9 replies to this topic

[Khan]

I was just wondering, why is the third (spare) car team bring to the GP called the T-car.

Thanks everyone.
Khan.

[Rob29]

It meant 'Training' Italians used 'Prova'
Nowdays might as well call them 'S' cars for spare.

[MrAerodynamicist]

I'd always assumed it was T for Team [on the grounds it "belonged to the team" and not just one driver] but I might be wrong.

[nzkarit]

I thought it was t for thrid.

[mhferrari]

I thought it meant Training as well.

[indysteve]

I heard Donald Davidson explain this a couple of weeks ago. In F1, the T stands for "training" and in American OW racing (CART/IRL) it stands for "temporary."

The use of the T in F1 goes back to the very long circuits of years gone by like the old Nurburgring. The "training" car was used by drivers to get familiar with the circuit (especially drivers that had not raced there before). If they had a shunt in the process of learning the circuit, they didn't damage their main car for the GP. After the driver became comfortable with the circuit, he got in his main car to practice and qualify, with less risk of making a mistake that would require major repairs.

In American OW racing, teams will often enter a primary car and a backup car and the driver will try both during practice to see which performs better. If the driver ends up qualifying the backup car for the race, the team will then change the number to the driver's normal primary number. The use of the T just simplifies this process. It's easier to change 35T to 35 (just remove the T) than it is to change 73 to 35.

[Speed]

I always thought it was the test car until someone posted trainer car...its got to be one of these.

[random]

Originally posted by Rob29
It meant 'Training' Italians used 'Prova'
Nowdays might as well call them 'S' cars for spare.

I thought at Ferrari it was called the "S"chumacher car.

[david_martin]

It is called the T (from training), because during the 70's when the rule was first introduced, the spare car had to wear a "T" on its number.

[Yelnats]

I always though the "T" stood for Trashed...;)