Sun Microsystems does it for West McLaren Mercedes!
Telemetry system saved DC's Monaco GP.
The power of bi-directional communication telemetry was demonstrated last weekend in Monaco when McLaren altered settings on DC�s car that stopped his engine from smoking and enabled him to continue on to take victory.
Bi-directional telemetry was allowed back in the sport this season after an absence of eight years. It enables teams to alter settings on the governing ECU or black box by radio signal.
It was found that a transfer tank that distributes oil between the banks of cylinders on the Mercedes V10 had developed a problem and was causing the smoky emission. Engineers deduced that the engine would not be significantly affected if the tank stopped functioning, and so they turned it off remotely.
Thanks to all the new telemetry the team were able to fix the problem from the pits, leaving Coulthard to continue his strong run to the chequered flag.
Team Principal Ron Dennis explained:
Before the puff of smoke came we actually knew that we had a problem so the smoke wasn't ringing alarm bells. It was data and we were particularly proud at being able to rectify the problem through our telemetry system. I know that not many people get turned on by technology but when you've got it and you use it well, it's a wonderful tool and it's tremendously satisfying to actually be able to talk to the car electronically and influence its performance and rectify that sort of problem. It gives you a buzz which we all enjoy a great deal. It is particularly satisfying when you can play a part in a race and get a result.
David Coulthard:
After about 30 laps it felt like I had lost a bit of power and then I saw smoke coming out from the back, I radioed back to the team and they told me it was nothing to worry about and fortunately they were right.
For years McLaren have topped the charts of having the biggest Electronics and Technology Department in F1 and this win will only push Ron to more innovations through Space age solutions and bring back the lost glory back to Woking��.