At its Caterham site, the team’s third car is currently being built on site,
while the other two cars are in Bahrain being tested ahead of the F1 season.
Data from the test track in Bahrain is streamed to the operation team and
analysed in real-time through more than 800 channels. A typical race weekend
will see data from more than 150 sensors creating 20Gb of data per car.
The first day at Caterham
These include data on the chassis, the aerodynamics and the power unit as well
as the interactions between them. Then there’s velocity data and
acceleration data as well as information pertaining to safety issues. The
car is like a huge brain giving and receiving instructions that are acted on
as fast as they are received.
Elliot Dason-Barber is the Head of RD at Caterham and is excited by the
challenges presented by the new rules and how big data will be pivotal in
the team’s performance this coming season.
“Not only are we analysing data produced by the car, we are collating data on
our drivers (Marcus Ericsson and Kamui Kobayashi) and how efficient they are
in steering angles, changing gear and use of the brakes. With the new rules,
there is a lot of relearning for them to do and we need to read from the
data how they are coping with these new challenge,” he says.
Then there are the inevitable crashes and the data that comes from these
impacts. Caterham’s technicians from its Non-Destructive Testing Lab use GE
ultrasound technology, which is handy because GE is the Premium Partner, or
main sponsor, of the Caterham team.
This is GE’s second year of its multi-season deal with Caterham and even
though the team has yet to win a point, the technology and infrastructure
company is all about the long tail and the ongoing relationship between
them.
“We are very happy working together with Caterham on technology initiatives
that will eventually impact across the GE’s businesses. The team is looking
good for 2014 and we’re looking forward to the season,” says Matthew
Neilsen, Principal Scientist, GE Global Research.
When the teams line up on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix on March 16th
in Melbourne, Caterham will be hoping that its optimism can finally be
translated into points. New rules, new data… it could be a new dawn for its
Formula 1 team.