# FIA cancel ban on traction control



## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

After meeting with team chiefs and technical directors the FIA decided to cancel ban on traction control that was supposed to start in 2004.
"The teams were able to demonstrate that the elimination of traction control would involve very significant additional costs for all teams and engine manufacturers," the FIA explained in a statement. "The teams therefore unanimously requested the FIA not to proceed with a ban on traction control for 2004."

Ban on automatic gearboxes and launch control stands and will be enforced next season.


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## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

Automatic as in sequential?

Cool.


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## Jetfire (Jun 20, 2002)

Nick325xiT 5spd said:


> *Automatic as in sequential?
> 
> Cool. *


I don't know about that. Don't all F1 cars now have sequential transmissions, and isn't a true automatic considered to be something too costly for most teams to afford? :dunno: I'm sadly F1-ignorant (but I want to learn more!) so I could be wrong.


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## cenotaph (Dec 19, 2001)

Nick325xiT 5spd said:


> *Automatic as in sequential?
> 
> Cool. *


I don't think so. With at least some of the teams, you can program the transmission for each course. So, you cross the start/finish line flat out and come up on turn 1. You then just have to hit the "down shift" paddle/switch once because the transmission "knows" that this time you want to go down 3 gears and it just does it. Later, when you get to turn 5 say, which is after a relatively long straight, you once again hit "down shift" once and this time the transmission knows that you only want to go down 2 gears. This has little, or nothing, to do with the pit-to-car telemetry because the transmission is just running through a sequence of down shifts in a loop. It knows that after it's put in a certain mode, the first time the driver asks for a downshift he wants to loose 2 gears, the second time he wants to loos 3, etc. IIRC, some of the transmissions will also upshift automatically. It's these features that FIA wants to eliminate.

I don't remember where I read this and I can't find it again, so I could be making this all up.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Hehe... FIA ... a bunch of clowns 

I'd really like to know what kind of significant costs would involve there and how it was demonstrated :dunno:

Why ? Is it impossible to drive an F1 car w/o TC ? 

(Hint : No, it's not)


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## WAM (Jan 30, 2002)

Hey, Alex, everybody know its going to cost a fortune to develop software that still controls traction but can fool the FIA at the same time.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

WAM said:


> *Hey, Alex, everybody know its going to cost a fortune to develop software that still controls traction but can fool the FIA at the same time.  *


Simple solution : Ban the software as well.


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## richard (Apr 3, 2002)

God, I wonder why I still care. I know F1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of motorsport but pretty soon you'll be able to drive the cars with a joystick from the pits.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Did I mention that I would also like to see the 'real' manual transmission on F1 cars again ? and all other techno-trannies get banned ?

Yes, I'm for it.


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## richard (Apr 3, 2002)

I'm with you Alex, unfortunately it's not going to happen. Did you see where JPM and Jeff Gordon are going to switch cars and take a run around the Indy road course? June 11, just before the Canadian GP. Wonder if Juan remembers how to shift? I think Jeff is getting the better of that deal. I could care less about driving a Winston Cup car, but would sure love the chance in an F1 car...even of this era.


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## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

cenotaph said:


> *I don't think so. With at least some of the teams, you can program the transmission for each course. So, you cross the start/finish line flat out and come up on turn 1. You then just have to hit the "down shift" paddle/switch once because the transmission "knows" that this time you want to go down 3 gears and it just does it. Later, when you get to turn 5 say, which is after a relatively long straight, you once again hit "down shift" once and this time the transmission knows that you only want to go down 2 gears. This has little, or nothing, to do with the pit-to-car telemetry because the transmission is just running through a sequence of down shifts in a loop. It knows that after it's put in a certain mode, the first time the driver asks for a downshift he wants to loose 2 gears, the second time he wants to loos 3, etc. IIRC, some of the transmissions will also upshift automatically. It's these features that FIA wants to eliminate.
> 
> I don't remember where I read this and I can't find it again, so I could be making this all up. *


From everything I have read, the drivers still shift down, each gear. But upshifts are automatic based on redline, or a preset RPM uploaded from the pits.

So exiting a corner, you mash the throttle and ride it tothe next braking zone.

As for going back to normal manuals, not likely. If nothing else, F1 is supposed to bbe the top of the tech heap in racing. If you start going back to normal manuals, WRC racers are higher tech in some ways.


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

Alex Baumann said:


> *Hehe... FIA ... a bunch of clowns
> 
> I'd really like to know what kind of significant costs would involve there and how it was demonstrated :dunno:
> 
> ...


The problem cost wise is also in monitoring who is and who is not using TC. It is impossible to police, the FIA knows this and gave up.

I think that a similar attitude should be employed with doping in sports. Why bother wasting time and money trying to figure out who is taking what?


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## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

Pinecone said:


> *From everything I have read, the drivers still shift down, each gear. But upshifts are automatic based on redline, or a preset RPM uploaded from the pits.
> 
> So exiting a corner, you mash the throttle and ride it tothe next braking zone.
> 
> As for going back to normal manuals, not likely. If nothing else, F1 is supposed to bbe the top of the tech heap in racing. If you start going back to normal manuals, WRC racers are higher tech in some ways. *


Actually you both are right. Smaller teams and some drivers will still downshift manually but top teams have programmed shift sequences. Take a look at some in-car shots and you'll see drivers pressing one button or lever once and car is downshifting sequentially to a proper gear as he breaks. This way driver can concentrate on braking and racing line without worring about shifting down. Even with previous SMG type gearboxes he had to count gears down, all under very heavy breaking and even with computer taking care of rev matching there was still a chance for driver error and this is what FIA is counting on.


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## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

Patrick 520iAT said:


> *Why bother wasting time and money trying to figure out who is taking what? *


Because then it's a test of skill?


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