Name:Jules Bianchi Born:Nice,3 august 1989 Died: Nice,17 july 2015 Jules Bianchi (3 August 1989 – 17 July 2015) was a Fre...
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Selasa, 01 September 2015
The Fuel F1 and the how to pit stop
Fuel, fuel usage and refuelling
What the sporting regulations say:
Cars may use no more than 100kg of fuel in each race (with the power
unit regulations stipulating that fuel flow must not exceed
100kg/hour). Drivers exceeding the fuel limit during a race will be
immediately excluded from the race results.
Teams are not permitted to add or remove fuel from a car during a
race. In other occasions during the weekend they may refuel cars but
only in their respective garages, and only at a rate of 0.8 litres per
second.
Read the full sporting regulations
What the technical regulations say:
Formula One cars run on petrol, the specification of which is not significantly removed from that used in regular road cars.
All fuels must comply with strict requirements, and prior to each
event the teams must submit two separate five-litre samples to the FIA
for analysis and approval. Fuel samples will also be taken during an
event to ensure the fuel being used is legal.
Fuel tanks are also strictly governed - they must comprise a single
rubber balder, which must be made of materials approved by the FIA and
must be manufactured by certain approved companies.
The tank must be situated directly behind the driver and directly
ahead of the engine. All fuel lines must be self-sealing in the event of
an accident and no lines must pass through the cockpit.
The fuel tank must be encased within a crushable structure that
forms part of the car's safety cell. This structure must be able to
withstand very high impact loads as specified in the regulations.
Read the full technical regulations
pit stop
For the technique to cause a car to spin around (and stop) quickly, see PIT maneuver. For other uses, see Pitstop.
In motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above. Not all are allowed in all formulae.
The pits usually comprise a pit lane which runs parallel to the
start/finish straight and is connected at each end to the main track,
and a row of garages (usually one per team) outside which the work is done. Pit stop work is carried out by anywhere from five to twenty mechanics (also called a "pit crew"), depending on the series regulations, while the driver waits in the vehicle (except where a driver change is involved).
Depending on the circuit, the garage may be located on pit lane or in
a separate area. Most North American circuits feature a pit lane with a
number of pit stalls (typically 30-50) and a pit wall that separates
pit lane from the infield, with the garages (if used) on a separate road
in the infield. In races where there are different series racing
together, each series has its own separate garage or are parked in their
own area. Circuits in other areas (used in Formula One) typically have
the individual garage stalls open directly onto the pit lane through the
team's assigned pit stall. In American English, it is common to drop the definite article and just refer to "pit road", whereas in British English one would always refer to "the pit lane". A further difference is that in British English, the term "pit box" is universally used, whereas in American English, one would say "pit stall". It is important to note that in NASCAR, a pit box is a tool (see below), though there is a definitive term used for them.
For all but the shortest races, refueling is the primary purpose of a
pit stop. Race engines generate high power but also burn fuel at an
extreme rate, and most series have a limit on the size of the car's fuel
tank, so many races will require multiple stops for fuel based on the
distance of the race alone. However, many other adjustments can be
performed during a pit stop, and some can even be performed without
taking any more time than refueling. By making pit stops, cars can carry
less fuel, and therefore be lighter and faster. During refueling, the
tires can be changed as well, which permits the use of softer tires that
wear faster but provide more grip. Teams usually plan for each of their
cars to pit following a planned schedule, with the number of stops
determined by the fuel capacity of the car, tire lifespan, and tradeoff
of time lost in the pits versus how much time may be gained on the race
track through the benefits of pit stops. Choosing the optimum pit
strategy of how many stops to make and when to make them is crucial in
having a successful race. It is also important for teams to take
competitors' strategies into account when planning pit stops, to avoid
being "held up" behind other cars. An unscheduled or extended stop, such
as for a repair, can be very costly for a driver's chance of success,
because while the car is stopped for service, cars remaining on the
track can rapidly gain distance on the stopped car.
In most series (except NASCAR), pit assignments may be assigned by
points standings, race results, or previous qualifying results before
the start of the race meet. In NASCAR and in INDYCAR's Indianapolis 500,
typically pit assignments are made after qualifying, with the fastest
qualifiers choosing their pit stall first. This practice rewards
qualifying with affecting the race.
General strategy
In any racing series that permits scheduled pit stops, pit strategy
becomes one of the most important features of the race; this is because a
race car travelling at 100 miles per hour (160 kilometres per hour)
will travel approximately 150 feet (45 metres) per second. During a
ten-second pit stop, a car's competitors will gain approximately
one-quarter mile (400 metres) over the stopped car.
However, the car that made the additional pit stop will run faster on
the race track than cars that did not make the stop, both because it
can carry a smaller amount (and thus lower weight) of fuel, and will
also have less wear on its tires, providing more traction and allowing
higher speeds in the corners. In racing series where teams have their
choice of different compound tires, the lower tire wear may be enough to
allow the team to choose to use a tire with a softer rubber compound
that provides increased grip at the expense of faster wear; going longer
between stops may even cause enough wear on the softer tire to cause
the tires to fail.
Because of this, race teams plan a pit strategy prior to the start of
every race. This is a schedule for each car's planned pit stops during
the race, and takes into account factors such as rate of fuel
consumption, weight of fuel, cornering speed with each available tire
compound, rate of tire wear, the effect of tire wear on cornering speed,
the length of pit road and the track's pit road speed limit, and even expected changes in weather and lighting conditions. The pit strategy does not just include a schedule of when pit stops will happen; it also includes what service and adjustments are scheduled for each pit stop, particularly in endurance racing, where scheduled changes of wear-limited parts such as brake pads
may be planned for specific points during the race. The pit strategy is
calculated carefully so that the amount of time to be "given away" to
other competitors in pit stops is balanced out by the time gained while
on the track, resulting, theoretically, in the shortest possible time to
cover the scheduled distance.
However, a team's pit strategy is not a fixed, immutable thing; it is
subject to change during the race to take into account the
unpredictable events that happen in every race. In road racing,
for example, if the weather changes from dry to rain, teams will be
forced to recalculate their pit strategy based on the unscheduled stop
to change from dry-weather "slick" tires to treaded wet-weather
tires. Safety car periods often see mass pit stops by many teams,
hoping to take advantage of the slowed pace to reduce the ground lost to
other teams while making pit stops; this forces teams that do so to
immediately recalculate their pit strategy to optimize it for the
remaining race distance after the stop.
Even when a team chooses not to take advantage of the opportunity to
stop during a full-course caution, it can still result in significant
changes to pit strategy; under caution, the cars run at a reduced speed
that results in greatly reduced tire wear and fuel burn for a distance
travelled. Depending on the circumstances, this may be enough for a team
to gain more by choosing not to pit, hoping that the reduced fuel burn
and tire wear will allow them to make one pit stop fewer than the other
teams, allowing them to gain distance and time on their opponents. At
tracks noted for frequent full-course cautions, teams may even plan
their entire race strategy around this, using a suspension and
aerodynamic setup suited to short sprints instead of extended runs to
gain positions in the short bursts of green-flag racing, and planning
their pit strategy on the assumption that cautions will extend their
fuel mileage and tire wear enough to make fewer stops than would
otherwise be needed to complete the race distance.
Services performed
Refueling the car and changing tires (Monza, 2004)
During a scheduled pit stop, the team's pit crew services the car as
swiftly as possible, completing a number of different services. The most
visible services performed are refuelling the car and changing tires.
Other services performed in routine pit stops include removing debris from radiator air intakes; cleaning the windshield; and making adjustments to tire pressure, suspension settings,
and aerodynamic devices to optimize the car's performance for the
current conditions. In endurance racing, scheduled driver changes and
brake pad replacements are also considered "routine" service when done
as part of a scheduled pit stop.
An unscheduled pit stop may see other service performed; because
unscheduled stops are usually due to damage or mechanical problems, they
frequently see emergency repairs performed on the car. These tend to
have extremely long duration, due to the need to diagnose the car's
problems prior to the time-consuming repairs.
In Formula One,
mid-race refuelling has been banned since 2010, and cars make pit stops
with the primary purpose of changing tyres. Teams sometimes also make
adjustments to the front and rear wings and perform minor repairs, most
commonly replacing the nose and front wing assembly. Pit strategies
generally call for between two and four scheduled stops, depending on
the circuit. The drives between pit stops are commonly known as
'stints'.
When the car is approximately one lap away from making its stop, the
team's pit crew will set up fresh tires and all needed pit equipment.
Because of the overhead pneumatic rig, the team may have all pit
mechanics in position prior to the car's arrival, with the exception of
the rear jack man.
Interestingly, unlike almost all other forms of racing that feature
routine pit stops, Formula One rules limit teams to a single pit crew
for the mandatory two cars entered. Therefore, teams must stagger their
pit schedules so that only one of their two cars is in the pits at any
given time. Most other racing series that feature routine pit stops
permit each car its own pit stall and crew.
Refuelling
Refuelling was permitted from the 1994 season until the end of the 2009 season.
During this period, a pit stop involved about twenty mechanics, with
the aim of completing the stop as quickly as possible. Stops generally
lasted for six to twelve seconds depending on how much fuel is put into
the car. However, if there is a problem, such as a fuel pump failing or
the engine stalling, or repairs having to be made, it can take much
longer. Cars were fuelled at a rate of more than 12 litres per second.
This was accomplished by a fairly complex closed system that pumped air
out of the car's fuel tank as the fuel was being pumped in.
As refuelling is a potentially hazardous situation, the mechanics wore fire-resistant multi-layer suits & flame-resistant gloves, long underwear, balaclava, socks and shoes, which have to meet the guidelines set by FIA Standard 8856-2000.[1]
The lollipop man holds the team's pit sign, helping the
driver identify his pit stall on a possibly crowded pit road. During the
stop, he holds the sign in position to remind the driver to keep his
brakes on while tires are being changed, and then to remember to put the
car in first gear once the jacks are lowered. He also gives the driver
the sign to depart his pit stall by raising the sign from in front of
the driver.
In 2008, Ferrari used a traffic light
system to replace the lollipop man. A red light signalled the driver to
keep his brakes on, an amber light to put the car in first gear, and a
green light to signal the driver to depart his pit stall. After human
error caused Felipe Massa to drive off with his fuel hose still attached during the Singapore Grand Prix,
Ferrari reverted to the Lollipop Man system. However, in the 2010 and
2011 seasons, Ferrari reverted to a traffic light system, as did some
other teams.
The four tyre changers, one at each corner of the car, have the sole responsibility of using a pneumatic wrench to remove the car's single locking lug nut from each tyre, then reinstall it on the new tyre.
Eight tyre carriers are used, two at each corner of the car,
one assigned the task of removing the old tyre from the car, and one to
install the new tyre on it.
The two Stabilliser, stable the car at each side of the car in the middle.
The front wing men adjust the front wing angle.
The front and rear jack men use simple lever-type
jacks to lift the car and permit the changing of tyres. The job of
front jack man is considered the most hazardous, as it requires standing
directly in front of the car as it enters its pit stall. By contrast,
due to the location of his duties directly behind the car, the rear jack
man is the only team member not in his working position before the car
enters its pit stall. Some teams even have two spare front and rear jack
men for replacement.
The fire extinguisher man does not actually work on the car; instead, he stands ready with a hand-held fire extinguisher
to try to stop any accidental fires that may occur during a stop, at
least long enough for the pit crew and driver to evacuate. This job
became standard following Jos Verstappen's 1994 pit fire.
The starter man does not normally work on the car. His job is to stand ready with a starter tool to restart the car should the driver stall his engine during the stop.
The Engine of Formula one
Since its inception in 1947, Formula One has used a variety of engineregulations. "Formulas" limiting engine capacity had been used in Grand Prix racing on a regular basis since after World War I. The engine formulae are divided according to era.
Operation
Formula One currently uses 1.6 litre four-stroketurbocharged 90 degree V6reciprocating engines.[1]
The power a Formula One engine produces is generated by operating at a
very high rotational speed, up to 15,000 revolutions per minute (RPM).[2]
This contrasts with road car engines of a similar size which typically
operate at less than 6,000 rpm. The basic configuration of a naturally
aspirated Formula One engine had not been greatly modified since the
1967 Cosworth DFV and the mean effective pressure had stayed at around 14 bar MEP.[3]
Until the mid-1980s Formula One engines were limited to around 12,000
rpm due to the traditional metal valve springs used to close the valves.
The speed required to operate the engine valves at a higher RPM called
for ever stiffer springs, which increased the power loss to drive the
camshaft and the valves to the point where the loss nearly offset the
power gain through the increase in rpm. They were replaced by pneumatic valve springs introduced by Renault,[4][5] which inherently have a rising rate (progressive rate) that allowed them to have extremely high spring rate
at larger valve strokes without much increasing the driving power
requirements at smaller strokes, thus lowering the overall power loss.
Since the 1990s, all Formula One engine manufacturers used pneumatic
valve springs with the pressurised air allowing engines to reach speeds
of over 20,000 rpm.[5][6][7]
Short stroke engine
Formula one engines use short stroke engines. These engines are common in racing motorcycles and streetbikes.[8] The bore is the diameter of the cylinder in the engine block, and the stroke
is the distance the piston travels from top dead-centre (TDC) to bottom
dead-centre (BDC) inside the cylinder. To operate at high engine speeds
the stroke must be relatively short to prevent catastrophic failure;
this is usually connecting rod failure as the rod is under very large
stresses at these speeds. Having a short stroke means that a relatively
large bore is required to make the 2.4 litre engine displacement. This results in a less efficient combustion stroke, especially at lower RPM.[citation needed]
The stroke of a Formula One engine is approximately 39.7 mm (1.56 in),
less than half the bore diameter (98.0 mm), what is known as an over-square configuration.
In addition to the use of pneumatic valve springs a Formula One
engine's high RPM output has been made possible due to advances in metallurgy
and design allowing lighter pistons and connecting rods to withstand
the accelerations necessary to attain such high speeds, also by
narrowing the connecting rod ends allowing for narrower main bearings.
This allows for higher RPM with less bearing-damaging heat build-up. For
each stroke, the piston goes from a null speed, to almost two times the
mean speed, (approximately 40 m/s) then back to zero. This will occur
four times for each of the four strokes in the cycle. Maximum piston
acceleration occurs at top dead center and is in the region of
95,000 m/s2, about 10,000 times standard gravity or 10,000 g.
Formula One engines have come through a variety of regulations, manufacturers and configurations through the years.[9]
1947–1953
This era used pre-war voiturette engine regulations, with 4.5 L atmospheric and 1.5 L supercharged engines. The power range was up to 425 hp (317 kW).
The Indianapolis 500 (which was a round of the World Drivers' Championship from 1950 until 1960) used pre-war Grand Prix regulations, with 4.5 L atmospheric and 3.0 L supercharged engines.
In 1952 and 1953, the World Drivers' Championship was run to Formula 2
regulations, but the existing Formula One regulations remained in force
and a number of Formula One races were still held in those years.
A 2.5 L V8 in the Lancia-Ferrari D50
1954–1960
Engine size was reduced to 2.5 L. 750 cc supercharged cars were
allowed but no constructor built one for the World Championship. The
power range was up to 290 hp (216 kW). Since 1957 USAC reduced the maximum engine size allowed in the Indianapolis 500: atmospheric engines up to 4.2 L and supercharged engines up to 2.8 L.
Introduced in 1961 amidst some criticism, the new reduced engine
1.5 L formula took control of F1 just as every team and manufacturer
switched from front to mid-engined cars. Although these were initially
underpowered, five years later average power had increased by nearly 50%
and lap times were better than in 1960. The old 2.5 L formula had been
retained for International Formula racing, but this didn't achieve much
success until the introduction of the Tasman Series
in Australia and New Zealand during the winter season, leaving the
1.5 L cars as the fastest single seaters in Europe during this time. The
power range was between 150 hp (112 kW) and 225 hp (168 kW).
In 1966, with sports cars capable of outrunning Formula 1 cars thanks
to much larger and more powerful engines, the FIA increased engine
capacity to 3.0 L atmospheric and 1.5 L compressed engines. Although a
few manufacturers had been clamouring for bigger engines, the transition
wasn't smooth and 1966 was a transitional year, with 2.0 L versions of
the BRM and Coventry-Climax V8 engines being used by several entrants.
The appearance of the standard-produced Cosworth
DFV in 1967 made it possible for small manufacturers to join the series
with a chassis designed in-house. Compression devices were allowed for
the first time since 1960, but it wasn't until 1977 until a company
actually had the finance and interest of building one, when Renault
debuted their new Gordini V6 Turbo at the British Grand Prix at
Silverstone that year. It was in 1980 that Renault proved that
turbocharging was the way to go in order to stay competitive in Formula
One (particularly at high-altitude circuits like Kyalami in South Africa and Interlagos
in Brazil) ; this engine had a considerable power advantage against the
Ford-Cosworth DFV, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo naturally aspirated engines.
Following this, Ferrari introduced their all-new turbocharged engine in
1981. Following these developments, Brabham owner Bernie Ecclestone
managed to get BMW to make the team turbocharged inline-4 engines from
1982 onwards. And in 1983, Alfa Romeo made a turbocharged V8 engine, and
in the same year and following years, Honda, Porsche (badged as TAG),
Ford-Cosworth and other smaller companies made turbocharged engines,
mostly twin-turbocharged V6's. By the midpoint of 1985, every competing
team had a turbocharged engine in their car. And by 1986, the power
figures were becoming quite crazy- all of the engines had unrestricted
turbo boost in qualifying, where they were developing 1,350+ hp at 5.5
bar boost (80 psi). These engines and gearboxes would only last about
2–3 laps, and for the race, the turbocharger's boost was restricted to
ensure engine reliability; but the engines still produced 950–1000 hp
during the race. The power range from 1966 to 1986 was between 285 hp
(210 kW) to 500 hp (370 kW), turbos 500 hp (370 kW) to 900 hp (670 kW)
in race, in qualifying up to 1,300 hp (970 kW). Following their
experiences at Indianapolis, in 1971 Lotus made a few unsuccessful
experiments with a Pratt & Whitney turbine fitted to chassis which had also 4WD.
1987–1988
Following the turbo domination, forced induction was allowed for two
seasons before its eventual ban. The FIA regulations limited boost
pressure, to 4 bar in qualifying in 1987 for 1.5 L turbo; and allowed a
bigger 3.5 L formula. These seasons were still dominated by turbocharged
engines, the Honda RA167E V6 supplying Nelson Piquet winning the 1987 Formula One season on a Williams also winning the constructors championship, followed by TAG-Porsche P01 V6 in McLaren then Honda again with the previous RA166E for Lotus then Ferrari's own 033D V6.
The rest of the grid was powered by the Ford GBA V6 turbo with Benetton, then the only naturally aspirated engine, the DFV-derived Ford Cosworth DFZ 3.5 L V8 outputting 575 hp (429 kW) in Tyrrell, Lola, AGS, March and Coloni.[10] The BMW M12/13 inline four was found in Brabhams BT55 tilted almost horizontally, and in upright position under the Megatron brand in Arrows and Ligier, producing 900 bhp (670 kW) at 3.8 bar in race.[11]Zakspeed was building its own turbo inline four, Alfa Romeo
was to power the Ligiers with an inline four but the deal fell through
after initial testing had been carried out. Alfa was still represented
by its old 890T V8 used by Osella, and Minardi was powered by a Motori Moderni V6.
The 1988 Formula One season
was again dominated by turbocharged engines limited to 2.5 bar and
Honda with its RA168E turbo V6 producing 675 hp (503 kW) at 12500 rpm in
qualifying, this time with McLaren drivers Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost
winning all the grands prix except one won by Ferrari with its 033E V6
with about 690 hp (515 kW) at 12800 rpm in qualifying. Just behind, Ford
introduced its DFR 3.5 L V8 producing 620 hp (462 kW) at 11000 rpm for
Benetton, and the Megatron BMW M12/13 was still powering Arrows ahead of
the Lotus-Honda. Judd
introduced its CV 3.5 L V8 for March, Williams and Ligier, and the rest
of the grid was mainly using previous year's Ford Cosworth DFZ except
Zakspeed and the Alfa-Romeo for Osella.
Turbochargers were banned from the 1989 Formula One season,
leaving only a naturally aspirated 3.5 L formula. Honda was still
dominant with their RA109E 72° V10 giving 675 hp (503 kW) at 13000 rpm
on McLaren cars, enabling Prost to win the championship in front of his team-mate Senna. Behind were the Renault
RS01 powered Williams, a 67° V10 giving 650 hp (485 kW) at 14300 rpm.
Ferrari with its 035/5 65° V12 giving 660 hp (492 kW) at 13,000 rpm.
Behind, the grid was powered mainly by Ford Cosworth DFR V8 giving 620 hp (462 kW) at 10,750 rpm except for a few Judd CV V8 in Lotus, Brabham and EuroBrun cars, and two oddballs: the 620 hp (460 kW) Lamborghini 3512 80° V12 powering Lola, and the 560 hp (420 kW) Yamaha OX88 75° V8 in Zakspeed cars. Ford started to try its new design, the 75° V8 HBA 1 with Benetton.
A 1990 W12 3.5 Formula One engine from the Life F1 car
The 1990 Formula One season was again dominated by Honda in McLarens with the 690 hp (515 kW) at 13000 rpm RA100E powering Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger ahead of the 680 hp (507 kW) at 12750 rpm Ferrari Tipo 036 of Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell.
Behind them the Ford HBA4 for Benetton and Renault RS2 for Williams
with 660 hp (492 kW) at 12,800 rpm were leading the pack powered by Ford
DFR and Judd CV engines. The exceptions were the better Lamborghini
3512 in Lola and Lotus, and the new Judd EV 76° V8 giving 640 hp
(477 kW) at 12,500 rpm in Leyton House and Brabham cars. The two new contenders were the Life which built for themselves an F35 W12 with three four cylinders banks at 60°, and Subaru giving Coloni a 1235 flat 12 from Motori Moderni
Honda was still leading the 1991 Formula One season
in Senna's McLaren with a 710 hp (529 kW) at 13,000 rpm 60° V12 RA121E,
just ahead of the Renault RS3 powered Williams benefiting from 700 hp
(520 kW) at 12,500 rpm. Ferrari was behind with its Tipo 037, a new 65°
V12 giving 710 hp (529 kW) at 13,800 rpm also powering Minardi,
just ahead the Ford HBA4/5/6 in Benetton and Jordan cars. Behind,
Tyrrell was using the previous Honda RA109E, Judd introduced its new GV
with Dallara
leaving the previous EV to Lotus, Yamaha were giving its 660 hp
(492 kW) OX99 70° V12 to Brabham, Lamborghini engines were used by Modena and Ligier. Ilmor introduced its LH10, a 680 hp (507 kW) at 13000 rpm V10 which eventually became the Mercedes with Leyton House and Porsche sourced a little successful 3512 V12 to Footwork Arrows; the rest of the field was Ford DFR powered.
By the end of the 1994 season, Ferrari's 043 was putting out 820 hp (611 kW) at 15,800 rpm.[12]
1995–2005
This Ferrari 3.0 litre V12 F1 engine (1995) produced 700 hp (522 kW) at 17,000 rpm
A 2004 Ferrari model 054 V10 engine of the Ferrari F2004
This era used a 3.0 L formula, with a power range between 650 hp
(485 kW) and 950 hp (708 kW). Renault was the dominant engine supplier
between 1990 and 1997, winning five world championships with Williams
and Benetton. From 1998 to 2000 it was Mercedes power that ruled giving
Mika Häkkinen two world championships. Ferrari gradually got better with
their engine. For 1996, they changed from their traditional V12 engine
to a smaller and lighter V10 engine. They preferred reliability to
power, losing out to Mercedes in terms of outright power initially. At
the 1998 Japanese GP, Ferrari's 047D engine spec was said to produce
over 800 bhp (600 kW). From 2000 they were never short of power nor
reliability.
BMW started supplying their engines to Williams from 2000. In the
first season, the engine was very reliable though slightly short of
power compared to Ferrari and Mercedes units. BMW went straight forward
with its engine development. The P81, used during the 2001 season, was
able to hit 17,810 rpm. Unfortunately reliability was a big issue with
several blowups during the season.
The BMW P82, the engine used by the BMW WilliamsF1 Team in 2002, had
hit a peak speed of 19,050 revolutions a minute in its final
evolutionary stage. It was also the first engine in the 3.0 litre
V10-era to break through the 19,000 rpm-wall, during the 2002 Italian
Grand Prix's qualifying.[13]
BMW's P83 engine used in 2003 season managed an impressive 19,200 rpm
and cleared the 900 bhp (670 kW) mark and weighs less than 200 lb
(91 kg).[14]
In 2005, the 3.0 L V10 engine was permitted no more than 5 valves per cylinder.[15]
Also, the FIA introduced new regulations limiting each car to one
engine per two Grand Prix weekends, putting the emphasis on increased
reliability and decreased power output. BMW and Mercedes engines had
about 930 bhp (690 kW) in this season. Renault, Honda, Toyota and
Ferrari had about 900 bhp (670 kW).
2006–2013
For 2006, the engines had to be 90° V8 of 2.4 litres maximum capacity with a 98 mm (3.9 in) maximum circular bore,[clarification needed] which implies a 39.8 mm (1.57 in) stroke at maximum bore. They had to have two circular inlet and exhaust valves per cylinder,[clarification needed] be normally aspirated
and have a 95 kg (209 lb) minimum weight. The previous year's engines
with a rev-limiter were permitted for 2006 and 2007 for teams who were
unable to acquire a V8 engine, with Scuderia Toro Rosso using a Cosworth V10, after Red Bull's takeover of the former Minardi team did not include the new engines.[16]
Pre-cooling air before it enters the cylinders, injection of any
substance other than air and fuel into the cylinders, variable-geometry intake and exhaust systems, and variable valve timing were forbidden. Each cylinder could have only one fuel injector and a single plug spark ignition.
Separate starting devices were used to start engines in the pits and on
the grid. The crankcase and cylinder block had to be made of cast or
wrought aluminium alloys. The crankshaft and camshafts had to be made from an iron alloy, pistons from an aluminium alloy and valves from alloys based on iron, nickel, cobalt or titanium. These restrictions were in place to reduce development costs on the engines.[17]
The reduction in capacity was designed to give a power reduction of
around 20% from the three litre engines, to reduce the increasing speeds
of Formula One cars. Despite this, in many cases, performance of the
car improved. In 2006 Toyota F1 announced an approximate 740 hp (552 kW) output at 19000 rpm for its new RVX-06 engine,[18] but real figures are of course difficult to obtain.
The engine specification was frozen in 2007 to keep development costs
down. The engines which were used in the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix were
used for the 2007 and 2008 seasons and they were limited to 19,000 rpm.
In 2009 the limit was reduced to 18,000 rpm with each driver allowed to
use a maximum of 8 engines over the season. Any driver needing an
additional engine is penalised 10 places on the starting grid for the
first race the engine is used. This increases the importance of
reliability, although the effect is only seen towards the end of the
season. Certain design changes intended to improve engine reliability
may be carried out with permission from the FIA. This has led to some
engine manufacturers, notably Ferrari and Mercedes, exploiting this
ability by making design changes which not only improve reliability, but
also boost engine power output as a side effect. As the Mercedes engine
was proven to be the strongest, re-equalisations of engines were
allowed by the FIA to allow other manufacturers to match the power.[19]
2009 saw the exit of Honda from Formula 1. The team was acquired by Ross Brawn, creating Brawn GP and the BGP 001.
With the absence of the Honda engine, Brawn GP retrofitted the Mercedes
engine to the BGP 001 chassis. The newly branded team won both the
Constructors' Championship and the Drivers' Championship from
better-known and better-established contenders Ferrari,
McLaren-Mercedes, and Renault. Cosworth, absent since the 2006 season, returned in 2010. New teams Lotus Racing, HRT, and Virgin Racing, along with the established Williams, used this engine. The season also saw the withdrawal of the BMW and Toyota engines, as the car companies withdrew from Formula One due to the recession.[20]
2014–present
The FIA announced the intention to change the 2.4-litre V8 engines to 1.6 litre V6 turbo engines including energy recovery systems[21]
and containing fuel flow restrictions, in order to make Formula One
more environmentally aware and to attract more commercial partners for
2014. The engines are limited to 15,000 rpm, but rarely exceed 12,000
rpm during Grand Prix due to the new reliability and fuel flow
restrictions.[22]
Of the previous suppliers, only Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault
produced engines to the new formula in 2014. Honda returned in 2015 with
their own engine, partnering McLaren who used Mercedes power for the
2014 season.[23]
The new formula reintroduced turbocharged engines, which last appeared in 1988. These have their efficiency improved by turbo-compounding and introduce more energy recovery systems – with power to be harvested from the brakes and exhaust gases.[24] The original proposal for four-cylinder turbocharged engines was not welcomed by the racing teams, in particular Ferrari. Adrian Newey stated during the 2011 European Grand Prix that the change to a V6 enables teams to carry the engine as a stressed member, whereas an inline 4 would have required a space frame. A compromise was reached to adopt V6 turbocharged engines instead.[24]
Kinetic (brake) and heat (exhaust) energy recovery systems allowed.
Normally aspirated
engines are not prohibited. Boost pressure is not limited, but fuel flow
rate (which was not regulated up to 2013) is limited to 100 kg per
hour. (This translates to about 3.5 bar with the specified fuel at the
maximum rpm.)
5.75% bio-sourced alcohol content is required in pump-gas.
'Pump-Gas' means gasoline and additive composition available at ordinary gas-stations.
Kinetic (braking) energy recovery system (KERS) was allowed from 2010, and used from 2011.
For 2006 and 2007,
FIA reserved the right to give special dispensations to teams (without
access to new 2.4 L engine) to use 2005 spec 3 L engines with a
rev-limiter. This dispensation was given to Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2006.
For 1952 and 1953,
World Championship races were run to Formula Two rules (0.75 L with
compressor, 2 L without), but Formula One regulations remained intact.
World Championship Grand Prix wins by engine manufacturer
Figures correct as of the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix Bold indicates engine manufacturers competing in Formula One in the 2015 season.
Engines produced by Cosworth with Ford funding; they were officially badged as Ford. Cosworth was owned by Ford from 1998 to 2004.
Between 1994 and 2001 the engines were built by Ilmor and badged as Mercedes; in 2002 Daimler AG bought Ilmor.
Engines produced by Porsche and financed by TAG. Officially badged as TAG.
Offenhauser engines
conformed to AAA/USAC regulations and were used in the Indianapolis 500;
this race counted towards the World Drivers' Championship from 1950 to
1960.
Different of Formula 1
What the different of Formula 1 past and Formula 1 now(modern)?
1.From The this engine in F1 always change.
Example:The engine V12 to V6 Turbo Engine
2.The formula 1 rear wing is change
The Rear Wing of the formula 1 cars is different.In time past,the rear wing is normal and there is the line of reare wing,but now the line is rear wing is down.
3.The rider of F1 and the team F1 is change and make the new team
4.Front wing in formula 1 past time is normal,but in the modern of the 2014-now is down of the front wing.because in front and rear wing take effect to downforce this car
5.the tyre of Formula 1 is still the same problems of security rider.
Example:the security tyre of bridgestone is change to michelin.
But Is problem now is problem blown tyre sebastian vettel in Spa-Francorchamps GP belgium 2015after blown tyre nico rosberg at free practice 2
Jenson Alexander Lyons Button, MBE (born 19 January 1980) is a British Formula One driver from England currently driving for McLaren. He is the 2009 Formula One World Champion, driving for Brawn GP.
Button began karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the British Formula Three Championship. He first drove in Formula One with Williams F1 for the 2000 season. The following year he switched to Benetton, which in 2002 became Renault, and then for the 2003 season he moved to BAR. In 2004 he finished 3rd in the World Drivers' Championship, with only the two Ferraris ahead of him. BAR were subsequently renamed Honda for the 2006 season, during which Button won his first Grand Prix in Hungary, after 113 races.[2]
Following the withdrawal of Honda from the sport in December 2008, he was left without a drive for the 2009 season, until Ross Brawn led a management buyout of the team in February 2009, and Button suddenly found himself in a highly competitive, Mercedes-engined car. He went on to win a record-equalling six of the first seven races of the 2009 season, securing the World Drivers' Championship at the Brazilian Grand Prix, having led on points all season; his success also helped Brawn GP to secure the World Constructors' Championship.
For 2010, he moved to McLaren, partnering fellow British racer and former World Champion Lewis Hamilton. After finishing fifth for the team in 2010, Button finished the 2011 season as runner-up. In 2012 he took his first pole for McLaren at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix.
He spent a fifth season with the McLaren team in 2014, his 15th in
Formula One. From the 276 races that Button has started he has won 15,
with a total of 50 podium finishes. Button was named one of the "Men of
the Year" in both 2009 and 2011 by Top Gear.
Button was born on 19 January 1980 in Frome, Somerset and brought up in nearby Vobster.[3] He was named after his father's Danish friend and rallycross opponent Erling Jensen, changing the "e" to an "o" to differentiate it from Jensen Motors.[4] He was educated at Vallis First School, Selwood Middle School and Frome Community College.[5] He is the fourth child of Simone Lyons and former Rallycross driver John Button, who was well known in the UK during most of the 1970s for his so-called Colorado BeetleVolkswagen,
before switching to a VW Golf Mk1 in 1978. After his parents divorced
when he was seven, he and his three elder sisters were brought up by
their mother in Frome.[4] He failed his first driving test for getting too close to a parked vehicle.[5]
Button enjoyed racing from an early age, racing his BMX bike with friends after school,[6] he began karting
at the age of eight, after his father bought him his first kart, and
made an extraordinarily successful start. In 1989, aged nine, he came
first in the British Super Prix.[7] He won all 34 races of the 1991 British Cadet Kart Championship, along with the title.[8] Further successes followed, including three triumphs in the British Open Kart Championship. In 1997, he won the Ayrton Senna Memorial Cup, and also became the youngest driver ever to win the European Super A Championship.[7]
Aged 18, Button moved into car racing, winning the British Formula Ford Championship with Haywood Racing; he also triumphed in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch.[9] At the end of 1998, he won the annual McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award. His prize included a test in a McLaren Formula One car, which he received at the end of the following year.[10] Button entered the British Formula Three Championship in 1999, with the Promatecme team. He won three times —at Thruxton, Pembrey and Silverstone—and finished the season as the top rookie driver, and third overall.[9] He finished fifth and second respectively in the Marlboro Masters and Macau Grand Prix, losing out by 0.035 seconds to winner Darren Manning in the latter.[9]
At the end of 1999, Button had his McLaren test prize at Silverstone, and also tested for the Prost team. A vacant race seat became available at the Williams team, following the departure of Alex Zanardi, and team boss Frank Williams arranged a 'shoot-out' test between Button and Formula 3000 racer Bruno Junqueira, with Button securing the drive.[8] This made him Britain's youngest ever Formula One driver.[11] Button was heavily hyped before his first race: former driver Gerhard Berger described him as a "phenomenon"; the head of his karting team, Paul Lemmens, compared him to Ayrton Senna; and Williams' technical director Patrick Head said he was "remarkably mature and definitely a star of the future".[12] However some had misgivings about his lack of experience and ability to cope with the pressures of Formula One.[12]
Making his début in Australia,
Button crashed during practice and qualified second-last on the grid.
However, he performed strongly in the race and was set to score a point
before his engine failed 11 laps from the finish.[13][14] A sixth-place finish at the next race in Brazil made him, at the time, the youngest driver ever to score a point.[15] In his first six races, he outqualified his teammate Ralf Schumacher twice, and was consistently close in pace; journalist David Tremayne described Button's start as "the stuff of any team owner's wildest dreams".[15] However, Williams had intended to use Button only until they could exercise their option to buy the highly rated Juan Pablo Montoya out of his contract at Ganassi Racing.[16] A dip in Button's form, combined with Montoya's victory in that year's Indianapolis 500,
led to Montoya being announced as his replacement midway through the
season. Williams chose not to sell Button's contract, keeping the right
to recall him in 2003. He went to Benetton on a two-year loan.[17]
Button's best qualification of the season was third place in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps; and his best result was fourth in the German Grand Prix.[18] Despite the worries about his inexperience, he made few mistakes during the season, the most notable coming in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Under safety car conditions Button swerved to avoid the pack which had
bunched up, and subsequently crashed into the barrier; he blamed Michael Schumacher who had been leading at the time (and so controlling the pace), and Schumacher apologised for it after the race.[19] Button finished his impressive debut season in eighth place with 12 points (Ralf Schumacher finished fifth with 24).[20][21][22]
For 2001, Button partnered experienced driver Giancarlo Fisichella at Benetton, which had recently been purchased by Renault. He endured a dismal season: the Benetton car was very uncompetitive and he was consistently outperformed by his teammate.[23] He finished 17th in the Drivers' Championship with only 2 points, with his best result being fifth place at the German Grand Prix.[24] His poor form led to speculation he would be replaced before the end of the year;[23] team principal Flavio Briatore said, "Either he shows he's super-good or he leaves the top echelon of drivers",[25] and reportedly offered him the chance to walk.[26] Button believed that his inexperience showed as he struggled to help his team set up a competitive car.[26] His lack of success combined with an extravagant lifestyle led some to dub him a "playboy".[27][28]
Renault (2002)
In 2002, Benetton was rebranded as Renault F1, and Jarno Trulli
joined the team to partner Button. Over the winter break, Button spent a
lot of time working with his engineering team and felt there was an
improved understanding between them; he described himself as "very
confident" for the season.[25] He started well: in the second race of the season in Malaysia, he was on track for his first podium before a suspension problem in the final laps dropped him to fourth place.[29]
Button's performances were greatly improved from the previous season's;
although often outqualified by Trulli, he showed the faster race pace
to outscore his more experienced teammate.[30] Despite Button's performances, and his desire to stay with Renault,[31] it was announced at the French Grand Prix that he would make way in 2003 for test driver Fernando Alonso.[30] Briatore faced criticism for his decision, but stated "time will tell if I am wrong";[32] he would also accuse Button of being a "lazy playboy".[33] In July, Button signed a two-year contract with a two-year option for British American Racing, partnering 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.[34] An important factor in his decision was the chance to work with David Richards, the BAR team principal.[34] He finished the season seventh with 14 points, one place and 5 points ahead of Trulli.[35]
BAR (2003–2005)
2003
Button faced early hostility from new teammate Villeneuve,
who suggested that Button had been hired for his marketing appeal more
than his ability, and compared him to a "member of a boy band". Button
responded by denying he had anything to prove to Villeneuve; "I am not
here to earn Jacques' respect, I am here to win and move the team
forward".[36] Their relationship did not improve after the first Grand Prix
in Australia: Villeneuve was due to pit, but stayed out an extra lap
and pitted when Button was due in, leaving Button waiting in the pit
lane while Villeneuve's car was serviced. Villeneuve blamed it on "radio
problems", but both Button and team principal David Richards hinted
that they did not believe him.[37]
Button performed well in the first six races, scoring eight points (the
points system had changed that year to award points to the top eight
finishers), including fourth place at the Austrian Grand Prix; Villeneuve had scored only three.[38] Button crashed heavily at 185 mph (298 km/h) during Saturday practice in Monaco, briefly knocking him unconscious, and he was detained in hospital overnight.[39] Despite the accident Button still wanted to race, but was withdrawn by his team on medical advice.[40] He also missed a one-day test in Monza, but was cleared to race in the following Grand Prix in Montreal.[41]
Button continued to outperform his teammate (although Villeneuve
suffered a large number of mechanical problems), and this helped rebuild
his previously faltering reputation.[42] Just before the final race in Japan, Villeneuve lost his seat at BAR, so Button was partnered with Takuma Sato;[43] he took his second fourth place for the season, and finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 17 points.[44]
The 2004
season was the first in which Button was the more experienced driver in
his team. He was ambitious for the season, saying: "This year I could
be a front-runner. We want to run alongside the top teams. I want to be
consistently in the points and on the podium."[45] He took his first ever podium in the second race of the season—third-place at the Malaysian Grand Prix—saying afterwards, "There are no words to describe the feeling of your first podium".[46] He followed it up two weeks later with another third-place in Bahrain. In the next race at Imola, he took his first pole position and finished second behind Michael Schumacher.[47] His results for the season were impressive: he took 10 podiums in 18 races, and failed to score points in only three.[48] Button came third in the Drivers' Championship, behind the two utterly dominant Ferrari drivers, and helped BAR to take second in the Constructors' Championship.
In August, Button became embroiled in a contract dispute. On 5
August, Button chose to leave BAR and signed a two-year contract to
return to Williams.[49] This was surprising, as Button was enjoying his best season to date, while Williams had been struggling.[50]
BAR, however, insisted they had the right to exercise their option to
keep Button. Button's management argued that the BAR option was not
valid because it contained a clause allowing him to leave if BAR risked
losing their Honda engines. They felt the new contract signed in the
summer for Honda to supply engines to BAR was not definitive, and thus
Button was free to move.[50][51]
The dispute went to Formula One's Contract Recognition Board, who ruled
in favour of BAR on 20 October, forcing Button to stay with the team.[51]
Two of the men at the centre of the dispute were soon removed from
their positions: team principal David Richards was replaced by Nick Fry after Honda bought 45 percent of the BAR business;[52] and Button separated from his manager John Byfield, saying he had been badly advised.[53]
2005
Despite the feud, Button insisted he had his team's backing,[54] and was optimistic for the 2005 season.[55] He endured a difficult start: BAR were off the pace in the first race in Australia;[56] and in the following race in Malaysia, both cars retired with engine failure after only three laps.[57] Two weeks later in the Bahrain Grand Prix,
Button had fought his way to fourth place from eleventh on the grid,
before a clutch problem forced him into another retirement.[58] The poor start only got worse at the San Marino Grand Prix.
Button finished third, but after the race scrutineers found his car had
a second fuel tank kept inside the main tank; once both were drained,
his car was 5.4 kg underweight. Although the race stewards took no
action, the FIA appealed against the decision and the case was examined by the FIA International Court of Appeal.[59]
It could not be proved that BAR were deliberately cheating; however,
for contravention of the rules, both drivers were stripped of their
points from San Marino and banned from the next two races.[60][61]
Returning at the European Grand Prix, BAR were still struggling and Button finished tenth.[62] He surprised everyone by taking the second pole position of his career in Montreal,[63] but crashed out on lap 47 of the race while running third.[64] The forced withdrawal of all teams using Michelin tyres, including BAR, at the controversial United States Grand Prix, meant Button and Sato were still yet to score points after nine races of a 19-race season.[65]
However, this marked a turning point as Button scored in all of the
remaining races. He was on the podium twice in the season—third-place
finishes in Germany and Belgium.[66] He finished the season in ninth place[67] with BAR sixth in the Constructors' Championship.[68]
For the second year in a row, Button had contract disputes involving
BAR and Williams. Button had signed a pre-contract to drive for Williams
in 2006, but he now believed his prospects would be better at BAR, and
that his Williams contract was not binding.[69]
Frank Williams insisted the contract was fully binding, and that there
would be "absolutely no turning back"; his team required Button to
fulfil some contractual obligations with sponsors.[70] After several weeks of talks, Williams agreed to release Button in exchange for an estimated £18 million in compensation.[71] BAR brought in experienced driver Rubens Barrichello from Ferrari to partner Button, replacing Takuma Sato.[72] In October, Honda bought the remaining 55 percent of BAR from British American Tobacco, renaming the team Honda Racing F1;
Button said at the time, "Honda buying the team is amazing news and
really shows their commitment to winning the world championship".[73]
The new team performed well in testing prior to the 2006 season, helped by the extra resources now available from Honda, and Button was confident in the car.[74]
The early part of the 2006 season proved difficult; at the first round, he scored five points with 4th place, and finished on the podium in Malaysia. In Australia, he qualified on pole, but was overtaken on the run to the first corner by Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen
after a safety car period; he was running 5th in the race, before his
engine blew at the last corner on the last lap. He stopped short of the
finish line to avoid an engine penalty. At his home race at Silverstone,
he qualified 19th after he lost time being weighed, and his team failed
to get him on track quickly enough. He spun off on lap eight due to an
engine oil leak.
At the Canadian Grand Prix, Button out-qualified Barrichello for the first time since Imola, but finished outside the points in ninth. He retired at the United States Grand Prix, in a first lap collision involving several drivers and again at the French Grand Prix due to an engine failure. At the German Grand Prix,
Button was again pulled into the weighbridge, but went on to qualify
fourth. After running third for a while in the race, Button eventually
finished fourth.
Button took the first win of his career in 2006 at a chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix – the 113th Grand Prix start of his career.[2]
He started 14th after a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change. The
race was badly affected by heavy rain, and Button passed a number of
drivers in the early laps – including championship contender Michael
Schumacher – and was up to fourth by lap 10. Following the retirement of
leading drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso, he went on to win
the race by just over half a minute from Pedro de la Rosa and Nick Heidfeld. Alonso was behind Button on the racetrack when he retired, although Button still had one pitstop to make.[75] Button's win bettered Nigel Mansell's 1989 win from 12th on the grid at the Hungaroring. Button was the first British driver to win since David Coulthard in March 2003, and the first English driver to win since Johnny Herbert won the 1999 European Grand Prix. He was the second driver after Räikkönen to win a race despite a grid penalty for changing an engine. At the British Academy Television Awards 2007, Button's first win earned ITV1 a BAFTA under the category of 'Best Sport'.[76]
Button finished fourth or fifth at each of the next five races and
finished the season with a podium finish at the final round in Brazil.
Over the last six races of the season, Button scored more points (35)
than any other driver.[77]
2007
In 2007, Button again competed with Honda alongside Barrichello. He
was unable to take part in winter testing, prior to the season because
of two hairline fractures to his ribs, sustained in a karting incident
in late 2006.[78]
Former British world champion Damon Hill aired doubts over Button's
hopes to be a championship contender at Honda over the coming season,
saying, "if he is serious... he has to get himself in a car that is a
championship contender."[79] Alan Henry writing in The Guardian 2007 F1 season guide, predicted: "Button will win a couple more races but is not a title contender."[80] He was proved to be wrong, as the Honda RA107 proved to be aerodynamically poor.
At the first race of the season in Australia,
Button only managed to qualify 14th after handling problems. The race
was no better, as he endured considerable understeer throughout, was
given a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane and finished
15th. The next two races in Malaysia and Bahrain
were just as unsuccessful, Button finishing 12th behind team-mate
Barrichello in Malaysia, and not even completing a lap in Bahrain, after
colliding with Red Bull Racing driver David Coulthard at Turn 4. At the French Grand Prix, Button finished eighth, earning his and Honda's first point of 2007. Following the British Grand Prix, it was announced that Button would remain with Honda for 2008.[81]
As Button's place as the pre-eminent British driver in Formula One was effectively taken by Lewis Hamilton,
former champion Nigel Mansell criticised Button, saying: "Jenson should
have won more races, he has under-performed and that is down to him."
Honda team boss Nick Fry defended his driver, saying: "I would refute
everything Nigel has said, and particularly I think his comments about
Jenson's reputation for partying are about five years out of date...his
increasing maturity and the way he changed his lifestyle is extremely
noticeable."[82] Button made no secret of his frustration regarding his current situation; he described his 2007 season as "a total disaster".[83] Button did, however, record several impressive outings towards the end of the season, especially when rain was prominent.
Button stayed with Honda for 2008, and continued to be partnered by Barrichello. The Honda RA108 proved to be uncompetitive, and he scored his only points at the Spanish Grand Prix with 6th place, but did not finish in the wet in front of his home crowd at Silverstone, where Barrichello finished third. On 5 December 2008, Honda announced that they were quitting Formula One, due to the global economic crisis, leaving Button's chances of a drive in 2009 dependent on the team finding a buyer.[84]
Brawn GP (2009)
On 5 March 2009, it was announced that the former Honda team would race in 2009 as Brawn GP, following a late buy-out by Ross Brawn, the previous team principal of Honda Racing. Button and Rubens Barrichello were confirmed as the team's drivers for 2009, with Button reported to have taken a 50% pay cut as part of the deal.[85]
In the first half of the year the Brawn team benefited from a controversial diffuser design,[86]
which gave the teams using it an advantage over teams that did not.
Once the major teams introduced their own reconfigured diffusers
Button's dominance ended, with Button winning 6 of the first 7 races,
but averaging only 6th in the following ten races.[87][88][89]
Brawn GP impressed from the first grand prix: Button took pole position in Australia, his first for the team and third ever, with Barrichello qualifying in second.[90]
Button then led from start to finish to win the race ahead of his
team-mate—the first time a team had scored a 1–2 finish on their debut
since 1954—with Button describing it as "a fairytale ending for the first race".[91] One week later he repeated the accomplishment, taking pole position and winning a rain-curtailed Malaysian Grand Prix; due to the rain the race was red flagged and only half points were awarded.[92] At the Chinese Grand Prix, Button finished third behind Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber,[93] but returned to winning ways the following week in Bahrain despite only qualifying fourth.[94]
The fifth race of the season was at the Circuit de Catalunya
in Barcelona. The return to Europe allowed most of the teams to update
their cars, including modifications to Button's car, the Brawn BGP 001, which had not yet been altered since the season began.[95] Button took pole position with the final lap of the qualifying session, describing the updates as "good step forward".[96]
Both Button and Barrichello initially planned to stop three times
during the race; however, after he fell behind Barrichello at the first
corner, Button was switched to a two-stop strategy, and this meant he
ended up finishing comfortably ahead. An unhappy Barrichello felt
immediately after the race that the team might have sacrificed him to
help Button, saying: "If I get the slightest sniff that they are
favouring Jenson I'll hang up my helmet tomorrow".[97]
At the Monaco Grand Prix,
Button scored his fourth pole position of the season with his final lap
of qualifying, commenting afterwards, "It was my best lap of the
weekend and definitely one of the best laps I've ever done."[98]
Button then managed his tyres much better than his teammate in the
early stages of the race, building a lead which he did not relinquish,
and making it a hat-trick of victories.[99]
David Tremayne described it as "as good a performance as anything we
had seen there from the likes of Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher",
adding that it "swept away final doubts about his ability after years of
floundering in mediocre machinery".[100] In Turkey,
Button qualified second behind Vettel but a first-lap error from the
German allowed him to take the lead and he held off the competition to
take his fourth consecutive win. This meant he had won six out of
season's first seven races; an achievement matched only by Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark and Michael Schumacher, who all went on to win the world title.[101]
The British Grand Prix
in June marked the end of Button's superiority over the field, and was
the first in a string of poor results for him. He achieved only sixth
place,[102] followed by a fifth place in Germany, as the Red Bull cars dominated both races.[103] Brawn GP were hopeful of a strong result in the Hungarian Grand Prix, as the car had been significantly updated and was usually at its best in hot conditions.[104]
However, Button struggled with tyre temperatures and achieved a
season-worst seventh place; during the race, he asked frustratedly over
team radio, "How can this car be so bad at the moment?"[105]
His bad run continued in Valencia;
he was out-qualified by his teammate, and then, held up behind Webber
for a lot of the race, could finish only in seventh place. Barrichello
pushed on to win the race, and close the gap on Button to 18 points.[106]Martin Brundle
felt that Button was struggling with the pressure of leading the world
championship, writing: "He has tightened up in the car and his natural
instincts behind the wheel are being restricted."[107] The following race at Spa-Francorchamps, Button had his first retirement of the season after a collision with Romain Grosjean during the first lap.[108]
This meant Button had scored only 11 points from his previous five
races, and with five races left his lead was down to 16 points over
Barrichello, and 19 and 20.5 over Vettel and Webber respectively.[109]
Button recovered at Monza: he qualified sixth, before finishing second behind his teammate.[110] The following race in Singapore,
Button qualified poorly in 12th but performed much better on race day
to take fifth place; Barrichello could manage only sixth. With three
races and 30 points remaining, this put Button 15 points ahead of his
teammate and 25 ahead of Vettel, with Webber now unable to win.[111] A week later at the Japanese Grand Prix, the Brawn GP cars struggled again, Barrichello and Button finishing seventh and eighth respectively.[112]
At the Brazilian Grand Prix,
Button was hampered in qualifying by a poor choice of tyres in the wet
weather and could achieve only fourteenth position. His championship
campaign was boosted by Vettel qualifying sixteenth, but team-mate and
closest rival Barrichello qualified on pole. In the race, Button was
aided by a first-lap incident, and was up to seventh by lap seven. He
ran as high as second place by halfway, but ultimately finished fifth,
taking enough points to secure the 2009 championship with one round to spare.[113] At the final race of the season, in Abu Dhabi, Button qualified behind Barrichello again, but was able to achieve a podium by coming third.[114]
With 169 starts, Button made the second-highest number of race starts before becoming World Champion. Only Nigel Mansell (with 176 starts, at the 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix) had competed in more races than Button before winning the World Championship.[115] Button wrote a book about his 2009 season, entitled "My Championship Year",[116] which was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson on 19 November 2009.
On 30 November 2009, Button was announced as one of the ten men and women shortlisted for the 2009 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.[117][118] At the awards ceremony on 13 December 2009, Button was awarded second place.[119] On 6 December, Button won the BBC West Country's Sports Personality of the Year at the University of Bath. He won the main award against racehorse trainer Paul Nicholls, cricketer Marcus Trescothick and golfer Chris Wood. He also won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award.[120]
Button was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours for his services to motorsport.[121][122] Button's home town, Frome, has named a street, Jenson Avenue, after him,[123] and has awarded him the Freedom of the town.[124] The town also intends to name a new bridge over the River Frome 'The Jenson Button Bridge'.[125]
Following the buy-out of Brawn by Mercedes, Button announced on 18 November 2009 that he would be leaving the team to move to McLaren for the 2010 season.[126] He signed a three-year deal for a reported £6 million per season to drive alongside former world champion Lewis Hamilton.[127]
Button said he moved because he wanted the motivation and challenge
from competing head-to-head with Hamilton, and that Brawn had offered
him more money.[128] A number of people, including former Formula One drivers John Watson, Jackie Stewart and Eddie Irvine, believed the move was a mistake, and that Button would struggle to compete with Hamilton at McLaren.[129][130]
After a seventh-place finish in the opening round in Bahrain, Button won the second race in Australia
from fourth on the grid. Button was the first to come in for slick
tyres on a damp but drying track, which lifted him to second place after
the other drivers had pitted. He inherited the lead when Vettel retired
with brake problems and maintained his lead to the end without changing
his tyres again.[131]
His victory made him the thirteenth driver in Formula One history to
have won Grands Prix for at least three different constructors.[132] Following an eighth-place finish in Malaysia, after starting seventeenth, Button went on to win his second race of the season from fifth on the grid in China,
by staying on slick tyres while most of the other drivers pitted for
intermediates, he was promoted to second place. However, the rain did
not come, and the other drivers had to pit again for dry tyres.
Subsequently, he went on to lead the Drivers' Championship, with McLaren
leading the Constructors' Championship.[133]
In Spain he was leapfrogged by Michael Schumacher and finished a frustrated fifth, before retiring in Monaco
due to an overheating engine on lap three. As a result, Button lost his
lead in the Championship, dropping to fourth behind both Red Bull
drivers and Alonso. Button then finished second in Turkey
after Red Bull teammates Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, who were
leading the race, collided with each other. His own teammate Hamilton
took the win, after the two of them briefly touched after a few corners
of wheel-to-wheel racing. Hamilton had been told by the McLaren team to
slow down and that Button would not pass him if he did so. Button passed
the surprised Hamilton anyway, though Hamilton quickly took the lead
back.[134] The second place promoted Button to second overall in the Championship, just behind Webber. In Canada he followed up this result and remained second in the Championship, 3 points behind his teammate Hamilton. At the European Grand Prix
in Valencia, Button finished 3rd and maintained 2nd place in the title
race with another podium. Button missed out on a podium at the British Grand Prix, finishing fourth after problems with the balance of his car in qualifying had left him fourteenth.
Button was running second at the Belgian Grand Prix before a collision with Sebastian Vettel forced him to retire.
After three further-points scoring finishes, Button retired at the Belgian Grand Prix after being hit by Vettel, which punctured the radiator of his car. Second at Monza was followed by a fourth place in both Singapore and Japan. During the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend, Button and his entourage were threatened by a number of gunmen on his way back from qualifying at Interlagos, although nobody was harmed during the incident.[135]
Button was mathematically eliminated from retaining his championship
title with a fifth place in the race. At the season finale in Abu Dhabi,
Button qualified fourth. He moved ahead of Alonso at the start, and
moved up to third. Hamilton and Vettel pitted, leaving Button in the
lead. After doing 39 laps on the option tyre, Button pitted and slotted
back into third, where he would finish and secure fifth in the
championship.
2011
2011 began slowly for Button and McLaren, with Vettel dominating the early races. Button came second in Malaysia, and third in Spain and Monaco,
losing the chance for a race win in the latter race after a red flag in
the closing laps allowed Vettel and Alonso to change tyres. Two weeks
later in Canada,
Button took what he called the "best win of (his) career", overtaking
Vettel on the final lap after Vettel made a mistake under pressure.
Button made five pit-stops, had his teammate crash into him, served a
drive-through penalty for speeding under the safety car – dropping him
to last place – as well as sustaining a puncture from a collision with
Alonso, and made 27 on-track passes to win the longest Formula One race
in history.[136]
Button suffered his first retirement of the season at the British Grand Prix,
caused by an error at his final pit stop. The wheel gun failed to refit
the wheel nut and Button was released by the pit crew with an unsecured
wheel. At the German Grand Prix,
he retired in consecutive races for the first time since 2008, due to
hydraulic issues. Button won his 200th Formula One race at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he had won his first Grand Prix in 2006.[137] Button finished third in Belgium, having qualified in 13th after a miscommunication with his team,[138] after overtaking Alonso with two laps to go. He finished second at both Monza. In Singapore,
Button chased Vettel who was in the lead with a few laps to go, closing
at over a second a lap, but at the final moment, traffic denied him the
chance to take first. After Singapore he moved into second place in the
Drivers' Championship, and he became the only driver that could deny
Vettel a second consecutive title.
Prior to the Japanese Grand Prix, Button signed a multi-year contract extension with McLaren.[139] The new deal will earn Button £85 million.[140] He took victory in the race ahead of Alonso and Vettel, the latter becoming champion. At the Indian Grand Prix McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh
stated that the length of Button's new contract was 3 years. Button
qualified fourth for this race and elevated himself to second position
on the first lap, overtaking Alonso at the turn one and Webber on the
long back straight. He eventually finished second behind Vettel, whose
race pace he had been unable to match. In Abu Dhabi,
Button qualified third and also finished in third after teammate
Hamilton won the race and pole-sitter Vettel suffered a puncture on lap 1
and retired with suspension damage. Button suffered a recurring KERS
problem for a large part of the race, but still had a good gap between
himself and fourth placed man Webber, as well as an almost equal gap to
second placed Alonso in front. These results ensured that Button was the
first teammate to outscore Lewis Hamilton in a season.[141] At the final race of the season – the Brazilian Grand Prix,
Button outqualified Hamilton to start third on the grid and he also
finished third – in both occasions behind the two Red Bull cars – by
overtaking Alonso on lap 62. The result secured second place in the
Championship for Button, some 122 points behind Vettel. In 2011, Button
won three Grands Prix, set three fastest laps and finished on the podium
twelve times.
Button remained at McLaren for the 2012 season, again partnering Hamilton.[142] Button qualified second to Hamilton, before going on to win the first race of the season in Australia.[143] Button went on to qualify second to Hamilton at the following race in Malaysia,[144] however he finished 14th after a collision with the HRT of Narain Karthikeyan and a lack of grip. This was Button's first non-points finish since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix and it ended a points streak which started at the 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix. Button finished second in China two weeks later.
In the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix Button qualified fourth behind his team mate Lewis Hamilton
in second. During the race Button found frustration with the levels of
grip and retired on lap 55 due to an exhaust failure. At the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix
Button qualified 11th, the first time he had qualified outside the top
ten all season. After failing to finish above 8th in the next four
races, Button finished third in Germany, although he was later promoted to second after Sebastian Vettel was penalised in the race. He went on to pick up his first pole position for over three years at Belgium.
Button won the race becoming the first driver of the season to lead
every lap of a Grand Prix. Button qualified in second place behind his
team-mate at the Italian Grand Prix,
and remained in second place until he had to pull up and retire with a
fuel pressure problems two-thirds of the way through the race.
At the Singapore Grand Prix,
Button qualified in fourth place and finished the race in second place
after Vettel inherited the win when Hamilton had a gearbox failure
during the race. Button qualified in third place in Japan
behind a Red Bull front row, but was hit with a five place penalty for a
gearbox change and dropped to eighth. Button made the best of various
first corner incidents and weaved his car into third place. He
eventually finished fourth after Felipe Massa leap-frogged him in the
pit stops and he was unable to overtake Kamui Kobayashi before the end
of the race. Button qualified down in eleventh place for the Korean Grand Prix, but was forced to retire from the race after the first lap when Kobayashi collided with him and also Nico Rosberg. During the Indian Grand Prix,
Button finished fifth behind team-mate Hamilton, after starting the
race fourth and being overtaking by Fernando Alonso in the opening laps.
He qualified sixth for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix,
finishing fourth after being overtaken in the final laps by Sebastian
Vettel. He picked up his third win of the season at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix
in changeable conditions after a battle for the lead with Nico
Hülkenberg and teammate Hamilton. Button dropped back from the two half
way through the race but they then collided, with Hamilton retiring and
Hülkenberg being forced to pit, Button was able to pick up his 15th
career victory. He ended up finishing 5th in the championship, just a
few points behind his teammate.
2013
In March 2013, Button announced that he intends to stay with McLaren until he retires.[145] At the Australian Grand Prix, Button qualified tenth and finished ninth, despite the team admitting that they did not truly understand the way the McLaren MP4-28 behaved in race conditions.[146][147] In Malaysia, Button started the race seventh, but retired just before the end of the race.[148] Button was partnered with Mexican driver Sergio Pérez after Lewis Hamilton left to join Mercedes[149] after Pérez impressed McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh with the Sauber
team in 2012. Throughout the season and particularly at the Monaco and
Bahrain Grand Prix, there was exciting racing between the two drivers,[150]
leading to Button making the following comment on his team radio,
asking the team to "Calm him (Pérez) down!". Button was very critical of
Pérez and his driving style after the race.
I've raced with many team-mates over the years and with quite an
aggressive team-mate in Lewis [Hamilton], but I'm not used to driving
down the straight and then my team-mate coming along and wiggling his
wheels at me and banging wheels with me at 300km/h. I've had some tough
fights in F1 but not quite as dirty as that. That's something you do in
karting and normally you grow out of it but that's obviously not the
case with Checo [Pérez]. Soon something serious will happen so he has to
calm down. He's extremely quick and he did a great job today but some
of it is unnecessary and an issue when you are doing those speeds.
—Button speaking to ESPN about his team-mate, Sergio Pérez after the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix[151]
Button's best result in 2013 was a 4th place at the last Grand Prix
of the season in Brazil, ending a difficult and under-performing season
for Button and the McLaren team as a whole in recent times.
2014
Starting at the British Grand Prix, Button sported a pink helmet in line
with his "Pink for Papa" campaign, collection donations in the name of
his late father.[152]
After a difficult 2013 season with McLaren, it was announced in November 2013 that Danish driver, Kevin Magnussen would replace Sergio Pérez as Button's teammate for the 2014 season, after being a member of McLaren's Young Driver Programme.[153]
There was a rule change for the 2014 season where the drivers could
pick a car number and this would be their unique and personal car number
for their Formula One career. Button picked number 22 which was the car
number he raced under during his World Championship winning year for
Brawn GP in 2009.[1][154] At the first race, the Australian Grand Prix, Button finished the race in 4th place. However, as 2nd placed Daniel Ricciardo was subsequently disqualified after his car was found to have exceeded the maximum allowed fuel flow rate of 100 kg/h,
Button was promoted to 3rd. Ultimately, Button finished the 2014 season
8th in the Drivers' Championship with 126 points; his team mate
Magnussen finished 11th with 55 points.
With Alonso moving to McLaren for the 2015
season, when they would be using Honda engines, the team had not
announced in November 2014 whether they would be retaining Button or
Magnussen as Alonso's team-mate, leaving both 2014 drivers wondering
whether they would be driving in Formula One in 2015. Button commented
that his father would have been "livid" about his uncertain future.[155]
After the last race of the season, at which Hamilton won the Drivers'
Championship for the second time and had been a team mate of Button's in
the past, Hamilton said that "McLaren would be smart" to keep Button.
"Developing, building a team, stabilising a team, you need strong
drivers to lead the team, and he's the full package."[156]
On 11 December 2014 McLaren announced that Button would be staying
with them for the 2015 season, partnering former World Champion Fernando Alonso.[157] The BBC reported that he had signed a 2-year contract which included an option for 2016.[158]
The new McLaren-Honda
package started out to be unreliable and problematic after a January 29
launch. In the three pre-season tests Button, teammate Alonso and
reserve driver Kevin Magnussen only had a single day over one hundred laps, which was completed by the Briton. Arriving in Australia
Button qualified 17th and finished 11th and last in the detuned McLaren
to ensure the team and new power unit supplier, Honda Racing F1 would
compile decent mileage because of energy recovery issues. This continued
into Malaysia where Button had to retire from the race. In China, Button collided with Lotus racer Pastor Maldonado
in the latter stages of the Grand Prix. Button received a five-second
time penalty dropping him one spot to 14th and two penalty points to his
super licence which was previously clean for which the points will last
twelve months. Button described the crash as 'just a misjudgement'.[159] Button had a horrible weekend in Sakhir
where he had to stop on track three times, once in FP1, another time in
FP2 and again in Q1 where he was unable to set a time and had to line
up 20th and last on the grid. After an energy recovery issue the Briton
could not even start the race. In Monaco, he scored his first points of the season, finishing in 8th place. At his home Grand Prix in Great Britain, Button retired on the first lap after contact with his team mate Alonso.
Button is known for having a very smooth driving style; journalist Mark Hughes
wrote in 2009, "Button has a fantastic feel for how much momentum can
be taken into a corner and this allows him to be minimal in his
inputs—his steering and throttle movements in particular tend to be
graceful and beautifully co-ordinated."[160] This allows him to perform well in tricky conditions, such as his maiden win in the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. Many believe using his smooth style he can conserve his tyres better during race conditions than other drivers.[161]
However, his smooth style can also mean he struggles to generate the
necessary tyre temperature on cool days or undemanding tracks.[160]
Coupled with his driving style, Button has demonstrated intelligent race decisions such as his pit stop strategy during the 2010 Australian Grand Prix.[162] Jackie Stewart drew similarities with the driving style and racecraft of Alain Prost.[163]
In an interview in 2003, Button said about Prost: "His way of driving
was so smooth. He is the person I have modelled myself on".[164]
However, he contradicted himself in 2009, when he said, "I've never
tried to model myself on anyone. I don't think many people do when they
are pursuing their career."[163] Parallels have also been made with the McLaren partnership and rivalry to 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton to the Prost-Senna rivalry of the 1980s, though the latter clearly had a more tempestuous relationship.[163]
Personal life
Like many Formula One drivers, Button resides in the principality of Monaco, although he did live in Guernsey for 18 months before returning to Monaco in 2012. He also has properties in the UK and Bahrain.[165][166] His hobbies include mountain biking, competing in triathlons and body boarding, and his car collection includes a Nissan GT-R, a 1956 VW Campervan, a Honda S600 and a Mercedes C63 AMG, numerous Ferraris (including an Enzo) and his championship winning Brawn BGP 001. In 2013, Button announced his plans to sell his red Ferrari Enzo at an auction.[167] He previously owned a blue Honda NSX Type R and a blue on black Bugatti Veyron.[168]
He was engaged to the actress and singer Louise Griffiths before ending their five-year relationship in May 2005.[169] In 2009, Button began dating model Jessica Michibata.[170] On 14 February 2014[171] Button proposed to Michibata,[172] and the two married in Hawaii in December 2014.[173]
Button has at least three tattoos: a black coat button on his right
forearm; a large tribal design encompassing his left shoulder and upper
chest; and Japanese kanji-characters on his ankle which says "一番" (Ichi ban, "Number One" in Japanese);
this was done before he won the world title, and is the name of
Button's triathlon team. Since mid-2010, the same legend has appeared on
Button's race helmet.[174] Button is also a brand ambassador for Head & Shoulders, and has appeared in advertising campaigns for the company.[175]
Button is also involved in charitable work through the creation of The Jenson Button Trust.[176]
Established in March 2010, the Trust provides donations to a number of
charitable causes. Each year the Trust will select and nominate
charitable beneficiaries to which the funds will be distributed.
On 5 September 2011, Button opened a restaurant on Beulah Street in Harrogate called Victus,[177]
but it closed after less than a year in trading. Button's manager
Richard Goddard said "unfortunately the business was launched in an
economy which then continued to slide and just hasn’t stopped, with
people simply not having the disposable income needed to spend in
restaurants."[178]
On 12 January 2014, Button's father John died at his home on the
French Riviera, aged 70. John, whom Jenson called "Papa Smurf", is
thought to have died from a heart attack. John was a constant member of
Jenson's small entourage.[179]
On 3 August 2015, Button and his wife Jessica were burgled at a rented Saint-Tropez
home while staying with friends when robbers looted the house and stole
belongings worth £300,000, including his wife's £250,000 engagement
ring. Reports suggested that the couple might have been gassed through
the air conditioning system prior to the burglars' entry into the
building.[180]
