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#277919
ESPNF1:
Mark Webber believes the characteristics of the Pirelli tyres have made it more difficult to make consistent getaways at the starts of races this year.

Webber has suffered more than most off the startline this season and dropped from second to fourth heading into the first corner in Singapore last weekend. Some drivers such as Fernando Alonso have mastered their starts this year, but consistency has been difficult to achieve.

"This year, we have seen the biggest fluctuation in starts for years, which is purely down to the new Pirelli tyres and how they perform off the line," Webber said in his column on the BBC Sport website. "It is harder to manage the grip away from the start but if you get it right - as Fernando Alonso did in Monza - it makes a big difference. For all that, my starts have been poor this year."

And he explained that drivers still have a big part to play when engaging the clutch.

"The rules make it pretty challenging for engineers to get the starts right as launch control and other electronic aids that limit wheel-spin are not allowed," he added. "There is a lot of work for the drivers to do as well. I cannot give too much away but there are a number of procedures to go through before we get going. When the lights go out, we quickly release one clutch paddle on the steering wheel and feed in a second gradually - that's the one the driver uses to modulate the grip of the rear wheels."



Real explanation or the proverbial bouc émissaire (scapegoat)?
Discuss!
#277920
I don't trust him.

He says that the New Zealand Warriors are in their first ever NRL grand final. But they made in 2002. So how can I trust Webber about Pirelli tires? :rolleyes::hehe:


In all honesty it's interesting that he doesn't want to give to much away about Red Bull's starting but that it is already a difficult procedure in the parts that he does reveal.

Surely Red Bull will either need to improve in this area, or hire a driver who is good at memorising things like "the secret handshake."
#277956
Well I think he knows more about it than any of us, and how the tyres behave.
tyres are everything when it comes to cars especially race cars. Such tiny details can come to the front for some drivers more so than others. We saw this with Massa and even Schumacher with the bridgestone slicks. Not race starts but behavior of the tyres not suiting their liking.
#277960
On the SPEED prerace show in Singapore, Will Buxton had a nice little segment, where he had both Rosberg and Buemi go over the procedure of what was required to get car to the start grid and then launched at the start. It was bewildering, at least 15 separate line items! I wish I'd saved the recording, I would have been more than happy to do a transcript and post it.
#277961
It does sound like an excuse, blaming the tyres when his team mate can get away fine just about every time in the same car, from the in-car shots it seems like a drop in revs is the reason that he bogs down off the startline, maybe it's poor clutch control, maybe he lifts off the gas a little, maybe it's a technical problem, maybe it's Red Bull sabotaging his car, but I'm sure it's not the tyres!
#277963
It does sound like an excuse, blaming the tyres when his team mate can get away fine just about every time in the same car, from the in-car shots it seems like a drop in revs is the reason that he bogs down off the startline, maybe it's poor clutch control, maybe he lifts off the gas a little, maybe it's a technical problem, maybe it's Red Bull sabotaging his car, but I'm sure it's not the tyres!


Alonso would agree.
#277964
He is known for his bad starts, tires have got nothing to do with it...


What? His whole career? :rolleyes: f*** sake you guys talk like it's his first year in a car!


It does sound like an excuse, blaming the tyres when his team mate can get away fine just about every time in the same car, from the in-car shots it seems like a drop in revs is the reason that he bogs down off the startline, maybe it's poor clutch control, maybe he lifts off the gas a little, maybe it's a technical problem, maybe it's Red Bull sabotaging his car, but I'm sure it's not the tyres!


You do realize what happens when you rev the engine and start to disengage the clutch, the power transfer goes toooo......?

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