Renault F1

Formula 1 Team reports for the 2009 F1 season includes race previews, reports and reviews
Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Wed May 06, 2009 10:08 pm

Spanish Grand Prix 2009 Preview - 14 MAY 2009

The ING Renault F1 Team looks ahead to this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso: "Hopefully we can qualify well and score some big points in the race"

Fernando you had a physically draining race in Bahrain, but you still came away with a point…
Yes, my drink pump failed and so it was a tough race and I was a bit dehydrated when I got out of the car. It was good to score a point, but we were hoping for more after all our hard work over the last couple of weeks. I didn't make a good start and lost ground which decided my race because all the cars around me were running similar strategies. I think it's fair to say that we were the eighth fastest car and so finishing eighth is representative of our performance at the moment.

This weekend it's your home Grand Prix in Barcelona. How special is it to race in front of your home crowd?
It's always very special to race in Spain and I'm lucky to have two races at home this year in Barcelona and Valencia. Seeing the support of the fans always gives me a boost and I just hope that I can make them happy and have a strong weekend. It will be difficult to fight for the podium, but hopefully we can qualify well and score some big points in the race.

Tell us about the Barcelona circuit and how you expect the R29 to perform there?
All the teams know the track well as we do so much testing there in the winter. We tested there in February, but obviously we have developed the car a lot since then so we will need to work on the set-up during free practice. We are still missing some performance at the moment but the team has really improved the car already this season so we are certainly moving in the right direction. Hopefully we can take another step forward this weekend.


Nelson Piquet: "I'm feeling a lot more positive after Bahrain"

Nelson, we're a quarter of the way into the season. Sum up your feelings as we return to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix…
It has been a difficult start to the year for me, but I feel I've learnt a lot from the first four races. The wet races in Malaysia and China were quite frustrating and we couldn't really judge the performance of the car, but I'm feeling a lot more positive after Bahrain where I raced with the new diffuser. It would have been great to finish in the points, but all the cars are very competitive and reliable this year so to finish tenth was probably the best result that was possible on the day.

Barcelona is probably the track where you've driven the most. Do you enjoy racing there?
It's the circuit that I know the best, but it's not one of my favourites because it's not especially challenging for the drivers. It's all about having a good aero package and a well balanced car to cope with the high-speed corners. It's therefore difficult to overtake, so you need to qualify well to be able to choose a sensible strategy for the race. Barcelona is also really demanding for the tyres and so we need to see how the different compounds perform during long runs on Friday.

How much has the R29 improved since the start of the year?
We've definitely improved the car by fitting the new diffuser and the team did a great job to react quickly and adapt the car. We also had an update to the front wing in Bahrain and the car is now much easier to drive than it was at the beginning of the year. I know the whole team is working really hard to find more performance and now that we are back in Europe it will be easier to bring new developments to the races.


Pat Symonds: "We can expect a reasonable step in performance for Barcelona"

Pat, after four races, what's your verdict on the team's start to the year?
I'm disappointed with our start to the season. We're all well aware of the difficulties of trying to assess competitiveness through winter testing, but when we arrived in Melbourne we did feel we were higher up the pecking order than the performance we actually delivered. However, what has impressed me is how the whole team has responded to the need to become more competitive, particularly following the clarification of the diffuser regulations as we managed to get the new-style diffuser onto one of the cars in China, which is a credit to the whole team. So it has been a disappointing start, but we've definitely moved up the order in the last four races and there's a lot more to come.

Do you feel the drivers are getting the most from the R29?
I think they are, especially now that we've introduced the twin diffuser because the car was quite sensitive and difficult to set-up with the more conventional diffuser. The car used to have a very small sweet spot in terms of set-up, which made it difficult for Fernando and Nelson to get the most from the car. I do believe that this has improved since we've fitted the new diffuser, but it's still difficult to judge because we have been so limited with the amount of running we've done, especially in dry conditions. So we still have a lot to learn about the R29, but I do feel it's becoming easier for us to get the most from the car.

Can you update us on the team's development programme as the European season begins?
The whole team is still pushing hard with development and the diffuser and floor that we brought to China was very much a first attempt and over the course of the year we will see several more versions, the first of which we hope to have in Barcelona. In addition, we've got new wheel fairings this weekend with quite a major design change to give us an increase in downforce and a new rear wing. On top of that we've got a few small aerodynamic tweaks that we will introduce on a race-by-race basis. Overall we can expect a reasonable step in performance for Barcelona.

Have you been surprised by the relative competitiveness of all the teams this year?
Yes, I've been very surprised by just how close the racing has been in the first four races. Normally you expect stability of rules to lead to close racing and change of rules to move things apart, but that hasn't been the case this year, although the new rules have certainly shaken up the order of the grid. I don't have an explanation as to why things are so close, but I can speculate that one of the reasons is that the aerodynamic performance of the cars is probably a bit closer this year. With much simpler aero regulations, the advantage that some teams were getting from winglets, deflectors and vortex generators may have been lost. The aero domain has therefore been neutralised to an extent and the relative aero performance of the cars is perhaps a bit closer.

The second reason might be to do with tyres as I wonder whether the formula is becoming tyre-dominated. The fact that we are all using a Bridgestone control tyre that is relatively conservative is probably another factor that has led to the closing up of the field.

How do you expect the R29 to perform in Barcelona, which is renowned as the definitive aero circuit?
We weren't particularly satisfied with our performance in Barcelona during winter testing and I think that was probably because our aero performance was significantly below that of the cars with twin diffusers. Now that we have hopefully improved our performance with our own new-style diffuser, we certainly hope that Barcelona will be a bit more favourable for us.



Barcelona: Tech File

The Grand Prix circuit near Barcelona is one that every F1 team knows well from the hundreds of kilometres of testing carried out there over the winter. Few venues offer such a variety of medium and high-speed corners and it is widely acknowledged as the definitive aero circuit that provides a stern test of an F1 car. With few big braking zones and so many high-speed corners, overtaking remains extremely difficult and a good qualifying performance and sensible strategy are paramount for a successful weekend.

Aerodynamics
Aerodynamic efficiency is always a key factor at Barcelona, although the introduction of the chicane at the end of the lap in recent years has replaced on of the most critical high-speed parts of the lap and means the track is not as demanding as it once was. Even so, the circuit remains the ultimate test of a car's aero package and teams will run with high downforce levels to ensure competitiveness over the whole lap.

Fernando: "There are lots of high-speed corners where good aero performance is critical. A good example is turn 9, a fast right hand corner taken in fifth gear at about 230km/h. You have to be very precise with the car as there is there is no room for error on the exit and it's important to carry good speed onto the back straight."

Suspension
With the suspension we have to find the best compromise to give the drivers a well balanced and responsive car. This means we will use relatively stiff settings at the front of the car to get a good change of direction, while the rear will be slightly softer in order to get the best possible traction out of the slower corners, such as turns 14 and 15, as Nelson explains:

"The end of the lap used to be fast and flowing, but the introduction of the chicane a couple of years ago means it is now a low-speed section where you need good mechanical grip and traction. Getting a good exit out of turn 15 is especially important as it leads immediately into the final corner and onto the kilometre long straight. Lose speed in 15 and you will be under pressure and vulnerable to attack down the front straight."

Ride height is also an important parameter to consider as generally we can run the car quite low in order to gain maximum aerodynamic performance.

Engine Performance
Barcelona is not generally thought of as an ‘engine circuit' as the engine is not under particular stress as any point and only 61% of the lap is spent on full throttle. There are relatively few hard acceleration zones from low revs as the engine spends most of the lap accelerating from the middle of the rev range. As such, the priority is for the power delivery to be progressive and driveable in order to maintain the best handling balance, and limit tyre wear.

Tyres
Barcelona is well known for being demanding on tyre wear because it includes so many long, high-speed corners and has a fairly abrasive track surface. The most demanding corner is perhaps turn 3 as Fernando explains:

"Turn 3 is a very demanding corner: we spend two or three seconds at 250kph, and it's hard work for the neck muscles. The key to getting the corner right is finding the correct line as there is no margin for error on corner entry. If you get it right, then you can get all the way through this long corner with a good level of grip in the car, and it's not too difficult. But if you miss the entry by even just a little bit, you will be fighting understeer then oversteer, hurting the tyres and losing time all the way round the corner."

The tyres are therefore under high loadings, particularly the front left which has to work hard through turn 3 as well as turn 9. As a result Bridgestone will supply the hard and soft compounds this weekend, and the team will need to pay close attention to the wear and degradation during free practice to determine which compound to use for the majority of the race.

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sat May 09, 2009 1:22 pm

2009 Spanish Grand Prix Friday - 8 MAY 2009

The ING Renault F1 Team completed a busy day of practice in preparation for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso, R2904
Free practice 1: 18 laps, 1:23.157 on lap 14, P17
Run 1: 7 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 7 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front wing and rear ride height
Run 3: 3 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front wing and rear ride height

Free Practice 2: 36 laps, 1:21.871 on lap 32, P3
Run 1: 7 laps, hard tyres, change to weight distribution
Run 2: 7 laps, new hard tyres
Run 3: 7 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to rear suspension
Run 4: 7 laps, new soft tyres
Run 5: 8 laps, new soft tyres, change to front suspension

Fernando: "The practice sessions were interesting because we had to evaluate some new parts that we have introduced to the car this weekend. In the first session we were struggling a little bit as we didn't have much grip, but for the afternoon we found something which took us in a good direction and improved the lap times. We obviously need to remain realistic about tomorrow as this is only Friday, but we are reasonably confident that we can have a good qualifying session. The target for Sunday remains the same: to score as many points as possible."

Nelson Piquet, R2901
Free practice 1: 24 laps, 1:22.753 on lap 21, P7
Run 1: 11 laps, hard tyres
Run 2: 10 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to weight distribution

Free Practice 2: 26 laps, 1:22.349 on lap 20, P8
Run 1: 8 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 6 laps, new soft tyres
Run 3: 4 laps, same set of soft tyres, change to rear suspension
Run 4: 5 laps, new soft tyres, change to front wing
To finish, three laps for practice starts

Nelson: "It was a fairly typical day of practice as we began evaluating the new developments on the car and assessing the tyres. I'm still not happy with the set-up of the car and so the priority tomorrow morning is to work on that so that we can approach qualifying in good shape and hopefully get the car into the top 10."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"A very normal Friday programme for us today. We had a look at both tyre compounds and there were no big surprises: the harder tyre needs a bit of warming up, but the softer looks like it is performing well. We had no particular problems with the car today, although we are not totally satisfied with the balance yet."

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sun May 10, 2009 2:12 am

Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying

Today's qualifying session saw Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet qualify in 8th and 12th places respectively for tomorrow's Spanish Grand Prix.

FREE PRACTICE 3

Fernando Alonso: 17 laps, P10, 1:21.499 on lap 15
Run 1: 6 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 6 laps, new hard tyres, change to front anti-roll bar and rear ride height
Run 3: 4 laps, new soft tyres

Nelson Piquet: 18 laps, P15, 1:21.685 on lap 17
Run 1: 6 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 6 laps, new hard tyres, change to aero levels
Run 3: 5 laps, new soft tyres


QUALIFYING

Fernando Alonso P8, 1:21.392
Q1: 1 run on new hard tyres, 1 run on new soft tyres
Q2: 2 runs on new soft tyres
Q3: 1 run on used soft tyres, 1 run on new soft tyres

Fernando: "I think that we did our maximum this afternoon. We were quick and have closed the gap with the leaders, although it was a bit close in Q2 where we were 10th. For the race tomorrow we know that the seven cars in front are quicker and the ones behind us are quite heavy on fuel and could jump ahead of us during the pit stops, so it might be difficult to keep our position. Nonetheless we need to score points and that will be our aim in tomorrow's race."

Nelson Piquet, P12, 1:20.604
Q1: 1 run on new hard tyres, 2 runs on new soft tyres
Q2: 2 runs on new soft tyres

Nelson: "It was another really close session and all the cars were very competitive, especially in Q1. I was happy with the car as we had improved the balance this morning, but I just missed out on the top ten which is a bit disappointing. Still, starting 12th is not too bad and we have been free to choose our fuel load and have a strategy that we hope will help us move forward during the race."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"Everyone was looking forward to Barcelona to see how the teams' updates might change the relative positions. We can see that Ferrari have made a step forward, but overall the status quo has remained. Fernando has done a great job once again and he has a good grid position for his home Grand Prix. Nelson is also well placed and although he just missed out on the top 10, he is extremely close to Fernando's performance and has the ability to have a very successful race tomorrow."

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Mon May 11, 2009 1:44 am

Spanish Grand Prix - Race

The ING Renault F1 Team scored four points today as Fernando Alonso finished fifth in the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona. Teammate Nelson Piquet finished in 12th place.

Fernando Alonso, R2904, P5
First stint: 17 laps, soft tyres
Second stint: 25 laps, soft tyres
Third stint: 24 laps, hard tyres

Fernando: "It was a great race for us. We were not too optimistic before the start and our simulations suggested we would finish in 9th or 10th place. But I had a good start and I was up to 6th after the first corner. The car worked really well during the race and then I was able to overtake Massa on the final lap. It was also an interesting race for the fans."

Nelson Piquet, R2901, P12
First stint: 20 laps, soft tyres
Second stint: 25 laps, soft tyres
Third stint: 21 laps, hard tyres

Nelson: "I was lucky not to get caught in the accident at the start of the race. The performance of the car was disappointing and the balance wasn't good. I don't have a fully updated car yet so I hope that we can make some improvements for the next race."

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director
"Today's result and our pace in the race showed the potential and the improvements made to the car as Fernando's times were very close to those of the front runners. Now we must work hard and keep improving in order to secure strong points for both cars in the races to come."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"Barcelona is not renowned for producing exciting racing, but that certainly wasn't true today. It was a fight all the way through to end and a great result from Fernando. Nelson was extremely lucky not to have been taken out in the first corner accident, which seemed to have happened all around him. From then on the car didn't have the pace we expected and we feel that there is probably unseen damage to it."

Remi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations
"Overall it was a weekend that brought us more than we expected. We came here with hopes of taking a step forward, but unfortunately everybody brought lots of developments and the order of the teams remained pretty much the same. But thanks to the work that we have done throughout the weekend, we've come away with a great result. Fernando was pushing flat out for the whole race and fifth place is a nice reward. This result puts us in a good frame of mind for the upcoming races, but we will continue working hard."

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Wed May 13, 2009 10:39 pm

Renault and ING Renault F1 Team Statement - 13 MAY 2009

The decision of the Federation International de l'Automobile (FIA) to introduce two sets of Formula One technical regulations for the 2010 Formula One season has caused the Renault Group to reconsider its entry in next year's FIA Formula One World Championship.

There is frustration that FOTA's constructive proposals, including major cost saving measures to be adopted progressively between 2009 and 2012, which were carefully constructed by FOTA members, have been completely ignored without any form of consultation by the FIA with the teams.

It should be stressed that FOTA has set the same, if not lower, financial objective as the FIA, but Renault strongly believes that this must be introduced through a different procedure agreed by all parties.

Renault also believes that it is paramount that the governance of the sport is coordinated with a spirit of consultation with all parties (FIA, FOM, FOTA) in order to achieve a better balance between the costs and the revenues. Renault is also of the firm view that all entrants in the World Championship must adhere to and operate under the same regulations.

President of the ING Renault F1 Team, Bernard Rey, commented: "Renault has always considered Formula One as the pinnacle of motor sport and the perfect stage to demonstrate technical excellence. We remain committed to the sport, however we cannot be involved in a championship operating with different sets of rules, and if such rules are put into effect, we will be forced to pull out at the end of this season."

ING Renault F1 Team Managing Director, Flavio Briatore, commented: "Our aim is to reduce costs while maintaining the high standards that make Formula One one of the most prestigious brands on the market. We want to achieve this in a coordinated manner with the regulatory and commercial bodies, and we refuse to accept unilateral governance handed out by the FIA. If the decisions announced by the World Council on the 29th of April 2009 are not revised, we have no choice but to withdraw from the FIA Formula One World Championship at the end of 2009."

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Tue May 19, 2009 7:40 pm

Monaco Grand Prix 2009 Preview - 18 MAY 2009

The ING Renault F1 Team prepares for round six of the season: the Monaco Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso: "Monaco is the race that all the drivers want to win"

Fernando, you had a strong home Grand Prix in Barcelona. Did you enjoy the race?
Yes, racing at home is always a big motivation and although we couldn't fight for the podium, we got the maximum from the car and I was pleased to finish fifth. I was lucky towards the end of the race when Felipe [Massa] slowed, but it was exciting to gain an extra point on the final lap. We still need to take a big step forward with the car to get to the front, but we are making progress at each race and we have scored some more important points.

Monaco is a circuit where you've won twice. Tell us about the challenge of racing there...
It's one of my favourite races of the year and I have happy memories from winning there in 2006 and 2007. It's definitely the race that all the drivers want to win. The first lap of free practice on Thursday is always a great feeling and you have to readjust and get used to racing on such narrow streets with the barriers all around you. Overtaking is difficult and it's a mentally demanding race as there's not a moment to relax. But above all, Monaco is about the show for the fans and spectators who can get really close to the cars.

How are you approaching this weekend?
The most important thing is to qualify as near to the front of the grid as possible because doing well in Monaco is all about having track position. We therefore need to make sure we find clear space on the track in qualifying so we don't get caught out by the traffic. All the teams bring new packages to Monaco as the track is so unusual and we will use a special set-up to cope with the bumps and tight corners. In terms of a result, I think we can realistically hope to qualify in the top ten and aim for points in the race.


Nelson Piquet: "There is always a great atmosphere in Monaco"

Nelson, you managed to avoid the first corner crash in Barcelona, but it was a difficult race for you...
Yes, the accident happened all around me and I was lucky to avoid most of the debris. However, it was difficult to find the right balance with the car all weekend and so it was a tough race. I didn't have all the new developments on my car and so I was missing some performance, but hopefully I will be able to use them in Monaco.

Do you enjoy racing in Monaco?
Yes, it's probably the most famous race in the world and so it does feel special to drive there. There's a great atmosphere for the whole week in the lead up to the race and it's one of the races were the fans can really get close to the team. I used to live in Monaco when I was a kid and racing there as a Formula 1 driver is something I always dreamed about so it's pretty cool.

What are your hopes for the race?
Overtaking is almost impossible at Monaco so it's important that we can qualify near the front, hopefully in the top ten, and make the strategy work. The streets are narrow and the walls so close that you really cannot afford to lose concentration for a second or make the slightest mistake. It's normally an eventful race and so we need to be ready to take advantage of any situation that comes our way.


Bob Bell "Monaco is a fabulous track and the whole team enjoys racing there"

Bob, the team seemed more competitive in Spain – were you pleased with the overall performance?
We were a little bit disappointed with our pace in the final part of qualifying, but during the race we saw the performance that we expected and overall we were pleased with the result. We knew we weren't going to jump to the front of the pack, but we were determined to close the gap to the leading teams, and I think that's what we've done. Considering where we were at the start of the season, it was a nice reward for all the hard work and effort that has gone in behind the scenes.

With all the teams pushing hard to develop their cars, how difficult is it to take a major step forward?
You can only do your utmost to develop faster than the competition and I think as a team we are good at doing that, as we demonstrated in the second half of last year. We're in a similar position this year, but it's even more challenging now with limited wind tunnel and CFD time available and no in-season testing. But it's the same for everybody and all we can do is continue working hard, keep our motivation high, and keep pushing developments through and onto the car as fast as we can.

What can you tell us about the evolution of the R29 – will there be any further developments for Monaco?
Yes, we have some minor updates because Monaco always needs a slightly different package, for example it requires the most steering lock of any track we visit. It won't be as big a step as we made in Barcelona, but we are still hopeful of adding some performance to the car to keep closing the gap to the leaders

How challenging is the Monaco Grand Prix for the team?
It's a very challenging weekend because there is never much space and the facilities are limited. But it's a fabulous track; everybody enjoys it and there's always a great atmosphere. It's an interesting and demanding circuit where it's very easy to make a mistake and experience counts for a lot. Because there is no margin for error, we often see safety cars during the race and so we need to be ready to react quickly and make the most of any opportunities.


Monaco: Tech File

Monaco may be the most unique race on the Formula 1 calendar, but for the engineers the challenge remains the same: fine-tuning the car to achieve maximum performance around the demanding street circuit. It's an unforgiving place, and getting the most from the R29 around the twisty streets will require an unusual set-up and total commitment from the driver. As a street course, the track usually offers low grip in the early part of the weekend, but come Sunday, the track will be nicely rubbered-in and will continue to improve until the final lap of the Grand Prix.

Ride Heights
The roads in the principality may feel billiard-table-smooth at the wheel of a road car, but they are incredibly bumpy for the stiff suspension of a Formula 1 car. To cope with the variations in track surface, ride heights are raised between 5 and 7mm relative to the norm. The public roads are also sharply cambered and very slippery – especially on the traffic markings that are dotted around the circuit which require caution, especially if the track is damp.

Suspension
In order to maximise the car's grip, the team will use softer suspension settings than normal. This helps the car to ride the bumps and changes of camber. The surface also means that the wheels must be able to move independently to cope with the bumps and so we soften the anti-roll bars to achieve this. Special attention is paid to suspension camber angles too. The key objective is to give the driver a neutral, driveable car that he can have confidence in around the circuit, especially in the fast Massenet-Casino Square complex, as Fernando explains:

"The run through Massenet and Casino Square is one of the fastest parts of the lap. The first left-hander seems to go on forever and is quite bumpy so you have to be careful to balance the car on the throttle to avoid oversteer. You have to hug the barrier as much as possible to make a late apex and get online for the next right-hander which is a blind corner. The car becomes very light as there is a bump on the exit, but it's important to get on the throttle as early as possible for the approach to Mirabeau."

Aerodynamics
Monaco demands the highest downforce levels of the season. Contrary to popular belief, the primary benefit does not come in the corners, as many of them are taken at such low speeds that mechanical grip is of greater importance. Rather, the gains from high downforce come under braking and acceleration, keeping the car stable into the corners and ensuring optimum traction on the exit.

Nelson: "The biggest braking zone on the circuit is the chicane of turns 10 and 11. You come out of the tunnel, which is the fastest part of the lap in seventh gear and have to brake down to 70 km/h for the chicane. It's probably the best overtaking opportunity of the lap and you need good stability under braking."

Steering angle
The famous hairpin at the Grand Hotel is the tightest of the year – along with the sharp turn at Rascasse. Monaco therefore demands the highest steering angle of the season, some two times greater than anything required at the previous race in Barcelona. Dedicated Monaco front suspension is produced to ensure the necessary steering lock can be applied.

Fernando: "The Grand Hotel hairpin is the tightest and slowest corner of the year. It's taken at under 50 km/h and requires full steering lock and is quite a technical corner. It's important to hit the apex so you don't lose too much time through this part of the lap."

Tyres
Previously this season the Bridgestone tyre compounds supplied to the teams have been two steps apart in terms of their characteristics. However, Monaco sees a change to this allocation philosophy due to the unique demands of the street circuit. Bridgestone will therefore bring the super-soft and soft compounds, which are well suited to working at lower temperatures.

Engine
Superficially, Monaco may seem the least demanding circuit of the year, with just 45% of the lap spent on full throttle. Appearances, though, do not reflect reality. The bumpy surface means the engine can easily over-rev if the wheels leave contact with the ground. A driveable engine and good traction from very low revs are extremely important.

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Fri May 22, 2009 1:27 am

2009 Monaco Grand Prix Thursday

The ING Renault F1 Team completed a busy day of practice in preparation for this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso, R2904
Free practice 1: 31 laps, 1:18.283 on lap 19, P9
Run 1: 11 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 9 laps, same set of hard tyres
Run 3: 9 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front wing

Free Practice 2: 39 laps, 1:16.552 on lap 32, P11
Run 1: 4 laps, set of used hard tyres, change to front ride height and gear box ratios
Run 2: 10 laps, new soft tyres
Run 3: 12 laps, same set of hard tyres
Run 4: 7 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front wing and to front ride heights
Run 5: 5 laps, new soft tyres

Fernando: "Monaco on a Thursday is always more important for the drivers than for the team because it gives us time to get used to the circuit and feel comfortable in the car. We did quite a lot of laps today so it was useful for me and I'm happy with the car. I think that we are quite competitive, but qualifying will be the key to the race and our preparation today should help ensure we get the most from the car on Saturday."


Nelson Piquet, R2901
Free practice 1: 36 laps, 1:19.204 on lap 23, P12
Run 1: 13 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 12 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front wing
Run 3: 9 laps, same set of hard tyres

Free Practice 2: 43 laps, 1:16.286 on lap 40, P10
Run 1: 5 laps, set of used hard tyres, change to front anti-roll bar and front ride height
Run 2: 11 laps, new soft tyres
Run 3: 12 laps, new hard tyres
Run 4: 7 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front wing and front suspension
Run 5: 7 laps, new soft tyres

Nelson: "It always takes a few laps to get used to racing on the tight streets of Monaco, but after the morning session I was back in the groove. The car worked well today and we didn't have any problems, which allowed us to complete a lot of laps. The track was dirty this morning and improved during the day, just as it always does in Monaco, but that made it difficult to evaluate the tyres and the set-up changes we made. Overall though I think we are in reasonable shape for the weekend."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"It was a normal Thursday in Monaco. It's very difficult to really improve the car because the circuit conditions change so rapidly, but we seem quite competitive here, although that is not reflected in the final times because both drivers had problems with traffic."

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sun May 24, 2009 10:50 am

2009 Monaco Grand Prix Saturday - 23 MAY 2009

Today's qualifying session saw Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet qualify in 9th and 12th places respectively for tomorrow's Monaco Grand Prix.

FREE PRACTICE 3

Fernando Alonso: 24 laps, P10, 1:15.165 on lap 21
Run 1: 7 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 7 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to weight distribution
Run 3: 8 laps, new soft tyres

Nelson Piquet: 27 laps, P15, 1:16.382 on lap 25
Run 1: 10 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 8 laps, new hard tyres, change to front wing
Run 3: 7 laps, new soft tyres


QUALIFYING

Fernando Alonso P9, 1:16.009
Q1: 1 run on new hard tyres, 1 run on new soft tyres
Q2: 2 runs on new soft tyres
Q3: 1 run on used soft tyres, 2 runs on new soft tyres

Fernando: "Overall I'm happy with my performance as I did the best I could today. At the end of the session I was caught in a line of traffic, but honestly our ninth place reflects where our car is at the moment because I was 12th in Q1 and 9th in Q2. It's clear that we still need to improve and find more speed."

Nelson Piquet, P12, 1:15.837
Q1: 2 runs on new soft tyres
Q2: 2 runs on new soft tyres

Nelson: "I'm not totally happy because my ideal lap would have put me in the top ten. However, the car wasn't perfect and I didn't have the ideal brake balance which made it difficult to get the most from the car. However, if you had said to me before the weekend that we would have this result, I think I would have been relatively satisfied and starting 12th is not too bad. Now we need to concentrate on making the most of the strategy tomorrow."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"A disappointing qualifying session for us. The car seemed well balanced this morning, but this afternoon it lacked that little bit of extra grip that we needed."

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Mon May 25, 2009 2:16 am

Monaco Grand Prix - Race

It was a mixed Monaco Grand Prix for the ING Renault F1 Team as Fernando Alonso finished seventh, while teammate Nelson Piquet was taken out in the early stages.

Fernando Alonso, R2904, P7
1st stint: 28 laps, soft tyres
2nd stint: 38 laps, soft tyres
3rd stint: 12 laps, super-soft tyres

Fernando: "It was a hard race and very tight from the beginning, but the car felt good and kept improving during the race. We had a good strategy but here in Monaco the starting position is essential and so starting ninth and gaining two places and two points is a satisfying result. My motivation and the motivation of the team remain very high. We have a lot of new things for the upcoming races and we are confident that the second part of the season should be better for us."

Nelson Piquet, R2901, DNF
1st stint: 10 laps, soft tyres

Nelson: "I'm really disappointed to have been taken out of the race. I made a decent start and I was in good shape because I was running a long first stint and all the cars ahead of me were very close. Then I got hit from behind on the straight by Sebastien Buemi, which damaged the rear of my car and forced me to retire. It's really frustrating as I think I could have maybe scored some points today."

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director
"Very disappointing for us today as we were not helped by the circumstances. Nelson's race was cut short by an accident where he was not to blame and Fernando's was spoiled by the traffic, which didn't work in our favour. Nevertheless, we know that Monaco is an atypical race. It's also some consolation that the car kept improving during the race and was matching the pace of our main competitors. We are working harder than ever and plan to introduce another step forward, starting at the next race in Turkey. We have shown we can react fast and hopefully the rest of the season will see us bring in serious points for the team."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"It was a long and tough afternoon, but Fernando pushed hard throughout the race and has come away with a couple of points. We had higher hopes for this race, but it's encouraging that the car's pace was really improving throughout the race. Nelson was very unlucky to have been taken out in the early stages as he had made a good start and was running a promising strategy. It's a shame for him, but he'll bounce back in Turkey."

Remi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations
"Despite finishing seventh, we are a bit disappointed. We actually thought that we would be able to do better. Our strategy did not unfold as we wanted it to and we were blocked by some slower cars. However, when Fernando was in clean air, the performance was there. Nelson's race ended prematurely with an accident which is a shame because I think he could have been competitive today. However, we will take these two points and hope to get a better result in Turkey."

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:02 pm

Turkish Grand Prix 2009 Preview - 1 JUN 2009

The ING Renault F1 Team looks forward to round seven of the season, the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park.

Fernando Alonso: "It's important that we score points at every race"

Fernando, you picked up a couple points in Monaco – tell us about your race?
It was a tough race, just as it always is in Monaco and very demanding mentally. Starting ninth made it difficult to do much in the race and even with a good strategy we only managed to make up a couple of positions as the traffic did not work out well for us. To score two points is probably the best result that was possible on the day, although the car felt good and improved during the race. It's important that we continue scoring points at every race as they will all be important at the end of the year.

The next race is at Istanbul Park in Turkey – is it a circuit you enjoy?
Yes, it's a fun circuit with good overtaking opportunities, especially turn 12 at the end of the back straight, which leads into the final complex of low-speed corners. There are also fast sections and some special corners like the long left-hander of turn 8, which is one of the most exciting of the year. The challenge of Istanbul Park is to find the right balance so that you have a responsive car that works well in the fast and slow sections.

Are you happy with the development of the R29 so far this season?
It's clear that we need to take another step forward. We will have new developments for the car over the next few weeks and that should help, but I'm not expecting to jump to the front of the grid in Turkey. However, I still believe that later in the year we can be back fighting for podiums and winning races, just as we did last year. We know it won't be easy, but the whole team is extremely motivated and determined to get back to the front.


Nelson Piquet: "I'm fully concentrated on getting the most from the car this weekend"

Nelson, you were out of luck in Monaco, but your race was looking promising...
It was a really frustrating race for me. I made a good start and had gained a place by the first corner, but a few laps into the race I got hit hard from behind by Sebastien Buemi, which damaged the car and ended my race. It's such a shame as I was running a good strategy: I was heavy on fuel and probably could have scored some points. Unfortunately there's nothing you can do in these situations and so I need to put the disappointment behind me and concentrate on getting the most from the car again this weekend.

Istanbul Park is a popular venue for the teams – is it one of your favourites?
I do enjoy driving there as it's quite a varied track with some slow and fast sections. Turn 8 is the high-speed corner that everybody talks about as there's nothing else like it all season. It's a very physical corner which feels like it goes on forever and that makes it tough for the tyres. We will have less aero grip this year, but with slicks tyres I think we will still be able to take it almost flat-out.

What's your objective for this weekend?
My priority is to try and score some points to help the team in the championship. The track should suit the car and we will also have some new updates this weekend which should give us some extra performance. We need to qualify well, hopefully in the top ten, and choose an aggressive strategy so that we can move forward in the race.


Pat Symonds: "Turkey is a venue that we go to with confidence"

Pat, were you satisfied with the performance of the R29 in Monaco?
I was partially satisfied with our performance as we were still around 1% from the fastest car in qualifying, which is obviously a big improvement compared with where we were earlier in the season. We had the fourth fastest lap of the race, which was close to the leading pace, although that needs to be understood in the context of when it happened in the race. I'm satisfied with the progress we're making both aerodynamically and mechanically, but I won't be totally satisfied until we are on the podium.

Fernando and Nelson had mixed fortunes in Monaco – how are they coping with the season so far?
Fernando has been working really hard and extracting the maximum from the car and every situation. He's really driving as well as I've ever seen him drive, although like all of us he's frustrated that we're not fighting in the position we'd like to be.

Nelson continues to improve and strengthen as the season unfolds. In Monaco he was very close to Fernando in qualifying and considering the high standard that Fernando sets, I think he can be proud of the work he is doing. He was very unfortunate in the race and there was absolutely no blame attached to Nelson and quite unusually we received an email from Toro Rosso apologising for the incident!

The team will introduce updates in Turkey – what areas have you focussed on to improve performance?
As always the primary focus is on aerodynamics and for Turkey the attention has been on the front wing and the end plates with updates in those areas. The front wing is such an important area of the car because it's the first part to meet the air and the flow that comes off it determines the aerodynamics behind it. So that's where our focus is, but we aren't ignoring the other areas as we're continually working on the suspension and will do so again in Turkey. These won't be huge updates, nor changes to the geometry, but they focus on the fundamental way we set the car up in combination with the aerodynamics so that we can get the two to work in harmony.

Turkey has a mix of high and low-speed sections – will that play to our strengths?
The car continues to improve and we've seen from the published apex speeds that we seem to be quite strong in the medium and high-speed corners. Turn 8 in Turkey is the really challenging corner and I think our car will be good through there. It's a quick corner and was almost taken flat last year so we'll have to see what it's like with reduced aerodynamics this year. Certainly Istanbul Park is a circuit that we go to with confidence.

What's team morale like after the first third of the season?
We're a team that has always had and continues to have strong morale. We're all very impressed with the work being done back at base to improve the car by the research and design teams and seeing how quickly we can introduce new parts, such as our new diffuser, does a lot for the morale of everybody in the team. We're fighting hard; we're very ambitious and we know where we want to be and we're working hard to get there.


Istanbul: Tech File

The purpose-built anti-clockwise circuit on the outskirts of Istanbul offers a mix of challenging low and high-speed corners and has already established its position as a firm favourite with the drivers. Overtaking is difficult, especially in the first half of the lap, but the long back straight leading into the tight hairpin of turn 12 offers the ideal opportunity for a lunge under braking. Combine this with the challenge of turn 8, which is one of the most demanding of the year, and you have all the ingredients for an exciting Grand Prix.

Suspension
As a relatively new facility the track surface at Istanbul is in good condition and the kerbs are not especially aggressive, which makes it quite straightforward to find a stable car balance. The team will seek a compromise between stiffer settings for the high-speed part of the lap to give a good change of direction, and softer settings for the low-speed section, particularly the final few corners to ensure good mechanical grip, as Nelson explains:

"It's quite difficult to find the right compromise with car set-up at Istanbul because the lap is so varied in terms of corner speeds and grip. The last three corners of the lap are the slowest on the circuit, taken in second gear at around 80 km/h. Turn 12 after the long back straight is the biggest braking zone of the circuit and offers the best overtaking opportunity of the lap. It's easy to make a mistake here and go in too deep, which puts you out of position for the final couple of corners and can cost you a lot of time."

Aerodynamics
There are few critical high-speed corners at Istanbul Park, but the team will still run with medium downforce settings in order to carry good speed through the long left-hander of turn 8, which puts high g-forces through the drivers' necks.

Fernando explains: "Turn 8 is one of the quickest and longest left hand corners of the year. It's really a series of corners with four apexes, although we treat it as one apex and try to be as smooth as possible with the steering inputs. We don't touch the brake at any stage through the corner, and simply lift the throttle slightly to keep the car online. In the middle of the corner we're doing about 260km/h and you can really feel the g-forces on your body. It's easy to understeer wide in this corner, which will cost you a lot of time, but there's plenty of run-off to save you."

While the aero grip keeps the cars glued to the track through turn 8, it is mechanical grip that predominates between turns 3 to 5 and turns 12 to 14.

Brakes
The braking zone into turn 12 after the long back straight is the most significant on the circuit. It also represents the best overtaking opportunity and will normally see plenty of action during the Grand Prix. Overall the circuit is not particularly demanding on the brakes, which have enough time to cool on the long straights before the main braking zones, although with medium downforce settings the drivers may struggle with locking of the rear brakes.

Tyres
The Turkish Grand Prix is quite a demanding track on the tyres, largely due to turn 8 which puts high loadings through the tyres, particularly the front right. To avoid any potential problems, we can adjust suspension settings and front wing angle; however, we must always be mindful of finding the correct balance between protecting the tyres and maintaining mechanical grip, to ensure the car is quick in the more technical parts of the circuit. Bridgestone will supply the hard and soft compounds from their 2009 range, as was the case for the Spanish Grand Prix earlier in the year.

Engine
Istanbul presents a varied workout for the engine, requiring both good top speed and low end performance. Turn 8 remains a constant concern where the engine is concerned as it is important to ensure effective power delivery at high revs for good performance in this high-speed corner. Overall around 65% of the lap is spent on full throttle, which is about average for the circuits on the calendar.

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sat Jun 06, 2009 12:31 am

2009 Turkish Grand Prix Friday - 5 JUN 2009

The ING Renault F1 Team completed a busy day of practice in preparation for this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso, R2904
Free practice 1: 24 laps, 1:29.422 on lap 21, P8
Run 1: 7 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 7 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to anti-roll bar and front wing
Run 3: 8 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front wing

Free Practice 2: 35 laps, 1:28.847 on lap 33, P2
Run 1: 5 laps, set of new hard tyres, change to gear box ratios
Run 2: 7 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front wing
Run 3: 7 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front wing
Run 4: 9 laps, new soft tyres
Run 5: 7 laps, new soft tyres, change to weight distribution

Fernando: "Driving at Istanbul Park on the first day is never easy as the track conditions are really poor and we always see the track evolve during the weekend. So we just tried to get some laps on the car and evaluate some parts, rather than focussing too much on set-up work as we didn't want to get confused by the constantly changing track. So there is more to come and tomorrow morning we will start our proper set-up work. Even though our position looks good today, we know that tomorrow will be more difficult."

Nelson Piquet, R2901
Free practice 1: 18 laps, 1:30.132 on lap 8, P14
Run 1: 9 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 6 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to rear springs
Run 3: 3 laps, same set of hard tyres

Free Practice 2: 38 laps, 1:29.401 on lap 16, P10
Run 1: 9 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 9 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to bodywork
Run 3: 10 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to rear suspension
Run 4: 10 laps, new soft tyres, change to rear suspension

Nelson: "The track conditions weren't easy today as the track was very green and that made it difficult to learn much about the car. It improved a bit in the afternoon and that's when we did most of our running which allowed us to start evaluating the tyres. It's important to make the most of the final practice session tomorrow morning so that I can find a set-up that I am happy with and approach qualifying in reasonable shape."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"It was quite a challenging day. The circuit was very slippery - as we saw from the number of cars that went off the track. Also, the tyre behaviour was not as we expected and so despite Fernando's high position on the timesheets, we still have a lot of work to do before tomorrow."

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sun Jun 07, 2009 12:04 am

2009 Turkish Grand Prix Saturday - 6 JUN 2009

Today's qualifying session saw Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet qualify in 8th and 17th places respectively for tomorrow's Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park.

FREE PRACTICE 3

Fernando Alonso: 15 laps, P19, 1:29.261 on lap 13
Run 1: 4 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 4 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to rear springs
Run 3: 6 laps, new soft tyres

Nelson Piquet: 15 laps, P11, 1:28.503 on lap 5
Run 1: 7 laps, new soft tyres
Run 2: 7 laps, new hard times


QUALIFYING

Fernando Alonso P8, 1:29.075
Q1: 1 run of 2 laps on new soft tyres, 1 run of 2 laps on new hard tyres
Q2: 2 runs on new soft tyres
Q3:1 run on used soft tyres, 2 runs on new soft tyres

Fernando: "I have mixed feelings from this qualifying session. Q2 was really difficult and we only just made it through to Q3 in tenth position, but our level of performance and lack of pace meant we could only manage eighth on the grid, which is a bit disappointing. Unfortunately I will start from the dirty side of the track, which will make the start of the race difficult, but I still hope that I can challenge for some good points in the race."

Nelson Piquet, P17, 1:28.582
Q1: 2 runs on new soft tyres

Nelson: "I knew I had a brake problem from the beginning of qualifying and so I was being cautious, but it wasn't easy as the track was so slippery. On the last run the problem got worse and I spun off. However, I will remain positive for tomorrow as this is a track with good overtaking opportunities and hopefully we can have a strong race."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"Nelson dropped out of qualifying after loosing a brake duct which overheated his brakes and caused him to spin. We had hoped for a slightly higher position for Fernando after second qualifying but bearing in mind our fuel load we are not in a bad position for the race."

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Mon Jun 08, 2009 1:40 am

2009 Turkish Grand Prix Sunday - 7 JUN 2009

It was a tough afternoon for the ING Renault F1 Team as Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet finished in 10th and 16th places respectively in the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park.

Fernando Alonso, R2904, P10
1st stint: 14 laps, soft tyres
2nd stint: 26 laps, hard tyres
3rd stint: 18 laps, hard tyres

Fernando: "Of course I feel frustrated that we didn't manage to finish in the points, but to be honest we couldn't expect much more today. We started in eighth position and having the lightest car on the grid penalised us because after the first pit-stop we just couldn't keep up with the pace with the top contenders. We therefore need to improve quickly. Hopefully the changes expected for the Silverstone race will be significant enough to see us score some good points and change our situation for the second part of the season."

Nelson Piquet, R2901, P16
1st stint: 31 laps, hard tyres
2nd stint: 17 laps, hard tyres
3rd stint: 10 laps, soft tyres

Nelson: "It was quite a straightforward race today, but my fate had been decided yesterday with the problems that I had in qualifying and so it was difficult to make the strategy work. The car was good and I had some fun battles, including the one with Hamilton when I passed him, but our final result is disappointing. However, I remain confident we can improve in time for Silverstone."

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director
"Both drivers did the best they could in a difficult race and with a car that's just not competitive enough. Our priority is to keep working flat-out and to introduce constant and substantial updates and improvements to the car at each race for the remainder of the season."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"From the grid positions that we had and the current speed of the car it was difficult to see how to get points from this race. We tried to use the tyres in a slightly different manner to see if this would help us, but ultimately it wasn't enough to give us a positive result. As we have said so many times before, we must improve the basic pace of the car."

Remi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations
"The race was difficult today. Our drivers performed well and gave their maximum, but with the way the weekend developed it was clear we couldn't finish in the points. We now head to Silverstone where we are determined to get a better result. We are all extremely motivated and will continue working at 250%."

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:45 pm

British Grand Prix 2009 Preview

The ING Renault F1 Team looks forward to round eight of the season, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Fernando Alonso: "Silverstone is a great place to drive a Formula One car"

Fernando, you missed out on points in Turkey – sum up your feelings for us?
It was a really frustrating race for the team. The track conditions were poor at the start of the weekend and so we had to work hard to find the right balance with the car. In qualifying we decided it was best to run with less fuel to get a good grid position, but that meant I was lighter than the cars around me. If you pit early you're always at risk of getting stuck in traffic when you rejoin, and that's exactly what happened to me. I pushed hard in the race, but we could only manage tenth, which is a bit frustrating.

Do you believe the team can get back to the front in the second half of the season?
I have a lot of faith in this team and I know that everybody is working hard to improve our situation. We've been together a long time and have shown before that we never give up. But we need to be realistic because all the other teams are pushing just as hard to develop their cars and so it's not easy to take a big step forward. We just need to keep adding parts at each race to make sure we can fight for points and hopefully podiums on a regular basis.

What's your state of mind as you approach the British Grand Prix?
I remain optimistic and determined to get a better result at Silverstone. The R29 has always worked well in high-speed corners and so we should be more competitive this weekend. We will also have some new developments, which should give us some extra performance. In terms of the track, it's a great place to drive a Formula One car and as this is probably the last time we will race at Silverstone, I will make sure I enjoy the experience.


Nelson Piquet: "Silverstone almost feels like a home race for me"

Nelson, you were out of luck in Turkey – tell us about your race...
It wasn't a great weekend and my fate was pretty much decided by the brake problem I had in qualifying. After that we did our best to try and choose a strategy that would work for the race, but we knew it would be difficult to score points starting so far down the grid. However, I still took some positives from the weekend as we found quite a good balance with the car and I had some fun battles in the race, especially with Lewis [Hamilton] when I overtook him at the end of the back straight.

After seven races this year, where do you feel you can improve as a driver?
It's clear that I need to perform better in qualifying as starting so far down the grid is really hurting me in the races. The problem is that all the teams are so close this season and there are a lot of cars all fighting at the same level – a few tenths can be the difference between sixth and sixteenth on the grid, and so you really can't afford to make any mistakes in qualifying.

What are your expectations for Silverstone?
It's a track that I love and hopefully we can go there and get a good result. It's the local race for Enstone and so we always have good support there and the British fans are really enthusiastic about Formula One. It almost feels like a home race for me as I've been living in the UK for five years now and it's a track where I raced a lot earlier in my career. As I've already said, qualifying will be crucial, especially due to the high-speed layout of the track which makes overtaking very difficult.


Bob Bell: "We head to Silverstone confident of delivering a better result than we did in Turkey"

Bob, the team endured a tough weekend in Turkey. Was the result a fair reflection of the team's competitiveness?
I don't feel it was a completely true picture of where we are at the moment. Fernando had some issues in qualifying with tyre warm-up and didn't get the perfect lap which hurt his grid position. Had he started higher up, he probably could have avoided some of the traffic after his first pit-stop and scored some points. With Nelson also having problems in qualifying, it was always going to be a tough race for him, but he still pushed hard and got as much out of the car as he could.

Both Fernando and Nelson have urged the team to improve the car – can you react quickly?
Yes, we are reacting and one of the things that we've done well this year is to get the new developments on the car as quickly as possible. The twin-diffuser was a good example of that as such components normally take up to fifteen weeks to introduce, but we cut that down to five weeks, which was a tremendous credit to the team. We will continue to react quickly and when we find a development that brings the desired result, we will do everything in our power to get it on the car as soon as possible.

Looking ahead to Silverstone – is the high-speed layout likely to suit the R29?
We've got reasonably high expectations for Silverstone, although we're remaining realistic because we know we're not suddenly going to be fighting for the podium. The high-speed nature of the track should suit us and the R29 will work well in the quick corners. Our braking performance is probably an area where we are losing out at the moment, but Silverstone is not especially demanding on the brakes and so we go there confident of delivering a better result than we did in Turkey.

What developments are planned for Silverstone?
We have a development to the diffuser, which is a reasonable step forward, as well as an upgrade to the front wing package. We explored some developments to the front wing in Turkey and will be running it again in Silverstone with further enhancements that we believe will improve the car. We also have some mechanical changes, more to do with functionality than performance, but they're still important and should help us.

Silverstone is the local track to Enstone – is it a special race for the team?
It's a very special race for all the teams based in the UK as it's a focal point in the middle of the season. Usually a lot of staff from the team go to the race and there is always a special atmosphere which all the teams enjoy. We go to every race determined to do the best job we can, but we'd love to put on a good show in Silverstone.

Can the team be back fighting for podiums by the end of the year?
That's certainly our intention. If you look at our qualifying performance as a measure of car development pace, we have been improving steadily and the gap to the fastest car in Q2 has been falling consistently, just as it did last year. This year the gap to the leaders is falling at a higher rate and that gives us the belief that we can be back challenging for podiums by the end of the year.


Silverstone: Tech File
The Silverstone Grand Prix circuit is famous for its high-speed layout, particularly the first half of the lap, which includes one of the finest sequences of corners of any track in the world. The high-speed nature means Silverstone is tough for tyres and engines as the drivers will not touch the brakes at any stage during the first half of the lap. Corners range from 180 mph sweepers to the long, slow complex at the end of the lap. The car must also cope with the bumpy surface and capricious, gusting winds that always affect the former airfield.

Aerodynamics
Downforce levels used at Silverstone are medium to high in order to give grip for the quick corners in the first half of the lap. This is not too much of a handicap down the straights, which are not especially long and the braking zones are short, which makes overtaking difficult. The lack of heavy braking also allows the team to run some of the smallest brake ducts of the year, which helps to optimise the car's aerodynamic performance. The fastest part of the lap is the Maggots and Becketts sequence (turns 2 to 5) as Fernando explains:

"The run through Maggots and Becketts is a really challenging and enjoyable part of the lap. The speeds are high, especially on entry, and so it's important to have a responsive car for good change of direction. We don't touch the brakes at any stage through these corners and simply lift the throttle to keep the car online. The high speeds also make this a very physical part of the lap and we experience loads of about 4g in the cockpit."

Ride
Ride is an important characteristic at Silverstone, where maintaining consistent aerodynamic performance is so critical for delivering grip in the quick corners. The surface is quite bumpy, nowhere more so than under braking for Vale (turn 8), where the uneven surface can unsettle the car. The drivers also tend to drift out onto the kerbs exiting the quick corners in order to take the fastest line, which can make the circuit seem bumpier than it is.

Suspension
We run the car with a forward mechanical balance at this circuit – essentially with a stiff front end and softer rear end. The stiff front gives the car a good change of direction in the high and low-speed corners, while the softer rear end gives better grip under traction, exiting turns 9, 11 and 16 in particular.

Tyres
Tyres are always given a hard time at this track, especially because of the numerous high-speed corners, and this means that Silverstone is among the toughest tracks of the season for tyre wear. Bridgestone will therefore provide the soft and hard compounds from its 2009 range in order to cope with these challenges.

Ambient conditions
As a former airfield, Silverstone is inevitably exposed to the wind – and this can have a big impact on car performance. Gusting wind alters the aerodynamic balance of the car and makes handling unpredictable, particularly in the high-speed corners. The driver must be able to judge the direction and strength of the wind, and adjust his driving accordingly.

Strategy
Fuel consumption is high at Silverstone, as is the time penalty for carrying extra fuel weight. This means that it is a circuit where strategies rarely vary from the norm, as two extra laps of fuel could cost nearly two tenths per lap. Expect to see most teams running a "standard" two-stop strategy, which is generally slightly forward-biased for the front runners in order to ensure good grid position and clean air in which to race in the early stages. With overtaking nearly impossible at this circuit, track position is all-important.

Engine
Silverstone gives the latest generation of V8 engines a thorough workout with just under 66% of the lap spent at full throttle. Despite the reduction in downforce with this year's regulations, the percentage of full throttle remains similar to last year due to the grip offered by the slick Bridgestone tyres. The main priority is to ensure the engine is responsive at high revs as the drivers take the quick corners, such as the sweeping right-hander of Stowe (turn 7), on either full or partial throttle.

Nelson explains: "Stowe corner is the first time in the lap that we touch the brakes. We actually turn into the corner and brake at the same time so that we hit the apex at about 200 km/h. It is possible to overtake here, but as it's such a small braking zone you really need to slipstream on the Hangar straight and be alongside before the corner to make the move stick."

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:45 am

The ING Renault F1 Team completed a busy day of practice at Silverstone today in preparation for this weekend's British Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso, R2904
Free practice 1: 26 laps, 1:20.548 on lap 20, P5
Run 1: 10 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 10 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to rear suspension
Run 3: 5 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to tyre pressures

Free Practice 2: 36 laps, 1:20.237 on lap 34, P5
Run 1: 7 laps, set of new hard tyres
Run 2: 6 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to rear ride heights
Run 3: 8 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front anti-roll bar
Run 4: 9 laps, new soft tyres
Run 5: 6 laps, new soft tyres, change to front wing

Fernando: "It was a normal Friday for us. We need to improve the car, but in the second practice session we were quite happy with the result. However, we know that we will have a very tough fight in qualifying tomorrow and that one or two tenths can make a big difference in terms of position. So we are still trying to find a little bit more from the car, some extra tenths to really maximise our potential, but we've definitely moved in the right direction today."

Nelson Piquet, R2901
Free practice 1: 30 laps, 1:21.525 on lap 19, P18
Run 1: 9 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 10 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front and rear anti-roll bars
Run 3: 10 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front wing

Free Practice 2: 37 laps, 1:20.608 on lap 36, P10
Run 1: 9 laps, new hard tyres
Run 2: 7 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to rear suspension
Run 3: 7 laps, same set of hard tyres, change to front wing
Run 4: 8 laps, new soft tyres
Run 5: 6 laps, new soft tyres, change to front wing

Nelson: "It was a busy day and we managed to get a lot done, including the usual set-up work and tyre evaluation. As always at Silverstone it was quite windy, but it didn't cause too many problems and we managed to improve the car quite a bit, especially in the afternoon. We also tried out the new developments that we have this weekend, including the new front wing. We now have a lot of information to go through to try and make the most of the final practice session tomorrow morning."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
"I'm quite happy with the competitiveness of the car here. We expected the quick corners to suit us and the sector times seem to indicate that we are quite competitive in the faster parts, hence our overall lap times look to be slightly ahead of our normal position. Having said that, we know it will be an extremely close qualifying session and so I'd still like to find a little bit more speed from the car."

Post Reply