1991 F1 cars...paddle or H shifter?

Booth.the.doberman · Dec 7, 2015

I'm setting up a 1991 F1 offline solo series using the ASR cars (Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Benetton...can't wait for the Jordan). I have all the tracks except Phoenix, so I've substituted Road America for that. I've created a set of drivers and am progressing through making skins for each. I'm almost ready to start the season. But it occurred to me...did the 1991s use H or paddle? I've tried searching to find the answer and it appears Ayrton Senna ran the McLaren with an H in 1991 (possibly the last year for it in that car). But I'm not entirely sure. I randomly drew the McLaren as my car and I've reskinned it with logos from my world (e.g. Sun Microsystems, Blanton's Bourbon, #69, etc.). I prefer the H even though it slows me down significantly. I know I can do whatever I want, but I'd like to try out being historical. So....H or paddle for the 1991 McLaren?

D.Stephens · Dec 7, 2015

According to Wikipedia they used H pattern. Ferrari and Williams were the only ones that season running sequential.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaren_MP4/6

Booth.the.doberman · Dec 7, 2015

I eventually found a cockpit photo of the McLaren that showed the shifter. A lot of the "official" historical F1 sites talked a lot about the sequential trials that year but weren't definitive on what was actually used. It was here, if anyone is interested. http://mclaren-soul.tumblr.com/

TobiasR · Dec 7, 2015

Ferrari had been using sequentials gearboxes since 1989 and Williams introduced the paddleshift in 1991. But if you want the full-on sim, you need to flip a coin on whether your gearbox will break halfway through the race.

Booth.the.doberman · Dec 7, 2015

Tobias Röhner said:
Ferrari had been using sequentials gearboxes since 1989 and Williams introduced the paddleshift in 1991. But if you want the full-on sim, you need to flip a coin on whether your gearbox will break halfway through the race.

You're right about tossing the coin. Just look at the number of drivers who left the race with gearbox problems in 1991 at Phoenix alone. http://www.statsf1.com/en/1991/etats-unis/classement.aspx .