Ask Gary: Are teams bending fuel-flow rules?

Do you think the new fuel-flow measuring system will cause either one or both of Mercedes and Ferrari to lose pace?
Zuhaitz Murillo via Facebook

I would be very disappointed if any of Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault or Honda were working outside of the regulations and if they are they deserve a very severe penalty.

As Craig Scarborough explained about the change in fuel measurement regulations, the only real way to cheat the maximum of 100kg/hr regulation is to have the in-tank low-pressure fuel pump pumping fuel through the maximum of 100kg/hr fuel flow meter into a collector pot even when the engine doesn't require it. Then the high-pressure pump can take what it wants and increase the fuel pressure on the way to the injectors.

Come to think of it, although that would be pushing the limits even on the original wording of the regulations, that concept is quite a good idea...

Do you think Manor will be able to make 107 per cent for the rest of the season?
Ross Smith via Facebook

It's going to be really tough since it is basically running last year's car without any real development.

Depending on the circuit requirements I initially think it will hover in and out of the 107 per cent rule, but the team needs to just keep its head down and get itself reorganised. Then, hopefully, it will have enough of a budget to bring some developments to the show.

So by mid-season I would think it will be consistently within the 107 per cent rule. If it doesn't have the money to do that then it may not be around at all.

Competing in Formula 1 should not be just about being within 107 per cent, it should be about being competitive with the teams just ahead of you. Manor is a long way behind the teams in front, and for me this is the big problem for Formula 1 - it makes it look to the casual viewer like it is two classes.

Is Ferrari's Sepang form an exception rather than the rule?
Simon Baker ‏@Baker_f1

Simon, I don't think so. Remember Sebastian Vettel finished third in Melbourne.

Everyone seems to think his Malaysia win was because of the high temperatures but it was quite cool in Melbourne and also pre-season testing was very cool. I think Ferrari's pace at Barcelona showed it is competitive.

I think it is genuine pace, perhaps not quite enough to take the battle right on to Mercedes' heels in qualifying, but it will have better tyre degradation and come race day that is the important thing.

Ferrari nipping at Mercedes in the grands prix will keep the silver team honest, and we saw in Malaysia that means mistakes can be made.

At what point in the season will we see the drivers mentally tired, and what kind of help do they get to help with that?
Fardeen ‏@mindmapdesign

The stress level for everyone involved in F1 is very high and that is one of the reasons the two-week mandatory August holiday break was introduced.

As far as the drivers are concerned they have all the help that they need - or at least that they recognise as being helpful. Mercedes had suggested to Lewis Hamilton that he should consider using a psychologist, but he wasn't keen.

The drivers have a fair amount of off-time and sponsorship appearance days will all be set out in the contract.

But driving an F1 car is not just about showing up on a Sunday afternoon - a driver needs to put a lot in to his training both mentally and physically. They will all have a full-time trainer beside them to help with the motivation for this.

It's the old story: the more you put in the more you get out of anything.

Some drivers - usually the successful ones - recognise this and are able to mentally focus on every small detail and recall things that happened on the track no matter how small or insignificant.

Others just go through the season in a confused daze.

Once an essential item in the racers' toolbox, is there still a need for duct/gaffer tape in F1?
Brod Jones ‏@time_slice

Yes it's still used but perhaps a little less than before.

Honda reputedly spent millions on developing a stickier duct tape while other teams actually reduced the need for the use of this tape by using better body fixings, etc. I think this is a good example of setting different priorities.

Quite a few teams will cover up body joint lines and wing leading edges with 'helicopter tape'.

It is a fairly tough see-through tape that I can only assume was used on the leading edge of helicopter blades to reduce impact damage. It just stops any airflow leakage through the body joint lines, as this can affect the overall aerodynamic performance of the car.

Is straightline speed or cornering speed more important at Shanghai? Tight corners with a long back straight.
J.B ‏@Jawbone_1978

Both are important for any circuit, but at Shanghai with its long straight the priority bends towards straightline speed.

In qualifying with fresh tyres, straightline speed is a large advantage, but when the tyres go past their sell-by date in the race then everyone wants downforce.

If the car is sliding around a lot it is very difficult to get the power down on the exit of corners leading onto the straights, so any straightline advantage you have by running low wing angles is lost.

Since you can't change the rear wing or the mechanical set-up used in qualifying pre-race, then all teams' set-up for Shanghai will be a compromise.

Each team will identify what its own cars require to get the best result on Sunday afternoon, and the set-up will be honed in that direction.

Is it OK for front wing elements to flex under aero load? Toro Rosso was flexing in Australia, as seen from onboard footage.
SnowLeopard71 ‏@SnowLeopard1971

The FIA has a stringent set of load tests that the front wing, and many other parts of the car, have to pass.

These loads are applied in various defined points and as long as the front wing does not deflect by more than a defined amount, then it will pass the tests and can be used in competition.

Everything deflects with load at some point or another, so in reality everyone's front wing will do so to an extent.

But the FIA will be keeping an eye on this and if a component looks like it is deflecting in an area that it doesn't have a test for, then a test will be introduced as soon as is practical.

I was always a big fan of Roberto Moreno, who raced for Jordan twice in F1. What do you remember of him and do you agree that he would have been able to win races in F1 in the right car?
Angus Stuart, via email

Roberto was one of the best and nicest drivers I ever worked with and I have no doubt given the right tools he would have won many grands prix. His biggest problem was that he was too nice a guy.

I worked with him in America in CART during 1985 when he drove for the Galles team, and he was one of those drivers that are very technically minded.

He wanted to and did understand the reasons why I as an engineer would want to do something, and had the talent to be able to pinpoint the changes and if they were positive or negative out on track.

We stayed as friends and worked together again in 1988 in Formula 3000. Bromley Motorsport, which I was involved in, ran the new Reynard with Roberto as a driver (pictured).

We had lots of small teething problems with the car but because we knew each other as well as we did, we overcame them and went on to win the championship.

When you consider we were a team of four people plus Roberto going around Europe in a modified bread van it wasn't a bad result.

Roberto is still one of my best friends. He, Carlos Pace and Rubens Barrichello are the best three drivers I worked with - and coincidentally they're all Brazilians.

To quantify that, I only did one race with Michael Schumacher so never really was able to build up a relationship, but he seemed fairly talented at that time so would probably have joined my elite club.