• Nanook@lemmy.zip
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    2 months ago

    A year after first reports of McLaren cheating w/ skid blocks surfaced, finally caught. So are they gonna disqualify them for the whole season? Because they definitely been running them the whole time. Last week in brasil they were already found out. This week they had to run without. And boom: Plank wear.

      • smeg@feddit.uk
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        2 months ago

        That was my thought as well, I’m guessing it’s this, which I hadn’t heard about before

        It is believed that nearly all teams have, to varying extents, employed this method—with some gaining a substantial advantage on circuits where cars can run very low.

        • AliSaket@mander.xyz
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          2 months ago

          If the skids expanded, they would protrude more and therefore be more prone to wear. That is the exact opposite of what the “trick” should do. Furthermore they wouldn’t be flush with the plank after cooling down again for re-scrutineering, which would be weird because that is tightly regulated.

          So I don’t know who came up with this rumor, but it makes sense on no level whatsoever.

          • smeg@feddit.uk
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            2 months ago

            I think most materials expand when heated, and I guess it only needs to be a millimetre or two to make a difference to an f1 car

            • RubberElectrons@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              True, but I guess I was hoping it’d involve some interesting machining to encourage growth in one direction or something.

              Kinda like a bellows, for ex.

              • smeg@feddit.uk
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                2 months ago

                Maybe it does, but given that it’s all secret at the moment you might have to wait a year or so for someone to write up an explanation once the secrets are out!

    • AliSaket@mander.xyz
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      2 months ago

      Please enlighten us. What reports on ‘McLaren cheating w/ skid blocks’ surfaced a year ago?