Audi LMP1 Discussion

[TheNo1F1Fan]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Very.......

...and even more...?

[Adam43]

Red flag.

[Aysedasi]

But will they keep it flying........?

[Rodger Davies]

Strange that all incidents were so similar, that struck me as more of a car thing than a driver problem.

Also, surprised both of those were write-offs, I know it's not a safety concern but I've seen previous Audis carry on after far worse shunts than those. Maybe chasing speed has cost them some of their famous robustness?

[alless]

Originally Posted by Rodger Davies

Strange that all incidents were so similar, that struck me as more of a car thing than a driver problem.

Also, surprised both of those were write-offs, I know it's not a safety concern but I've seen previous Audis carry on after far worse shunts than those. Maybe chasing speed has cost them some of their famous robustness?

I wonder that to.

[chernaudi]

Only consolation for Audi today was fastest race lap. Car is undoubtedly quick in the dry, but strategy and mistakes--be it driver error, car set up issues, or a mix of both--killed their day.

It's odd that they struggled in the wet, because you'd think that with their high downforce set up and the fact that they have tested in the rain (COTA) that they'd have had the car sorted if they did have a set up issue. But it seems that something happened to the cars and the drivers didn't react to it as they should've.

Or they got too far on the edge, considering that Lucas spun on his own and Ben got up on a painted curb in the damp. Those are common driver mistakes made when you have the red mist and can make any issue, no matter how small, worse.

Or Audi simply didn't make enough compromises for wet driving compared to the past, because they did have good pace in the dry. But it was dodgy pit strategy the put them in catch up mode in the first place.

I hope for dry running (or solid wet running--no changeable conditions) at Spa so we can see how relatively everyone stands instead of the mixed results from Silverstone.

Also, Ben did run a 27 lap stint, while Toyota and Porsche did run 28/29 lap stints, so that's not bad news for Audi as long as they can keep it on the road and minimize errors.

Big issue is that both tubs were badly damaged at Silverstone, and both seem to be at least damaged beyond immediate repair. Audi better hope that they have some spares, especially since they want to run 3 cars at Spa and this is like LM 2011 where they trashed two cars and had to thrash to make damn sure that they got things ready in time for Imola a couple of weeks later.

We do know that Audi have at least one other car and probably at least one spare tub, but that car that they have complete was at Paul Ricard earlier this week for probably a LM aero test.

Which leads me to ask, if Audi do run 3 cars at Spa, will the #3 possibly run the LM aero?

[nobster]

Good luck Audi but if there is one team that can strike back from this small tub disaster it will be Audi, just hope they will have enough tubs ready because Spa is only two weeks away.

[chernaudi]

They probably do, but not completely built up. That was the big issue for one of the teams after LM in '11. One tub was ready to go, the other had to be wired and have it's other stuff fitted.

But Audi have had to face adversity like this before, and it hardly slows them down and they're pretty resilient. Biggest issue is that they probably didn't score points today, so they're kinda in a hole for the championship. But once they hit their stride and get some momentum, they are a force to be reckoned with.

At least the car is fast and should be reliable, and once they solve their issues, you can't count them out of anything.

[Starfish Primer]

Originally Posted by Rodger Davies

Strange that all incidents were so similar, that struck me as more of a car thing than a driver problem.

Also, surprised both of those were write-offs, I know it's not a safety concern but I've seen previous Audis carry on after far worse shunts than those. Maybe chasing speed has cost them some of their famous robustness?

I agree, is strange to see drivers like Treluyer, Lotterer and Di Grassi making so many mistakes. Looks like a completely wrong setup or a car with poor handling on the wet.

[chernaudi]

I wonder if Audi hoped for more dry running and ran a very stiff suspension on their car like Peugeot used to. But then again, we do have to remember that the dodgy tire strategy threw them into catch up mode, and it could've been a case of pushing too hard for the conditions.

Ben even admitted that he probably made a driving error that caused his off, though he also said that the car's reaction to that was a surprise.

[CTD]

I'm very surpriced, and worried about the relative light crashes it took to write the Monocoques off. We have seen Audis crash harder before, and still make it (Le Mans 2012) have Audi pushed themselves a bit to far away from the strategy which have been the fundament of many of their victories?

[chernaudi]

Could be a trend that might effect all new cars, not just Audi if they ping the cars the wrong way. Toyota at Sao Paulo last year did take a hard hit, but that broke the steering and damaged the tub, while Lapierre had a harder off at LM and didn't do that much suspension damage and no tub damage.

I think most of the light weight cars--including Porsche and Toyota--could be suspect to have tub damage if they hit hard enough or the wrong way into a barrier.

[Simmi]

Did Ullrich actually say written off? How could they possibly tell so early without having them fully looked at?

I'd be. Wry surprised if they were written off. All I heard was tub damage.

[chernaudi]

If it was damage to the suspension mounting points or steering rack mounts (I'd say suspension mounts), that can be repairable if the damage is localized. But we have to remember that Peugeot had issues with that in the past.

Either that, or the single piece tubs might be very difficult to repair as far as that stuff's concerned.

In any case, cars probably can't be repaired on site. They'll at least have to be delivered back to Germany for repairs, if not to YCom in Italy.

[TF110]

Audi did 27 laps on slower pace at the end thanks to the rain. Did they do a representative stint all dry? It didnt look like there was one. Their fast lap was only .2 faster than Alex Wurz's best lap which both took place in the first stint. They probably should just run the LM package at Spa if its ready. Im sure with the money they have in this program, they can afford to build another chassis or two.

[Salamus]

It really was the worst case scenario for Audi today. Two damaged cars and almost no information gathered. Will be interesting to see what they do for Spa. Personally, I think it is imperative now that they bring 3 cars to Spa.

[Bandicoot17]

https://www.audi-motorsport.info/v2/...single/id/8655

For Audi Sport and Audi Sport Team Joest, a race against time has begun. In only two weeks, round two of the WEC is on the agenda at Spa (B). By that time, the damaged cars #1 and #2 have to be prepared from scratch again. In addition, in preparation for the Le Mans 24 Hours, a third R18 e-tron quattro, shared by Filipe Albuquerque (P) and Marco Bonanomi (I), is being prepared.

[chernaudi]

Between practice and the race, they probably gained info on what the high downforce bodywork will do in race like conditions. Now they need to figure out if the issues today were solely driver error or an issue with the car, or a mixture of both issues.

The question is will they try to repair the cars from Silverstone or will they resort to using brand new tubs? I suspect that the tub damage was damaged suspension mount points. Depending on the extent of the damage, that can be repaired, or it could actually be more expedient to just use fresh tubs.

[TF110]

"Prepared from scratch" sounds like a brand new car to me!

[deltawing]

Sooooo...... any more doubters of the mighty diesel? Didn't they suppose to be 2 sec slower because 2 MJ, blah blah, blah? .... Anyone still doubting that Audi is going to demolish them all at the 24LM?

[TF110]

They ran a boatload of downforce. Silverstone has many high speed corners so top speed isnt a priority. I dont buy their claim of being 2 seconds slower but they may lack the stint length.

[GT6]

Well we will see in 2 weeks the kind of resources that Audi can throw at this programme but to get 2 cars ready for spa will be difficult and i think they may throw all their effort in getting 3 cars ready for the big one

[JoestForEver]

Originally Posted by deltawing

Sooooo...... any more doubters of the mighty diesel? Didn't they suppose to be 2 sec slower because 2 MJ, blah blah, blah? .... Anyone still doubting that Audi is going to demolish them all at the 24LM?

Not sure where this all comes from? 2s a lap slower is the incentive designated for Le Mans, so I'd be surprised to see they still have such a deficit at silverstone.
Besides, all data including stint distance are in consistent with the BSFC ratio and stint ratio calculated in the Le Mans Evo regulation thread.
Actually, I'm surprised that Audi has such a great advantage in aero, which is visible from cornering speed, although they are 200hp down on power.

[Victor_RO]

The Le Mans test day will be the only proper comparison that we'll get with all three cars in Le Mans-spec before Le Mans itself. And there's still 6 weeks until then.

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by JoestForEver

Actually, I'm surprised that Audi has such a great advantage in aero, which is visible from cornering speed, although they are 200hp down on power.

Only under the assumption of maximum (hybrid) power output for the Toyota/Porsche and even then only for as long as the boost lasts. Once that juice is gone the HP deficit swings the other way to the tune of 100+hp, not to mention the torque advantage.