Ferrari Mailing List: F1/Alonso/etc (possible spoiler)

[Jim Conforti (lndshrk]

Guys,

Some of you are giving far too much credit to the F1
engineers and engine builders.  They *cannot* predict
when an engine will fail.  They can only build one, test
it on the dyno or track and if it fails say "well, we
need to improve xxxx".  Engine development is much more
an iterative process than it is someone sitting at a
workstation running some software and calculating all
the answers.  Ricardo (sellers of some VERY expensive design
software) would like you believe otherwise, of course. ;)

The 'science' of engine building - even with supercomputer
simulation - is still more of an 'art' than a science.

Some of my good friends are in the F1 engine programs of
various concerns - one even LEAD one of the OEM's F1
programs a few years back when they were winning.

They can predict how many revs/miles bearings will take
to create xx deformation, but cannot say that the engine
will fail at xx deformation - that's "the noise" as Rick
Lindsay so correctly put it.

Simply put, one of three things happened.

1) The engine was faulty from the get-go.

2) The engine was operated in the "noise" region.  The
   region of uncertainty - that was a calculated gamble
   by their team and Briatore should shut up before someone
   spanks him and sends him to bed w/o his teenage supermodel.

3) God/Allah/Yaweh/Insert your deity here or maybe even Satan
   decided that Michael and Ferrari should win at Monza.
   Divine intervention - unless you happen to be Alonso or Briatore.
   <snicker>

I leave the determination of which to the reader.

Jim