NASCAR's approach), although it does enable a superior performance ability?
Indy Lall:
Well, in F1-regulations they allow taking advantage of aerodynamics and you have to operate within those rules. All teams use it and as a matter of fact the smart designers and engineers create revolutionary changes. In NASCAR it's much more restricted. NASCAR is actually an equal playfield for all teams and there is a difference of less than half a second between the pole and the last grid. In F1 the difference is naturally much bigger. This bigger difference is the result of how the best teams can squeeze out everything possible from the regulations.
What kind of technical changes will be needed in F1-cars for season 2013 if the four-cylinder turbo engines will become true?
Indy Lall:
Changing into a smaller engine will immediately affect the car's weight, and I believe the changes will depend upon what the engine's fuel consumption will be. If the engine consumes a lot, naturally there has to be more fuel in the car. It's quite a challenge to fit in a smaller engine so that the solution offers the engineers new possibilities to develop the car aerodynamic. That's why I believe that the most revolutionary changes will take place in aerodynamics and reliability, which again is achieved due to new parts, like the engine.
Source: MTV3
Courtesy: Nicole
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