Shine an F1 car

S

s2skimon

New member
Hi all,

I still cannot get access to this info, but want to know if anyone knows what Pit Crews in F1 use to shine the cars (chassis, front nose cones, back engine covers, etc etc.) before the start of Grand Prix's ? Cuz those panels look WET !! (almost like my zaino'd car) :D



I don't think they would use something like Zaino due to the time ? but we never know ?



I certainly do not think that certain not to be named team use that Sonax stuff either..



Anyone with any insider info, pls help as it would be greatly appreciated.



thanks

JPM
 
I don't think anyone here will know. I'm not aware of any Autopian that is on the assembly crew over at Williams. But I could be wrong.



So while you're waiting for an answer that may never come, why not contact Williams directly and ask? Make sure you post their response so we all can see what they say.



If what NASCAR teams use is any indication, I think you'll be surprised at what they use (or don't use).
 
I think I read something about these panels being fresh out of the booth and theres nothing on but the paint itself?



They change the panels like very often ebcause of accident, a new angle to gain the slight edge and when sponsers change or update their logos?



But yea as Bret said it, e-mail and ask :)
 
HEHEHEHEHE....



Oh, the joys of having media credentials.



At the CART races, the teams that I saw cleaning their cars were using products like NuFinish and The Wax Shop Super Glaze.



I asked a bunch of guys why they used it, and they said, "because it's in the pit cart."



After prying some more, they said that they need something with cleaners and solvents that will disolve the rubber, brake dust, oil and fuel stains that accumulate during each run.



The TV camera does a great job of hiding a lot of the dirt and grime that's on a race car - they look a lot cleaner on TV than they do in person. :)



I know I have pictures somewhere, but with 1400+ pictures from the CART race to go through, I'll have to find it later.
 
montoya said:
Hi all,

I still cannot get access to this info, but want to know if anyone knows what Pit Crews in F1 use to shine the cars (chassis, front nose cones, back engine covers, etc etc.) before the start of Grand Prix's ? Cuz those panels look WET !! (almost like my zaino'd car) :D



I don't think they would use something like Zaino due to the time ? but we never know ?



I certainly do not think that certain not to be named team use that Sonax stuff either..



Anyone with any insider info, pls help as it would be greatly appreciated.



thanks

JPM
Click to expand...



As you're supposed to be JPM (Montoya) you could answer all these questions as you're there, not? ;)
 
Just to add some more info (Steve let my cat out of the bag), the NASCAR teams I am familiar with use Eagle One Wet Wipe & Shine both in the shop and at the track. The cars are never waxed but there may be some in the haulers or pit carts.
 
EO WNS, Wax Shop -- the companies behind these products are mostly sponsors of some of the racing teams anyway.



I would guess that making the car look 'Autopianly' slick and shiny is the least of the team's concerns. While they would clean and shine up a car for a presscon or a launching event, I'm not particularly convinced that they would go to great lengths to clay, polish, seal, etc.
 
They probley dont use anything but just wash the cars and maybe QD. But they have more time and focus on performance rather then looks of the car.The logos and angles and accidents all play a part for quick changeing of the fiber glass parts. As someone posted above.
 
Not sure for F1 cars, but Funny Cars I could give you an answer in a couple of days. My wife works for UST and have two Funny Cars (Skoal Green-Ron Capps and Skoal Blue- Tommy Johnson Jr. and one "Berry" car that Tommy drives as well) These are managed by Don Prudhomme (Snake Racing) Snakeracing.com. She has a very good relationship with the team and can ask what's on the cars.



Give me a couple of days, and I'll let you all know...



Regards,

Deanski
 
Having been in pit lane during a F1 Grand Prix weekend I can tell you that the cars in their whole form are never washed. They are somtimes QD'd, for example BAR and McLaren use a Sonax spray and wipe over it with a cotton cloth. Microfibres are no where to be seen.



For F1 I dont think they would use anything like plexus or any aerosol for it is an international sport and they cant transport aerosols.



In the F1 format the cars are out for short runs at a time before a race, so the cars barely get brake dust let alone dirt. Most parts are just replaced anyway. Say if a car runs wide and picks up some mud, i gather that part would be replaced with a new one, while the dirty one is hosed down, dried, checked for defects and left to be used again. Usually they bring enough parts so they just use new ones all the time. Ever seen an F1 car with a bit of rubber on its bargeboard going out to practice. No.



F1 cars are also twice as bright in real life that what they are on the TV, Ferrari say is almost pink like a pinky red, compared to the deep red on tv. So they hide dirt well.



I hope this is clear, i was working from memory here.
 
You know -- you would think for races where aerodynamics play a great role -- they would want to reduce the co-efficient of drag as much as possible over the body of the car -- and I guess -- making the paint / car surface as slick and smooth as possible would ease the air over its surface.



Again just my guess at this.
 
Slickness I dont think has any aerodynamic effects. They dont care about chips etc on the car its just for performance not looks. They do wash the cars when they go to shows like displays of the car at autoshows and stuff.
 
geekysteve said:
HEHEHEHEHE....



Oh, the joys of having media credentials.
Click to expand...



No media credentials needed for a CART race; ANYONE can by a paddock pass or photo pass and have access to the paddock and pit lane.
 
Myles,



How did you get to be one of the beautiful people? It would be a dream to be able to get into the paddock area during an F1 weekend. I am so jealous.



I can't imagine an F1 team being concerned with swirl marks, and I bet a wipe down with a mechanics rag and some sort of degreaser/detailer is all they get (except for unveilings and shows). Other than the chassis most parts on an F1 car are designed not to last much longer than the race weekend. This is why the proposed rule change to require an to engine last longer than one race distance is such a controversy. Also the body parts and aerodynamic parts take a pounding during the race with most cars having some sort of body damage (be it barge boards, broken mirrors, cracked side pods, missing diffusers or winglets, etc.) that will require replacement at the end of the race.
 
The flow of air around a part would not be effected by how clean it is. F1 cars are full of swirls but it is not important to how the car performs. The skin effect would negate any influence of surface slickness.
 
Biff said:
No media credentials needed for a CART race; ANYONE can by a paddock pass or photo pass and have access to the paddock and pit lane.
Click to expand...



Not true at Laguna Seca - we had to attend CART mandated photography meetings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning in order to get our vests and armbands assigned to us. Sunday morning they issued five (5) photo passes for pit-lane access during the race - otherwise, you had to stand behind pit spots. Even the AP photographer couldn't get one of the passes for pitlane...



You can get really close to the pits and paddock area, in fact, you can walk all around the paddock area with a pit pass. But, if you want to go on pit lane, in the garages (where the teams work), or stand next to the corner workers, you need a CART issued photo vest and armband. On Sunday, we had to forfeit our vests, but thankfully Team Fernandez got us into their pit stall so we were able to get some good pictures.



Having a media credential also allowed me to stand in the garage and watch the team completely disassemble the car, replace the motor, rebuild the transmission/differential, etc. on Saturday. I was standing about 1 foot from the car quite often, while others had to stand outside the garage, about 20 feet away. :)



Here's some examples:



m1.jpg


In the Mi-Jack garage as they tear down their car. Public has to stand outside the door opening, behind a "rope" line.



m2.jpg


This is a picture of the front wheel assembly and the sensors that record brake temperature.



m3.jpg


Notice the closed doors - too many people were looking in and bothering them as they tore down the car...



m4.jpg


Race Day, just before the warm-up laps. Taken on pit lane, leaning over Adrian's shoulder.



m5.jpg


Qualifying. Team Engineer ordered that the rear brake ducts be taped off to increase heat in rear rotors.





Just a few examples...again - I know that people can buy pit passes and that CART sells media passes to a few pro photographers, but for the most part, you have to contact the track or CART directly for media credentials. Do people spoof 'em? Sure. But even having media credentials doesn't always allow you to get into the garages, the haulers, etc. :)
 
Also to further on the NASCAR thing, I was talking to one of the team guys when they had a car on display at my chevy dealership a few years ago when I was there (was a race that particular weekend at M.I.S.) and he said that alot of times the car and hauler you see at those type of events and the press/launch events aren't even the cars that go on the track... most of them have at least one backup car that is identical to the track car and gets kept nice 99% of the time for just such events.
 
geekysteve said:
Not true at Laguna Seca - we had to attend CART mandated photography meetings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning in order to get our vests and armbands assigned to us. Sunday morning they issued five (5) photo passes for pit-lane access during the race - otherwise, you had to stand behind pit spots. Even the AP photographer couldn't get one of the passes for pitlane...
Click to expand...



Laguna is the exception then (unless Chris Pook has tightened things up this year).



You are correct that a photo pass is required for pitlane, but anyone with the $$ can buy a pass and have this access along with access to the photo towers (being in the media has nothing to do with it). That has been my experience in Toronto anyway. Perhaps each track's criteria for issuing passes is determined by the track rather than CART, but at the event I attended the passes were available to anyone (and I'm sure that they would have to attend a safety meeting as well.)



Teams will regularly "pull" select people into their garages as Adrian did for you but it usually has nothing to do with being "in the media", its usually for people they have some kind of relationship with.



Its this open door policy that seperates CART from the snobby F1 paddocks.



BTW Great photos!
 
geekysteve said:
HEHEHEHEHE....



Oh, the joys of having media credentials.



At the CART races, the teams that I saw cleaning their cars were using products like NuFinish and The Wax Shop Super Glaze.



I asked a bunch of guys why they used it, and they said, "because it's in the pit cart."



After prying some more, they said that they need something with cleaners and solvents that will disolve the rubber, brake dust, oil and fuel stains that accumulate during each run.



The TV camera does a great job of hiding a lot of the dirt and grime that's on a race car - they look a lot cleaner on TV than they do in person. :)



.
Click to expand...



That's because it's hard to focus on a panel at 200+ MPH! (I was a communications major in college, with courses in TV production and direction!)
 
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