OK, I'm intrigued! Whats a Dead Pedal, and what does it do to make hard braking better?

yea kinda lost on the braking too

 

but i have a big dead petal... sorda

my wheel tubs for the body drop is a nice foot rest.....

Unless of course you are a left foot braker.

Na, I'm a right foot braker. I tried left foot braking a couple of times, but just never could get the feel. Lot's of people that come up through the Karting ranks as kids and move into big cars left foot brake. So do some formula car drivers, because they can't get their right foot over to the brake pedal, because of the steering column. Mater of fact I had to put a dead pedal in the car, because the chap that had it before me was shorter, and he just used the two intrusion bars as a dead pedal. That didn't work for my big a$$ feet.

As long as we are taking about left foot braking here is an article on the subject http://vista.pca.org/rmr/Training/leftFootBraking.htm 

Also here is a quote from an F1 tech page on pedals etc

"The pedals of an F1 car are usually designed specifically for each driver. Some like large brake pedals and small accelerators, others have small lips on the side of the pedals so each foot is held in position on the pedal. Most drivers use left foot braking and so have just two pedals, while those that use their right foot to brake will have small foot rest for their left foot to help support themselves under braking."

It is interesting to note that in F1 left foot brakers use more fuel than right foot brakers

 

The company I work for wrote the software that ran the McLaren F1 car- used to be (may still be) a prominent sponsor on the car primarily sponsored by "West".

Mmmm... there is no manual shifting in F1. It's all computer controlled. they do have an over ride, but the shifting is pre-programmed. No it's not like a automatic in your everyday car, but the the transimissons are shifted pneumatically, and run off the same system that opens and closes the valves. Valve springs can't react fast enough at over about 12,000 rpm. All modern F1 race car have the steering column between the brake and the accelerator pedal, making right foot braking impossible. They can not move their foot over past the steering column. Watch some in-car footage, the drivers fingers never once move from the steering wheel to shift. They no longer use the paddles, unless there is a problem, and then only to get back to the garage to park it. Since the cars are on the brakes less than 10% of the time, I don't see how there could be much, if any fuel penalty.

Rubens Barrichello is at least one driver that does not left foot brake although he has tried doing it to see if he is faster. (Michael is a left foot braker as are many of the drivers that came from karting where the steering column prevents right foot braking)

 

Here is at least one reference to this

http://www.thescuderia.net/rubraceengine.shtml

 

And a quote:

“Asked what are the differences between him and his team-mate, Rubens replied: “The main difference is that I brake with the right foot and he uses the left. We have a different driving style – Michael has a higher entry speed and I am faster on the exit.”

The fuel consumption difference is slight (but so is everything in F1) and is caused by the driver being on both the accelerator and the brake at the same time on occasion.

 

Per the FIA 2004 rules fully automatic gear changes are not allowed

http://www.fia.com/PRESSE/F1-A/2003/15-01-2003-Note.pdf

 

Even when it was allowed not all drivers used the full auto feature some chose to only use auto downshift some chose both and at least one driver (Jacques Villeneuve) used neither

No those were not adopted. They only adopted the single engine for the weekend and the reduction of downforce by limiting the front wing area and the using only a two plane rear wing. They are still using the same gearboxes, traction control, etc. This all goes back to the Concorde agreement, and none of the manufactures wanted to throw out the electronics, at least for this year. There was also some testing regs that changed.

They don't have two way telemtry, that was gone last year. The engineers can't make adjustments to the car from the pits, but they can tell the drivers to make adjustments.

I do remember something about Rubinno right foot braking, but that was several years ago, and I beleive (though not 100% sure) that the new car in '03 he had to go to left foot braking. But he's a pretty small guy, and they may have made something for the brake, so he could right foot brake. But with traction control, I still don't see how you would save any gas. They just stand on the throttle coming out of the corner (for the most part) and you can hear the traction control in action.

Yeah, that seems to be working for old Jaques. What has it been, four or five years since his last podium finish?
And when he does shift, he just pulled the paddle, and the system did all the work. Not like CART, where they still run a sequential manual shifter. Which BTW I can run in SCCA GT class with a 50 LBS penalty.

You are right that manual shifting in F1 is only kind of manual (all they have to do is pull the paddle)

Panis will be right foot braking this year in the Toyota The TF104 is designed to allow this.

Rubens had to switch to left foot braking for a little while when he first went to ferrari but had the car modified to allow right foot braking shortly after arriving in 99. There are many references to Rubens right foot braking after that.

I'll look through the pictures I took at the Ferrari factory to see if I have any of the footwell of his car

I heard about the fuel consumption issue in an interview with rubens last year

As far as the rules go I am not aware of any changes since they new rules were agreed to on April 29th and see several references to them in current interviews

Jensen Button interview this week

On electronic driver aids…

“As a driver I would rather drive without traction control but you can’t police it. It’s difficult because the technology is so phenomenal.

“It’s good that we have got rid of automatic gears because it makes it all the more exciting for us. It means the drivers are more involved and you enjoy it more if you have more input. The ban on launch control should help us too as Renault were very good at their starts and now it will be more of a level playing field.”