禁用TC影響的層面比想像中大很多 (Sam Michael訪談)

ITV-F1.com: Renault has complained about the difficulties they have had transferring to the standard ECU this week. Has Williams had similar issues?

SM: Firstly there is obviously a small and difficult-to-quantify advantage for McLaren in that they don't have to do all the work that the other teams are doing at the moment.We are having to redo all our engine mapping, differential mapping, clutch control.All the controls are different so we have got to expend a lot of effort on that, so there would be an advantage.However, actually running the ECU, right from the beginning, though there is still some work to do, we've had a very painless implementation of it.There have been some issues, it's not perfect, but it's pretty good to be honest. Our opinion is that it is actually not bad.I think within a couple of months you won't even know it's on there.

ITV-F1.com: The two key elements from a drivers point of view is that there is more throttle control, but less engine braking. Which is the more significant?

SM: There is still engine braking, so when you lift off the throttle it's still there, and you have different throttle maps that you can apply to tune that.The big difference is that there are no anti-lock systems. So under braking when you normally slam the brakes on you have got a rear anti-lock system that controls the rear-wheel slip. That's gone.Probably the fact that we have lost ABS on the rear is the most significant.The traction is still important as well and the driveability of the engine becomes a factor again, and you have got to listen to the drivers' input a lot more because he has got to feel the throttle's torque curve.If you look at the effect it has probably been 40% on traction and 60% on braking.

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ITV-F1.com: 雷諾一直對新ECU很感冒，不知威廉士是有同樣的問題?

SM: 首先，你很難據此論斷McLaren可從中獲得到任何好處，或說McLaren可以不像其它車隊花這麼多時間去重新調整引擎監理系統。我們已經開始對引擎、動力系統、離合器等進行重新設定；所有控制參數都得和以前不一樣，不過面對新的ECU多一點時間去了解它是必須的。新ECU測試過程中的確有一些問題，它不完美但問題並不大，老實說我覺的設計地還不錯。
註: 個人以為，每顆引擎的缸徑、衝程都不一樣，ECU在引擎動力推升過程當中扮演著極度重要的角色！換句話說，如果新ECU符合該引擎的胃口那問題就會少很多，反之亦然。總之雷諾/BMW的抱怨完全可以理解(BMW曾表示新ECU用在它們的引擎上會引起嚴重的震動)。既然Williams的引擎沒問題，反向推回TOYOTA也應該適應良好-----------事實確時也是如此。

ITV-F1.com: 循跡系統的禁用，車手普遍表示那對油門控制變地非常苛求，但此點還比不上引擎煞車的變化，您看法為何呢?

SM: 我認為同樣是engine braking。因為油門鬆開時它還是存在阿，你可以採取不同的模式去微調油門反應，但engine braking的變化可不行了。以前你可肆無忌憚地大腳煞車，後輪防鎖系統可幫忙控制後輪打滑的程度，但現在沒了ABS，這點對循跡的影響非常巨大。而循跡固然是重要課題，但不要忘了引擎動力曲線的設定也很令人頭痛，現在車隊必須更加傾聽車手的回饋來調整扭力輸出曲線。總之，綜觀整個影響層面差不多是 『循跡4成，煞車6成』吧！
註: 原來循跡系統對F1最大的影響竟然是煞車~~ 一方面要努力不讓車子跑開，一方面又不能讓後輪打滑......看來明年賽季會辛苦囉

Source: http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&PO_ID=41332