Trulli's car falling apart during the race

[muttley]

Usually, I find Jarno's column for Repubblica not that good (he's not a very good writer), but this time he gives a painful insight on how it feels like driving for a rejectful team (my translation):

...I overtook Glock, I was catching up and about to change to slicks, when a suspension piece broke. We call it the third element, it regulates the ride height. It broke off in two pieces and fell between my feet, I got scared, I worried it could get stuck between the pedals. I went to the pit but my mechanics couldn't get it out. I was sent out again and on the straights I was trying with my hands and legs to keep the remaining pieces together, to avoid them falling onto the pedals. It was an incredible adventure, when I ended the race I was knackered. I could have ended 13th instead of 17th, but the worst thing was the scare I got. You should try driving a F1 car while preventing it from falling apart. It's terrifying. A horrible thing, best soon forgotten.

http://www.repubblica.it/rubriche/cockpit/2011/06/13/news/canada_ferrari-17618127/

[Captain Hammer]

If Trulli was so concerned that the car was falling apart around him, Team Fernandes should have retired the car. To hell with what the results say - most of the decisions made during the race by the stewards were to reinforce driver safety. And driving a car that you know to be terminally damaged is an offence that can be punished with disqualification. Which would serve them right.

[AdrianSutil]

Something like this happened at Monza 98 with Herbert's Sauber. A mechanic left a spanner in the cockpit before the race, the offending item slowly made it's way down to the pedals, jammed underneath the pedals and he spun out. Couldve been a lot worse for him. And for Trulli too. Full credit to him for continuing, but I wouldve stopped.

[GroupLotusRenault]

Very scary & costly for the small team, safer & better to retire the car.

[RFT]

Usually, I find Jarno's column for Repubblica not that good (he's not a very good writer), but this time he gives a painful insight on how it feels like driving for a rejectful team (my translation):

...I overtook Glock, I was catching up and about to change to slicks, when a suspension piece broke. We call it the third element, it regulates the ride height. It broke off in two pieces and fell between my feet, I got scared, I worried it could get stuck between the pedals. I went to the pit but my mechanics couldn't get it out. I was sent out again and on the straights I was trying with my hands and legs to keep the remaining pieces together, to avoid them falling onto the pedals. It was an incredible adventure, when I ended the race I was knackered. I could have ended 13th instead of 17th, but the worst thing was the scare I got. You should try driving a F1 car while preventing it from falling apart. It's terrifying. A horrible thing, best soon forgotten.

http://www.repubblica.it/rubriche/cockpit/2011/06/13/news/canada_ferrari-17618127/

Well, if there was any doubt about whether Team Lotus was the true spiritual heir to the Chapman era or not, it's just been proved once and for all.

[DanielPT]

Very scary & costly for the small team, safer & better to retire the car.

I agree. Why did he kept going is anyone's guess... He wasn't going to win, or be in a podium or in any points position barring any catastrophe. Perhaps this is why he kept going risking his own safety. Is Trulli that desperate?

[mario]

Just to expand on what exactly failed on Trulli's car, according to Gascoyne (via his Twitter account) it was the inerter that failed on Trulli's car (also known as a J-damper, it is a damper with a variable damping rate, designed to improve road holding and therefore handling).

front ineter failed on jarno's car and was hanging down between his feet, awesome job to bring it home

Failed in the second stop just after he got past timo, would have run away from the virgins and HRT but well done to finish

For those who want to know more about the design of an inerter, here is an article that explains how it works http://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/news/stories/2008/McLaren/ - it makes for interesting reading.

I have to agree, though, that it is very questionable whether Team Lotus should have left Trulli out on the circuit. As Captain Hammer points out, had the stewards known about that, they would have had grounds to show the black and orange flag to Trulli (which forces a driver to return to the pits if they try to continue racing with a potentially unsafe or damaged car). Clearly, Trulli felt that the car was not in a fit state; OK, the team might be desperate for results to secure 10th in the constructors (since the difference between 10th and 11th is quite marked), but surely the safety of the driver should take precedence?