Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso, Hockenheimring, 2018

Progress takes “massive time” with complex F1 engines – Gasly

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In the round-up: Pierre Gasly says it takes a long time for manufacturers to make progress with Formula 1’s power units because they are so complicated.

What they say

Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly was asked when the team’s Honda power unit would take a step forward – and how confident he could be that it was coming:

I’m really involved in the development process, in what’s going on in Milton Keynes, in what’s going on in Sakura so I know exactly what they do and also the big picture, the relationship with Red Bull next year so they are pushing massively, that’s for sure.

These engines are so complicated that it takes massive time to understand how much you can extract from everything and honestly it’s crazy money involved, they are really committed and really trying everything and you know it can be painful. Like, in two months they can gain something and you can make really big steps.

It’s difficult to predict but on my side, the best thing I can do – what I try to do – is give the feedback of what we need and I think it’s pretty clear for us what that involves but just trying to find that magic thing that the others have and we don’t have, at the moment.

Quotes: Dieter Rencken

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Comment of the day

Tyre degradation is the hot topic of the day, with opinions coming in at blistering speeds but Patrickl points out that the coming changes have been proposed before…

No one was mandated by FIA to make fast degrading tyres. Ecclestone and Pirelli came up with that one. Of course part of that deal whas that they did that, but it was never asked for by the FIA in the original tender.

Michelin was going for the tyre deal at exactly the same time and they wanted 18″ tyres which would be longer lasting (so you’d need less of them) and they wanted the teams to pay them 1 million per year.

Ecclestone insisted on free tyres and he saw the Canada race where tyres strategies spiced things up. Which led him to a last minute Pirelli entrance to come in and take the tyre deal with “tyres must make F1 entertaining” (plus a massive deal to advertise at the tracks to fill Eclestone’s pockets of course).
Patrickl

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Hazel Southwell
Hazel is a motorsport and automotive journalist with a particular interest in hybrid systems, electrification, batteries and new fuel technologies....

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19 comments on “Progress takes “massive time” with complex F1 engines – Gasly”

  1. Anyone surprised that Merc says Hamilton’s curb excursion just before the transmission failure had nothing to do with the damage?

    1. Which curb excursion? There were two. The first one, a fairly typical run-off at turn 1, apparently damaged the power steering, which led to the (second) massive curb excursion and took out any hydraulics that might have still been functional.

      But, hey, if it makes you feel better, there was only one bounce across the curbs, and it was all Hamilton’s fault, and Mercedes is lying.

      1. Why does it matter so much to fans (other than HAM haters or aficionados) who/what was to blame?
        They’ve agreed great his based on a marvelous car driven by a great driver, and are maybe due a small mistake.

        The good news is that we will see 2 drivers who have to come through the field (could be more if the tufins decide to come together).

      2. Why does it matter so much to fans who/what was to blame?
        They’ve agreed great his based on a marvelous car driven by a great driver, and are maybe due a small mistake.

        The good news is that we will see 2 drivers who have to come through the field (could be more if the tufins decide to come together).

  2. Anyone surprised that someone who is stuck with a Honda power unit is saying that it takes “massive time” to perfect an F1 engine? Many years or maybe even never…

    1. Maybe having seen the malaise that McLaren is in this year, we should wait until Red Bull Honda’s first race until we pass judgement on them? Torro Roso also has two relatively inexperienced drivers. So I think it’s hard to say how much it’s the car and how much it’s the drivers. BTW the genuine best chassis with a Renault engine lost half a second just down one long straight. Not sure why some fans (McLaren?) like to jump on any problem TR/Honda has.

    2. The journalist probably. He/She asked exactly that question :P

  3. Fight backs through the field used to be inspiring to watch however DRS has thoroughly diminished the spectacle of such events as it makes the overtakes look way too easy.
    I am sure Lewis and Daniel will be doing their best though.

    1. @arki19 The fightbacks through the field by a driver in a top 3-car is much more down to the significant pace advantage they have over the rest than DRS, though. People are always too eager to blame DRS for almost everything even though it’s relatively ineffective these days, and, therefore, most of the time an overtaking move isn’t guaranteed to happen even with it.

      1. I see it differently @jerejj.
        DRS is pretty ineffective for cars with similar performance as the dirty air requires them to come from too far back.

        When top cars come through the field DRS robs is of some spectacle. The drivers too often wait for the next DRS straight rather than do an outbrake or coming around the outside maneuver (the RBRs still have to use those skills) and when on the DRS straight the can use DRS to pass the car, get in front, and pick their ideal line and breaking point.
        Yes I believe DRS takes the done of the top cars coming through the field.

        1. @coldfly Yes, but they’d still claw back through the field even without DRS thanks to the pace advantage.

  4. Absolutely. I mean, in spite of the FIA, Ross Brawn, all the drivers and engineers claiming it’s a necessary evil, DRS is completely detrimental to F1, and there would be much better races, if they’d just get rid of that magic push-to-pass button.

    All season long, we’ve been watching similarly fast cars just sail past each other with the greatest of ease just as soon as the following driver pushes the magic button, and their car just leaps past the car in front. Every race, there’s been a record number of passes made all season, because as soon as a driver pushes the magic DRS button, they instantly pass the car in front, which can then press it’s magic button on the following lap, and instantly pass the car in front of them!

    It’s fantastic! We’ve seen races where the lead changed at least once, without a pit stop being involved! Obviously, we really need to go back to the good old days where the order of the top 5 didn’t change from lights out to the end of the race.

    Caution: This post has exceeded it’s sarcasm quota, and may be making a mess as the excessive snark drips onto the floor.

  5. Interesting COTD.

    1. @jerejj, I’m not sure where some of the claims within that post are coming from though – there do not seem to be any contemporary reports which mention any of the figures stated in that article, so it would be interesting to see what those claims are founded on.

      1. But all claims are so logical and consistent with proven relationships and behaviours of parties that I don’t even feel the need to check them.
        It’s not like the COTD is a flatearther, denies climate change or mixed up would and wouldn’t.

        1. Cotd was a response to something I said, mainly about Michelin wanting to be in F1 with a competing maker, and about marketing impact. I never suggested it was an FIA mandate to make gadget tires. And I doubt Michelin wanted to make longer lasting tires so they could make fewer of them. They just weren’t interested in making tires the drivers would complain about and that would always be spoken of as not lasting. BE even said Michelin were not wanting their tires criticized. I guess Pirelli was happy to do that though. For they sure are criticized.

          I see a future F1 with the 2021 changes that will deal with the addiction to too much aero, while reducing wake, such that there won’t be the need for bandage attempts to mask dirty air by artificially spicing up the show with gadget tires and drs.

      2. I agree. I made a comment along these lines after the last race.

        When a leading car was out of position at or near the start, it used to be exciting seeing them come back through the field and overcoming the challenge this presented. However at Silverstone Lewis could virtually just drive by all of the cars in the DRS zone up to fifth place I think it was. It was just too easy for him.

        I think this is a combination of both DRS and the massive speed advantage the top 3 cars have with their engines. I think the layout of the circuit is also a factor of course because coming through the field is going to be easier at Silverstone or Monza than it is at Monaco or Baku. It was not an entertaining spectacle though. Just a matter of timing.

        1. Whoops! This should have been a reply to the comment earlier re DRS overtaking! It’s in the wrong thread.

  6. Gasly and Torro Rosso already fully focused on Honda’s development for RB next year. Even Sundays are Practice sessions for TR from now on. And that’s the absolutely right decision. Honda are still behind Renault and they need to make at least two big steps to catch ’em before March 2019.

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