He rumbled on millions of televisions across the planet: “I want to win this race.” This is the sentence that was heard by the loudspeakers by the voice of Fernando Alonso, with his particular accent when speaking in English. The declaration of intent sparked the enthusiasm of his supporters, because the Asturian had at hand the possibility of stalking Max Verstappen, who was leading the race. The number 14 Aston Martin was driving very close to the Dutchman, and the pursuer thought he had enough pace to catch him.

However, the dream of seeing him pocket the number 33 of victory was clouded by the message he received from his track engineer, Chris Cronin. The British asked Fernando to make a lift and coast. This sentence, with the name of a brand of contraband tobacco, is equivalent to a “unwind a little” of a lifetime. Alonso had to run less, accelerate less… and overtake less. And it was all down to a technical glitch that his car’s telemetry sent to the systems in the pits: his car was running out of gas.

You run more, you consume more

assertion of Chinese origin spoken by replicant Roy Batty is clairvoyant: “The light that shines twice as bright lasts half as long.” And this is known to anyone who drives petrol, diesel, electric or jet cars. The higher the speed, the higher the consumption, and the position becomes particularly sensitive when the liters available to complete a race are counted. To save weight and with it the overall lightness of single-seaters, Formula 1 teams load just enough gasoline to cover the expected mileage on each test.

This fuel, derived from commercial products, is cooled because it is easier to handle, although there are some limitations. The tank is located between the pilot and the propeller, and in the stroke this area becomes an oven. The combustion engine gets hot, the batteries get hot, the exhaust gets hot and all of this eventually increases the temperature of the fuel, which rises to levels where it can evaporate. In addition, when its temperature rises, it expands and the Kevlar tank, which is flexible, swells. To prevent it from becoming a balloon that ends up burstinghas a valve in its filler cap, aeronautical type.

When refueling, the hose with the fuel enters at the moment of opening the hatch and is hermetically sealed during filling. Once said pipe comes out, the tank is closed not with a cap, but with a valve. This valve prevents the contents from escaping, while allowing the regulated escape of possible vapors and gasoline in a gaseous state, according to the indices of pressure and temperature detected. If these sensors indicate that dangerous levels are reached, they release gases, which leads to a loss of the quantity of gasoline availablealways within limits.

Alonso’s Canadian Sunday

Alonso’s gas tank, called cell -cell in English-, began to emit unexpected signals. The installed sensors began to warn of a drop in pressure, and therefore a loss of content. The teams calculate with sufficient precision the amount of fuel they will consume, which is measured in kilos, not liters. When heated, its volume occupies more, but it weighs the same, and in the latter there is no error. They gave Fernando what they understood he would need to complete the course, and between one and two extra kilos in case at the end of the race the stewards decided to take a sample to check that he complies with the regulations. All Mercedes motorcyclist customers use the product developed by Petronas, one of the main sponsors of the team of the same name.

Halfway through the race, number 14 AMR23 took second place behind Max Verstappen, who was hot on the heels of Lewis Hamilton. Engineers interpreted that the gasoline might not reach the end of the test. Therefore, the message to the Asturian was to drive with certain limitations and save fuel; enough to not get caught by Hamilton, but walk away from the possibility of stalking Verstappen.

The index that indicates the evaporation of gasoline used in racing it varies according to the circuit, the altitude of the track and other parameters. Sometimes some additives are added to it and you can change its behavior in this regard. But it is common that between 70 and 80 degrees Celsius it starts to lose its liquid state and turns into gas. The lower the fuel temperature, the better the performance of an engine.as more volume enters the cylinders while serving as coolant in the process.

Out of fuel or sensor problem?

Late in the race, team principal Mike Krack explained to the media that it was a fault in the sensor system of Alonso’s car -without giving many details-, and that they would not have needed to loosen. A missed opportunity, a lesson learned and a piece to review. What the engineer doesn’t say, but it’s something his team appreciates, is that they recently learned that the airflow in the lower area of ​​the car It’s better in the Aston Martin than in the Mercedes. It was something that many questioned, because to a large extent this area of ​​the car is conditioned by the physiognomy and size of the gearbox, a fundamental part provided by Mercedes, its driver.

Aston Martin and Mercedes have become the de facto “outsiders” of the season, the persecutors of the undisputed leader, Red Bull, and those who want to wrest this position from him. Aston Martin started the season in a better position than the silver stars, but the joint efficiency of Alonso and Hamilton helped them leave the green team behind in the table. If we look at the devastating efficiency of the blue cars, one of the biggest magnets of the season is the sporting war between brothers. Mercedes and Aston Martin share a Belén engine, gearbox, rear end and portal: both are born aerodynamically in the same wind tunnel, that of the first, used alternately during the week by their owners, and on weekends by their green tenants.

Its engineers look no one else, very little at Red Bull, and nothing at Ferrari, and sniff each other, to see how they tackle the same problems using shared tools. Some will see it as a fratricidal war, but most as one of the greatest pleasures of the season, with Hamilton and Alonso growing at every turn.. Luck be with you, the star is already doing it.