At first the "Drink bottle" button seemed pretty ridiculous to me. Then I remembered that driving 200mph and having to negotiate a water bottle by hand would probably be impossible.
Being at a race in person gives you a very different impression than TV. For one thing, video doesn't convey the incredibly ability of an F1 car to change direction.
But maybe the best illustration of your point is obvious at a race. When the pace car is out -- and mind you, this is a top-of-the-line Mercedes sports coupe -- it's going around the track just as fast as it can, tires squealing and the whole works. And the parade of F1 cars is following as if it's a walk in the park, swerving left-and-right in an effort to keep their tires warm at such "slow" speeds.
The swerving left and right actually does not keep their tires warm, especially at those lower speeds since they aren't generating enough downforce. What it can do is communicate to the driver what the tires can do right now and provide the confidence when they need it. Accelerating/braking is how they generally put heat into the tires.
> The swerving left and right actually does not keep their tires warm, especially at those lower speeds since they aren't generating enough downforce.
You're mostly correct. However, I believe the main reason for weaving is to prevent too much buildup (various debris from the track) getting on the tyres. Weaving helps to get some of the debris off the tyres.
I'm not so sure about that. There is a lot of stuff on track outside the racing line. Especially at the end of the race. The amount of rubber that ends up on the track is just ridiculous.
Upvoted because you're right about the actual heating effect, or lack thereof. However, that doesn't change the fact that heat is the stated reason that drivers are doing it, even if that's (a) only part of the reason, and (b) a superstition. Drivers, as with other sportsmen, can be very superstitious.
the current top crop of F1 drivers are remarkably un-superstitious. in particular the "playstation generation" which are remarkably competent professionals who have usually been extremely focused on performance since their early teens.
I would tend to believe that the swerving is mostly to feel the tyres and the car.
no no no, that's to warm up my arm and get my accuracy up. Same as why I mash buttons right before starting to play SC2. It's all science no superstitions.
Just FYI, the lens used in each of the shots are different. The F1 shot uses a wider angled lens which makes the car look faster in the background of the shot.
Having said that, the F1 car is still substantially faster especially through a high speed corner like Eau Rouge.
