Williams-Toyota

Formula 1 Team reports for the 2009 F1 season includes race previews, reports and reviews
Ed
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Post by Ed » Sun Jun 21, 2009 12:41 am

BRITISH GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
SATURDAY 20 JUNE, 2009

In front of a home crowd at Silverstone, both AT&T Williams drivers eased through Q1 and Q2 of this afternoon’s qualifying session to earn a place in the top ten shoot out. Kazuki Nakajima went on to claim the highest qualifying position of his career to date with the fifth fastest time and will take to row three on the grid for Sunday’s British Grand Prix.
Team mate, Nico Rosberg, will line up just behind Kazuki on row four in seventh place.

Kazuki Nakajima:
Fifth is the best qualifying result I’ve had so far so I’m really happy. After yesterday’s practice, I thought we could be quite strong today because the car is working really well here. We seem to have taken a step forward so many thanks to the team as they’ve brought a really good upgrade package to this race. To be sitting in fifth position on the grid and racing on my favourite track tomorrow is great and my goal will be to have a solid race and score some points for the team.

Nico Rosberg:
On the one hand, I‘m pleased because we’ve made progress with the car and are looking competitive. On the other hand, it wasn’t the perfect day for me today because I didn’t manage to get the best out of the car in Q3. I’m still really pleased with where we are with the car, though. The team has done a fantastic job, even on this track which is normally one of the most challenging for us. Being in fifth and seventh shows we’re up there and, with a strong strategy tomorrow, we should score points. And that was a good job by Kazuki who’s been quick all weekend here. I’ll try to catch him tomorrow!

Sam Michael, Technical Director:
That was a satisfying qualifying session from the team. Our development programme of the car, and the direction we’re taking, is going well. Kazuki’s performance in qualifying today was the best of his career so far and he did it well, carrying over the speed he showed in practice and then in the earlier qualifying rounds. Nico also did well and his strategy will pay off in the race. Our focus now is on tomorrow and getting the best strategy in place in order to score points with both cars at our home Grand Prix.

Ed
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Post by Ed » Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:32 am

BRITISH GRAND PRIX RACE
SUNDAY 21 JUNE, 2009

Today’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone delivered another points-scoring finish for the AT&T Williams team in front of a home crowd. Nico Rosberg claimed a second successive fifth place finish, his four points promoting the team into the top half of the Constructors’ Championship to fifth place. Despite gaining track position in the first lap and running in fourth up until his first stop, Kazuki Nakajima was unable to convert the competitive pace he’s demonstrated all weekend and dropped down the order to end the race in P11.

Nico Rosberg:
I am very pleased for the whole team, and for myself, that we had another good race. We still didn’t get the result that we are capable of today, but Barrichello was slow in the middle stint and I was stuck behind him and that cost me the place to Massa. If that hadn’t happened, we would have had a solid fourth place. I have to say a big well done to the team because everyone is doing a really great job and we are moving ahead in terms of development. We are consistent on every track so I’m looking forward to the races to come.

Kazuki Nakajima:
That result was not ideal for me. There weren’t any particular reasons for it. I was pleased with my start and I thought it was going to be a good race for me, but I was held up by the car in front before my first stop and then it was difficult to keep up with the cars ahead of me for the rest of the race.

Sam Michael, Technical Director:
It was great for the team to pick up more points today with Nico’s fifth place and it shows we’re still heading in the right direction with development. Nico drove well, it was just a shame he was caught up in traffic for the majority of the race as I think he could have done more. He showed that he was quick by setting the third fastest laptime in the race, only behind the two Red Bulls. With his strategy, it was always going to be difficult for Kazuki to score points, but he is definitely improving, and he really helped the team with set-up direction this weekend.

Points: AT&T Williams 15.5 (5th), Nico Rosberg 15.5 (7th), Kazuki Nakajima 0 (20th)

Ed
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Post by Ed » Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:54 am

GERMAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

Nürburgring in a nutshell
Back on the calendar after a one year sabbatical (Germany’s race alternates between the Nürburgring and Hockenheim), the Nürburgring is a straightforward circuit, predominantly a mix of low and medium speed corners, that requires an uncomplicated two stop strategy….unless the local weather dictates otherwise. When Formula One last appeared at the track in 2007 it began raining torrentially within moments of the start, so much so that the race was briefly suspended.

Talking technical

Car dynamics
Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s corners expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit’s configuration and the greater propensity for understeer to compromise lap time. Average turn angle at the Nürburgring is 1220 which is significantly higher than the average for the Championship. The circuit therefore has more effect on understeer than the majority of circuits on the calendar.
The end of straight (EOS) speed at the Nürburgring was 303kp/h in 2007. The German track ranks as having the 6th lowest EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing level typically selected to optimise the downforce/drag ratio. Meanwhile, the Nürburgring has the 5th lowest average lap speed of any of the tracks on the calendar.

Pitlane & refuelling strategy
The pitlane length and profile contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at the Nürburgring is approximately 20.6 seconds, the 8th most penalising pitlane in the Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around the Nürburgring requires 2.43kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km across all circuits this season, ranking the circuit as average in terms of fuel consumption.

Safety car
Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is the likelihood of safety car deployments, which are influenced by weather considerations, the availability of clear run-off areas that allow racing to continue while recovery takes place and the circuit profile, especially the character of the entry and exit into turn one at the start of the race. There have been 3 safety car deployments in the last 12 races at the Nürburgring, making it relatively unlikely that there will be a safety car period, although the weather in the Eifel region is notoriously unpredictable so a safety car period can never be ruled out.

Temperature, pressure & humidity
As an example, it is a long observed tradition that drivers arriving at Interlagos complain about a lack of grip and an absence of engine power. Having become acquainted with a baseline of engine and aerodynamic performance during the season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the final races can, courtesy of the reduction in air density, rob a Formula One car of engine power, aerodynamic performance and cooling. The losses can come close to double digit percentages and thus have a very real impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of the prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most significantly by season, air pressure which is closely linked to altitude and, to a much smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if races are run at the same time each year, the factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density is elevation. The Nürburgring is 618m above sea level and has the 2nd lowest average pressure (946.50mbar) of any race venue in the 2009 Championship. As a consequence, the circuit’s ambient characteristics will result in a significant reduction in engine power.

What the drivers say

What we’ve been up to between races
Kazuki “I had a full week off after Silverstone and went to Norway with my friend. We just drove around a lot and took in the landscape. The weather was great and we visited the most northern point of Europe which was really interesting, but really quite cold! I’ve been back in the factory everyday since using the simulator and training in the gym in preparation for Germany.”

Nico “It was a busy week around Silverstone. Because it’s the team’s home Grand Prix, I went to the UK early to do lots of marketing and media commitments ahead of the weekend. It was then a busy race as well, so having the three weeks off before Germany was quite nice as I’ve spent the time just relaxing. I’ve been at home in Monaco catching up with friends and doing some training, I also took a short trip to Ibiza to spend some time on the beach!”

Reflections on the British Grand Prix
Nico “Our performance at Silverstone, in fact in Turkey as well, has given me lots of optimism. The team are doing a really good job in terms of development and that is showing on the track. At Silverstone, we had another fifth place and those points moved us up another position in the Constructors’. We need to keep making that kind of progress for the rest of the season now. Hopefully, we’ll be on the podium soon.”

Kazuki “Silverstone was a good race weekend until the first stint when it was really difficult to make any progress and we missed some opportunities, we cost us a place in the points. It’s not a case of having to try harder; it’s just waiting for it to all come together.”

The Nürburgring – from a technical perspective
Nico “The Nürburgring is a very different track to say Silverstone because the average corner speeds are a lot slower. This means car set-up needs to be quite different so we will have a lot of things to test on Friday in order to find the right direction and to get the best out of the car. The FW31 has been very consistent and relatively quick on every track this year so I have high hopes that we can continue our good form.”

Kazuki “Like Silverstone, it’s a tricky track but, unlike Silverstone, it’s more of a slow to medium speed circuit with lots of elevation. The weather can be a big factor at the Nürburgring, as can getting temperatures into the tyres as ambient can be quite low. Set-up-wise though it should be fairly straightforward. I haven’t raced a Formula One car around the Nürburgring, only a GP2 car, but I had a good race then so I hope that experience will help me. I’ve also done lots of lap on the sim, so I hope I’m well prepared.”

Thinking about Germany and the Eifel region
Nico “Going to Germany is a bit special for me as it’s my home Grand Prix and the circuit, together with Hockenheim, is the one that I know the best. Racing in front of your home crowd is a real buzz and the German fans in particular are really passionate about the sport, so there’ll be a good atmosphere. After a long break since the last race, I can’t wait to get back out on track now and getting another good result would make the weekend perfect for me.”
Kazuki “It’s a beautiful part of the world, and very close to Cologne which I’ve visited lots of times as I have a lot of Japanese friends at Toyota. The German fans are really passionate, but I think this year they will be more so because of Vettel and Nico who are doing a great job.”

Ed
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Post by Ed » Sat Jul 11, 2009 1:25 am

GERMAN GRAND PRIX PRACTICE

Objectives P1: Mechanical set-up and analysis of new aero components
Objectives P2: Performance evaluation for qualifying and the race

Conclusions - Sam Michael, Technical Director
“We worked through our programme, even though there was a little rain about this afternoon. It was pretty difficult given the gusty wind conditions today and with the track being cold, it was a challenge to generate the temperature to get the tyres up to the optimum grip level as quickly as possible. However, we managed to compare both tyres and check all the new aero parts we have on the car here. Overnight we will get our heads down and work on the set-up for tomorrow.”

Nico Rosberg
Runs P1: Run 1 new prime (1 Lap) install, run 2 scrubbed prime (8 laps) baseline, run 3 scrubbed prime (6 laps) mechanical set-up, run 4 scrubbed prime (5 laps) aero.
Runs P2: Run 1 scrubbed prime (1 lap) install, run 2 new prime (10 laps) tyre compare, run 3 new option (10 laps) tyre compare, run 4 new option (3 laps qualifying practice, run 5 scrubbed option (2 laps) mechanical setup
There is not too much to report today aside from the issue we have had with tyre warm-up which could continue until the weather improves. The forecast seems to suggest the temperatures will increase. The wind today also made it difficult to find an absolute direction, so with positive conditions, we know we have quite a lot of possible improvement. We have also changed the way we approach Friday practice, so we do not expect to be top of the time sheets. On the long run side, we did however make some very clear progress for the race.

Kazuki Nakajima
Runs P1: Run 1 new prime (1 Lap), install, run 2 scrubbed prime (7 laps) baseline, run 3 scrubbed prime (6 laps) mechanical set-up, run 4 scrubbed prime (5 laps) aero
Runs P2: Run 1 scrubbed prime (2 laps) baseline (aborted due to rain), run 2 new prime (4 laps) tyre compare, run 3 new option (4 laps) tyre compare, run 4 scrubbed option (4 laps) race balance on scrubbed tyres, run 5 new option (7 laps) mechanical set-up
The weather made it a bit of an odd day today. We are expecting conditions to be a bit better tomorrow, hopefully a little more consistent, so I think we need to be a bit patient and wait to see how it looks. Of course it is my first time here in an F1 car, and while I didn’t find the track especially easy, it certainly was interesting and enjoyable.

SESSION 1 SESSION 2
AIR & TRACK TEMP 10 - 12C / 14 – 23C 12 - 13C / 19 - 24C
N ROSBERG 1:33.902 (7th) 26 LAPS 1:33.128 (13th) 34 LAPS Chassis FW31-03 Engine H454
K NAKAJIMA 1:33.952 (9th) 25 LAPS 1:32.872 (9th) 32 LAPS Chassis FW31-04 Engine H455

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Post by Ed » Sun Jul 12, 2009 12:28 am

GERMAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
SATURDAY 11 JULY, 2009

Prior to today’s qualifying session for the German GP, Nico Rosberg was one of only four drivers with a 100% record of progression into final qualifying this season, a record that unfortunately lapsed today. In a rain-affected second session, the stop-start wet conditions made tyre selection difficult and the team was not able to show the genuine abilities of the FW31, with both Kazuki and Nico on the wrong tyre at the critical moments in the session. Over the race distance tomorrow, the inherent car pace should enable both drivers to progress from their starting positions. Congratulations to Mark Webber for his first pole position.

Kazuki Nakajima:
It was a difficult qualifying session today, run in tricky conditions. To get it right, you needed to have perfect timing and make the right decision with the tyres. Today we just missed that a bit and that was it. The overall order in the top 10 is a bit different, so maybe this provides some possibilities for the race. Now we will just have try to use strategy to our best advantage and see what we can achieve.

Nico Rosberg:
As long as it was dry it all went well. Qualifying one was comfortable and we were making good progress. If it had stayed dry, I think we would have been right up there. However, in the changing conditions in the second session we just didn’t get the best out of it and we will have to analyse why that was. The circumstances with the changing levels of rain made it massively difficult, but it looks like it may be the same tomorrow and I hope that the luck will run our way if the conditions are as variable.

Sam Michael, Technical Director:
It was a disappointing outcome to qualifying after a competitive morning practice and Qualifying One. We just didn't get onto the right tyre at the right time because the conditions continued to change. There is some luck involved, but that's no excuse as everyone has to cope with the same conditions and others got more out of it. We'll put our focus now on the best strategy to score points tomorrow as the car is definitely capable of that here at the Nurburgring.

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Post by Ed » Mon Jul 13, 2009 2:05 am

GERMAN GRAND PRIX RACE
SUNDAY 12 JULY, 2009

A season-best race result for the AT&T Williams team came courtesy of a strong drive from Nico Rosberg today, driving from 15th on the grid to a valuable fourth placed finish and in turn consolidating the team’s position in the championship. His race was launched from a great opening lap, on which he climbed six places. His achievement was all the more impressive considering that he was managing a technical problem from the first round of stops to the flag. Team-mate Kazuki Nakajima showed some equally quick turns of speed and recorded the fifth fastest lap of the race, but a tangle on the opening lap dropped him to the back of the field in the first stint, from which point it was difficult to recover his race. He finished in 12th position. All the team congratulates Mark Webber on a very popular race win today.

Nico Rosberg:
It was a fantastic result for us today. As I started 15th, I honestly wasn’t expecting too much but I took a few chances on the opening lap and finished it in 9th place! Although I had more fuel than anyone else, I kept pushing hard and that, together with a little luck that Heikki Kovalanien had created a bit of traffic jam behind him, helped for sure. I was also carrying a problem with the fuel system, so it was quite eventful and makes the race outcome even better. We are continually progressing with our car, our development is looking good and because of this our pace is right up there. I am looking forward to Hungary now, because I think it will be another race where we can have a good result.

Kazuki Nakajima:
My race was really defined by my first lap. I was hit by Jarno and almost went off, but in the process I dropped right to the back of the field. It was a shame because my race was ruined from there. However I think our pace was good today, certainly a pace that would have got us close to the points. Our strategy would have worked well too, but all of this is unimportant now.

Sam Michael, Technical Director:
It was a good day for the team today, the best result so far this year. Nico had a great first lap and did what he needed to do to make his race work. We had a fuel system problem on his car which meant that he had to come in early for both stops and carry 15 kilos of extra fuel from the first stop to the end of the race, which is worth half a second a lap. However, fourth is a great result and what we deserved for our efforts today. Kazuki was quick today too, but just wasn’t in the right place at the right time with the traffic. Having started in 13th and 15th, it is good to have finished fourth and consolidate our place in the championship. Well done to Mark and it was great to hear the Australian national anthem in the paddock.

Ed
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Post by Ed » Tue Jul 21, 2009 3:15 pm

Hungarian Grand Prix Preview

Hungaroring in a nutshell

A permanent racetrack but almost as labyrinthine as Monaco. For that reason, a strong qualifying performance is essential. Overtaking has been eased since 2003, when the main straight was extended and the first corner reprofiled, but only slightly (not least because it is incredibly dusty off the racing line). Modern convention makes this a two-stop race like most others.

Talking technical

Car dynamics
Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s corners expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit’s configuration and the greater propensity for understeer to compromise lap time. Average turn angle at the Hungaroring is 126 degrees which is significantly higher than the average for the Championship. The circuit therefore is more penalising on an understeer balance than the majority of circuits on the calendar.

The end of straight (EOS) speed at the Hungaroring was 297kp/h in 2008. The Hungarian track ranks as having the 3rd lowest EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing level typically selected to optimise the downforce/drag ratio. Meanwhile, the Hungaroring has the 3rd lowest average lap speed of any of the tracks on the calendar.

Pitlane & refuelling strategy
The pitlane length and profile contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at the Hungaroring is approximately 20.5 seconds, the 9th most penalising pitlane in the Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around the Hungaroring requires 2.48kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km across all circuits this season, ranking the circuit as the 6th most demanding in terms of fuel consumption.

Safety car
Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is the likelihood of safety car deployments, which are influenced by weather considerations, the availability of clear run-off areas that allow racing to continue while recovery takes place and the circuit profile, especially the character of the entry and exit into turn one at the start of the race. There has been one safety car deployments in the last 8 races at the Hungaroring, making it relatively unlikely that there will be a safety car period.

Temperature, pressure & humidity
As an example, it is a long observed tradition that drivers arriving at Interlagos complain about a lack of grip and an absence of engine power. Having become acquainted with a baseline of engine and aerodynamic performance during the season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the final races can, courtesy of the reduction in air density, rob a Formula One car of engine power, aerodynamic performance and cooling. The losses can come close to double digit percentages and thus have a very real impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of the prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most significantly by season, air pressure which is closely linked to altitude and, to a much smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if races are run at the same time each year, the factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density is elevation. The Hungaroring is 220m above sea level and has the 4th lowest average pressure (980mbar) of any race venue in the 2009 Championship. As a consequence, the circuit’s ambient characteristics will result in a noticeable reduction in engine power.

What the drivers say

Reflections on the German Grand Prix
Nico “We came home from Germany with another strong result with the fourth place. It was a bit of a difficult weekend before that though as we struggled with tyre temperatures as it was really quite cold at the Nürburgring. Still, it all came together for us in the end and I'm really happy as I made up a lot of places from my 15th grid position. It’s good to see the team making steady progress with the car and I hope it continues, as it would be great to get on that podium soon.”

Kazuki “It was a little bit disappointing and an unlucky weekend for me. The weather in qualifying was especially tricky. We showed though that the car is quite competitive though and we have enough speed to score points, so hopefully it will happen for us in Hungary.”

What we’ve been up to between races
Kazuki “I’ve been keeping to my normal routine of visiting the factory to use the simulator and then lots of training since I came home from Germany. I was also on duty again at the weekend for the team’s second trip to Moscow. Nico went last year and I know now why he loved it so much! To drive a Formula One car alongside such iconic landmarks like the Kremlin and Red Square was amazing and an experience I will never forget!”

Nico “The break between the races has gone back to the usual two weeks which is good as I prefer the rhythm. During that time, I've been to Sardinia with friends. It was a fantastic trip and they introduced me to sailing, which was a really nice new experience.”

The Hungaroring – from a technical perspective
Nico “The Hungaroring is a completely different type of track to the Nürburgring. It’s quite slow and twisty, and is a maximum downforce circuit which should suit our car. It will definitely be hotter over there than it was in Germany so we can look forward to a bit of an easier weekend when it comes to set-up as we'll be able to get the tyres up to temperature. Traditionally, Williams has always gone well round Budapest and I hope that will be the case this year and we continue our strong form.”

Kazuki “The Hungaroring is probably one of my favourites tracks on the calendar. It’s going to be a tough race because of the temperatures in Hungary at this time of year, and just because of the nature of the circuit. It’s a very slow track, a little bit like Monaco in that the corners are all slow and medium speed. Overtaking will therefore be difficult because there aren’t many long straights, so qualifying will be really important. I think we will be competitive there.”

Budapest: love it or hate it?
Nico “Budapest is a great city. It’s filled with cool bars and restaurants, not that I can go out much, but its really vibrant and so one of the more enjoyable places we visit in the year.”

Kazuki “I know Budapest is a beautiful city but I’ve never really explored it as I haven’t ever had the time. I hope that this year I will have some time to look around, or go out in the evening to a restaurant for a good local meal. It’s always nice when we go to such interesting cities like Budapest, it just makes the weekend more exciting.”

Ed
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Post by Ed » Sat Jul 25, 2009 1:09 am

HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX PRACTICE

Objectives P1: Mechanical set-up and analysis of new aero component (including new front and rear wing)
Objectives P2: Tyre evaluation and qualifying preparation

Conclusions - Sam Michael, Technical Director
“It was a good practice today, we managed to get through everything on set-up and testing the new aero parts we have here. Everything went well on both fronts. We then spent the afternoon session evaluating the two different tyres, both of which look quite good for us, so from here we will be concentrating on qualifying and refining the set-up for tomorrow. We had no technical problems today.”

Nico Rosberg
Runs P1: run 1 new prime (1 lap) install, run 2 scrubbed prime (8 laps) baseline, run 3 scrubbed prime (7 laps) mechanical set-up, run 4 scrubbed prime (5 laps) aero test
Runs P2: run 1 scrubbed prime (3 laps) baseline, run 2 new option (12 laps) tyre compare, run 3 new prime (12 laps) tyre compare, run 4 new option (2 laps) qualifying practice & aero test, run 5 scrubbed option (3 laps) aero test, run 6 scrubbed option (3 laps) aero test

We have made some good progress today in the sessions, but I don’t yet feel completely happy in the car and I think we can find some more improvement tomorrow. The tyres will be quite interesting to work out as although they are quite close together, the option at the end of a run is obviously a bit slower than the prime. We will have to analyse carefully which way we go in the race and I think that the answer might not be too obvious. We also spent some time testing the new aero parts we have here.

Kazuki Nakajima
Runs P1: run 1 new prime (1 lap) install, run 2 scrubbed prime (7 laps) baseline, run 3 scrubbed prime (6 laps) mechanical set-up, run 4 scrubbed prime (5 laps) mechanical set-up
Runs P2: run 1 scrubbed prime (3 laps) baseline, run 2 new prime (10 laps) tyre compare, run 3 new option (10 laps) tyre compare, run 4 new option (4 laps) qualifying practice, run 5 scrubbed option (3 laps) damper test

It was a good session today. We recorded some good long runs and although our short runs were not quite as good, if we can fix this by working with the data, we will be looking good for tomorrow.

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Post by Ed » Sun Jul 26, 2009 1:33 am

HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
SATURDAY 25 JULY, 2009

Pending of the publication of fuel loads, the AT&T Williams team was pleased with a good qualifying session that positions Nico Rosberg in a competitive fifth position for tomorrow’s race start on a twisty circuit where overtaking is traditionally limited. Despite finishing the second ‘low fuel’ session in third and thereby making his third appearance in Q3 this year, team-mate Kazuki Nakajima was not able to maintain such strong form into the final top ten shoot-out. He will nevertheless be a strong contender for points, starting Sunday’s race in ninth place.

Nico Rosberg:
From my point of view, fifth place was okay today and gives us a really good chance for tomorrow. Overall, we have been looking good here and my target remains a podium. Obviously we need to see where everyone else is with fuel and we need a good start and race strategy, but I believe we have some real promise. Given all of this, I am looking forward to the race. Most importantly though, I hope that Felipe is alright.

Kazuki Nakajima:
Initially qualifying went well, certainly up until Q2. I was pleased to make it through into the final ten again, but perhaps I didn’t make the most out of the final session. I struggled with tyre warm-up and couldn’t find the lap time. It may make it a bit difficult tomorrow starting from P9, but let’s see what we can achieve.

Sam Michael, Technical Director:
First and foremost, we all hope that Felipe Massa is okay after his incident. We had a good practice and qualifying session and the car has been quick around here all weekend. Our target now is to race for some good points with both cars, although starts will be tricky with the KERS cars around us, but that’s what we will have to deal with.

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Post by Ed » Mon Jul 27, 2009 1:49 am

HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RACE
SUNDAY 26 JULY, 2009

Nico Rosberg scored a second consecutive fourth place at the Hungaroring today, elevating him by two places in the driver’s championship to fifth position. A good baseline pace from the FW31 all weekend, and a crucial defence of his position against a KERS-powered McLaren at turn one provided the essential elements for Nico to build a strong performance on a circuit that witnessed only a few overtaking manoeuvres in 70 laps. Team-mate Kazuki Nakajima edged closer to securing his first points of the season, but starting the race ninth with limited opportunity to gain position on track, and most of the field running similar tyre and fuel strategies offered little prospect to improve on his start position. The team’s continued thoughts are with Felipe Massa for his recuperation.

Nico Rosberg:
I am quite pleased with the outcome today as it was quite tricky, especially at the start against the KERS cars. Initially I had no chance off the line, but the first corner was quite a big mess and I managed to profit from this and climb back to fifth place, which was important. As the race settled down, I had to manage the tyres cautiously because of graining in both the first and second stint. Given all of these issues, we have to be very happy with fourth place and I am now up to fifth in the championship, although of course this was in part due to the fact that Felipe wasn’t able to start today. Anyway, I am enjoying working with the team and everyone is pushing on really well, so we'll continue to improve if we keep moving in this direction.

Kazuki Nakajima:
After the first lap when I got past Jenson, I couldn’t hold the position and once he had got back past me, it dictated my race – it was a big moment for me and made it very difficult to improve for the rest of the day despite good car pace as I was running in traffic. We just need to keep pushing and one race soon we are going to get the result.

Sam Michael, Technical Director:
It was good to score some points from another fourth place for Nico, although our expectations are going up and we really want to get onto the podium. It was a shame to miss out on a point for Kazuki. Both drivers had good starts and race pace was underlined by Nico’s third fastest lap, so everything is going in the right direction, we just need to start putting away some more points.

Points: AT&T Williams 25.5 (6th), Nico Rosberg 25.5 (5th), Kazuki Nakajima

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Post by Ed » Wed Aug 19, 2009 12:41 am

EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

Valencia, Spain
This Mediterranean-fringed circuit opened in 2008 and, in common with its better established Monégasque counterpart, presents one of the season’s greatest overtaking conundrums. Quick for a street circuit, with average lap speeds of almost 200kph, Valencia is a challenge for tyre supplier Bridgestone too because it incorporates no fewer than 25 corners (11 left-handers, 14 rights). On the evidence of the inaugural race, in which Nico Rosberg delivered a strong, points-scoring performance for Williams, two-stop strategies work best.

Talking technical

Car dynamics
Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s corners expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit’s configuration and the greater propensity for understeer to compromise lap time. Average turn angle at Valencia is 112 degrees which is about average for the Championship.

The end of straight (EOS) speed at Valencia was 311kp/h in 2008. The Spanish track ranks as having the 5th highest EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing level typically selected to optimise the downforce/drag ratio. Meanwhile, Valencia has the 4th lowest average lap speed of any of the tracks on the calendar.

Pitlane & refuelling strategy
The pitlane length and profile contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at Valencia is approximately 15.5 seconds, which is the least penalising pitlane in the Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around Valencia requires 2.45kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km across all circuits this season, ranking the circuit as the 7th most demanding in terms of fuel consumption.

Safety car
Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is the likelihood of safety car deployments, which are influenced by weather considerations, the availability of clear run-off areas that allow racing to continue while recovery takes place and the circuit profile, especially the character of the entry and exit into turn one at the start of the race. There were no safety car deployments during the inaugural European Grand Prix in Valencia, however, the street circuit layout and lack of circuit run-off areas make it highly likely that there will be a safety car period.

Temperature, pressure & humidity
As an example, it is a long observed tradition that drivers arriving at Interlagos complain about a lack of grip and an absence of engine power. Having become acquainted with a baseline of engine and aerodynamic performance during the season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the final races can, courtesy of the reduction in air density, rob a Formula One car of engine power, aerodynamic performance and cooling. The losses can come close to double digit percentages and thus have a very real impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of the prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most significantly by season, air pressure which is closely linked to altitude and, to a much smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if races are run at the same time each year, the factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density is elevation. Valencia is at sea level and has an average pressure of 1,002.5mbar. As a consequence, the circuit’s ambient characteristics will have little effect on engine power.

What the drivers say

Reflections on the Hungarian Grand Prix
Nico “From a team perspective, Hungary was another positive weekend. I had a bit of a messy start to the race, and I had to work hard to claw back positions after the KERS cars just flew past me off the line, but I’d gained my fifth place grid slot back before the end of the first lap and then progressed to fourth in the stops, which is where I finished the race. We had the opportunity to fight Raikkonen for second, but we made some mistakes. We need to iron those out if we’re to make the most of our pace and start getting on the podium.”

Kazuki “Something’s got to give soon! It’s very difficult starting from the midfield because performance levels are so close between the teams it’s hard to make up places off the line. If you don’t, and someone with a longer fuel load gets ahead of you, your race can be over on the first lap, which is what happened to me in Hungary when Button got ahead of me. It was frustrating, but I know some points will come my way soon.”

What we’ve been up to during the shutdown
Kazuki “As I wasn’t allowed in the factory due to the enforced shutdown (which was very strange for me as I basically spend all my time there between races, either with my engineers or in the simulator), I flew home to Japan. It was a long enough trip to catch up with lots of friends in Tokyo and to spend some time with my family as well. I kept up my training too as cockpit temperatures tipped 60°C in Valencia last year and I don’t want any distractions this weekend.”

Nico “After the race, I spent a few days in Budapest with friends as I love the city, we then all went on to Ibiza for a few days on the beach. From there, I went home to Monaco to do some intensive training. I covered lots of ground on the bike, on the roads and into the mountains. As I’ve been following the Tour de France, I think I’ve developed a bit of a passion for it!”

Valencia – from a technical perspective
Nico “This will only be our second trip to Valencia and I’m looking forward to going back as the organisers have built a really good track. Unlike what you would normally expect from a street circuit, Valencia has a lot of corners but they aren’t tight and twisty, but quite fast and flowing so the whole lap is quite quick. Combined with the temperatures, it can be a demanding race, but I’m prepared.”

Kazuki “I’ve spent lots of time on our simulator preparing for Valencia over the course of the year so feel I know the circuit quite well. It’s not a typical street circuit, but you have to be really careful around the lap as there are no run off areas. I think the biggest challenges over the weekend are grip levels as it was quite green when we arrived last year as well as cockpit temperatures.”

The city itself: love it or hate it?
Nico “Valencia’s a cool city. The Spanish are really enthusiastic about Formula One, so the atmosphere is usually buzzing. The paddock is in the harbour, right next to the sea, so it’s a little bit like Monaco, maybe not quite as glamorous, but a really nice location for a Grand Prix.”

Kazuki “I enjoyed the trip to Valencia last year and am excited about going back, more so this time round because it feels like a long time since the last race and I want to get back into my car! I never explore much while I’m at a race as I prefer to concentrate on the job in hand, but Xevi, my engineer, is Spanish so I’m sure we will head out for some local food one night.”

Ed
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Post by Ed » Sat Aug 22, 2009 4:14 pm

EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX PRACTICE

Objectives P1
- Analysis of new mechanical components
- Mechanical set-up work

Objectives P2
- Performance evaluations with low and high fuel loads
- Tyre comparisons

Conclusions – Rod Nelson, Chief Operations Engineer
“As Valencia is a street circuit we found that the grip level increased throughout the sessions, particularly in the second session when people started running the new tyres. As usual on a Friday, we concentrated on a combination of car set-up work and also some homework for the race with some long runs on both types of tyre. The circuit was in fairly good condition at the end of the session and the weather looks like it will remain pretty hot and humid all weekend.”

Nico Rosberg
Runs P1: 1 install (new prime), 6 (scrubbed prime), 4 (scrubbed prime), 5 (scrubbed prime)
Runs P2: 2 (scrubbed prime), 11 (new prime), 11 (new option), 4 (new option), 3 (scrubbed option)

“I had a difficult start in the morning because the tyres grained straightaway. I was then left with a grained set for the remainder of the session which meant I didn’t learn much at all. The afternoon was much better as we managed a good tyre test so we now have much more information for Sunday. We also made some positive set-up changes and have a good handle on which way to go with the car. In general, it was ok today. Performance-wise, we are not quite where we want to be so we have some further analysis to do ahead of tomorrow, but that should help us improve. We will wait and see.”

Kazuki Nakajima
Runs P1: 1 install (new prime), 7 (scrubbed prime), 6 (scrubbed prime), 5 (scrubbed prime)
Runs P2: 3 (scrubbed prime), 9 (new option), 9 (new prime), 3 (new option), 1 (scrubbed option)

“I think it was a good day for us. We seem to have good long run pace and, even on the new tyres, our times were decent on the short runs as well. The track was fairly green at the start of the day, but improved throughout the two sessions and will continue to do so for tomorrow’s qualifying, which I’m really looking forward to.”

SESSION 1 SESSION 2
AIR & TRACK TEMP 25 - 27 C / 28 - 37 C 28 - 30 C / 44 - 50 C

WEATHER Hot and sunny Hot and sunny

TOP 3
R Barrichello 1:42.460
H Kovalainen 1:42.636
L Hamilton 1:42.654

F Alonso 1:39.404
J Button 1:40.178
R Barrichello 1:40.209

N ROSBERG 1:43.746 (14th) 22 LAPS 1:40.385 (4th) 39 LAPS Chassis FW31-03 Engine H453
K NAKAJIMA 1:43.225 (7th) 25 LAPS 1:40.503 (5th) 35 LAPS Chassis FW31-04 Engine H469

Ed
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Post by Ed » Sun Aug 23, 2009 12:15 am

EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
SATURDAY 22 AUGUST, 2009

In sweltering conditions today at the Valencia Street Circuit, Nico Rosberg drove his FW31 through Q1 and Q2 and into the final round of qualifying in which he set the seventh fastest lap time. Team-mate, Kazuki Nakajima, endured a frustrating afternoon caused by an as yet unidentified fault which prompted his engine to shutdown in the midst of Q1. Kazuki will therefore line up on the ninth row of the grid despite showing strong pace throughout the practice sessions.

Nico Rosberg:
Qualifying was generally ok. I’m in P7 with quite a lot of fuel, possibly more than anybody else around me, so I have a strong strategy for the race. There was no point in trying to out qualify the cars with KERS because they will overtake me off the line anyway. I’d prefer to qualify behind them, have more fuel on board and then beat them in the race. This track suits our car so we could have a points scoring race tomorrow.

Kazuki Nakajima:
We had a failure on my car which caused the engine to cut out during Q1 so I didn’t have a chance to show what we could do. It’s a shame because I think we were strong enough to have been in the top ten today. We have a good race pace, so I just need to use that to my advantage and do my best tomorrow.

Rod Nelson, Chief Operations Engineer:
Today was obviously disappointing for Kazuki. We are still looking into the problem which stopped him out on the circuit, but we do know it wasn’t driver error. We are reasonably pleased with where we are with Nico. He’s on the clean side of the grid, which is a large advantage here. He’ll have KERS cars on the dirty side next to him, but hopefully we’ll stay ahead of them this time. We’re happy with the strategy we’ve chosen.

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Post by Ed » Mon Aug 24, 2009 1:11 am

EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX RACE
SUNDAY 23 AUGUST, 2009

Today’s European Grand Prix at Valencia’s 5.44km street circuit yielded four points for the AT&T Williams team as Nico Rosberg scored for the seventh consecutive time this season, eight times overall, with his fifth place finish. Despite strong progress from 17th on the grid which saw him jump three places in the opening lap, Kazuki Nakajima’s compromised weekend continued as a puncture on lap 38 forced an unscheduled pitstop and returned him to the back of the field. As a precaution, with two laps to go, Kazuki was retired to limit any potential damage to his gearbox as a result of the earlier puncture. Today’s points consolidate the team’s sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship and Nico’s fifth position in the drivers’ standings.

Nico Rosberg:
I did enjoy the race, but the heat really took most of the fun out of it. It wasn’t nice, but it was still a good result for the team. Fifth again, after starting seventh, is not bad, and gives us more points. I was hoping to beat Raikkonen today but he was too fast. Our car seems to suit every track we go to, and the team is doing well to keep development going from race to race. It’s nice that we are always up there and I hope we continue like this, and possibly make a step forward onto the podium soon.

Kazuki Nakajima:
It was another disappointing afternoon for me. It was all over in qualifying really. I was in 13th when I had the puncture and that really finished my race. Just a few laps before the end, I then had some kind of problem so I had to stop early.

Rod Nelson, Chief Operations Engineer:
Kazuki was compromised by his problems in qualifying so we decided to go for a long first stint which was looking reasonable until his puncture. We then had to retire his car early as it had some damage from the puncture which could have harmed the gearbox. Nico drove a strong race. We were hoping to get close to Raikkonen but the second stint wasn’t strong enough which, in turn, brought Alonso into play. We managed the gap to Alonso to keep fifth place which we are happy with.

Points: AT&T Williams 29.5 (6th), Nico Rosberg 29.5 (5th), Kazuki Nakajima -

Ed
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Post by Ed » Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:56 pm

BELGIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
In the slipstream of two circuits that render overtaking all but impossible, Spa offers welcome relief to frustrated drivers. Fast and challenging, the longest track on the calendar incorporates a raft of passing opportunities and some of the most exhilarating corners of the season, notably Pouhon and Eau Rouge. The weather often generates a little unwanted excitement, too, in the form of sudden cloudbursts. Drivers plump for both one-and two-stop strategies (the latter favoured by the quicker qualifiers), but adverse weather in 2008 meant two or three stops became the order of the day.

Talking technical

Car dynamics
Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s corners expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit’s configuration and the greater propensity for understeer to compromise lap time. Average turn angle at Spa-Francorchamps is 76 degrees which is the lowest in the Championship and highlights the flowing nature of the circuit.

The end of straight (EOS) speed at Spa was 319kp/h in 2008. The Belgium track ranks as having the 2nd highest EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing level typically selected to optimise the downforce/drag ratio. Meanwhile, Spa has the 2nd highest average lap speed of any of the tracks on the calendar.

Pitlane & refuelling strategy
The pitlane length and profile contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at Spa is approximately 19.8 seconds, which is the 6th least penalising pitlane in the Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around Spa requires 2.25kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km across all circuits this season, ranking the circuit as the 2nd least demanding in terms of fuel consumption.

Safety car
Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is the likelihood of safety car deployments, which are influenced by weather considerations, the availability of clear run-off areas that allow racing to continue while recovery takes place and the circuit profile, especially the character of the entry and exit into turn one at the start of the race. There have been 4 safety car deployments in the last 7 races at Spa, which means that there is a 57% chance that the circuit’s character will induce a safety car period.

Temperature, pressure & humidity
As an example, it is a long observed tradition that drivers arriving at Interlagos complain about a lack of grip and an absence of engine power. Having become acquainted with a baseline of engine and aerodynamic performance during the season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the final races can, courtesy of the reduction in air density, rob a Formula One car of engine power, aerodynamic performance and cooling. The losses can come close to double digit percentages and thus have a very real impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of the prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most significantly by season, air pressure which is closely linked to altitude and, to a much smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if races are run at the same time each year, the factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density is elevation. Spa-Francorchamps is 410m above sea level and has the 3rd lowest average pressure (968 mbar) of any race venue in the 2009 championship. As a consequence, the circuit’s ambient characteristics will result in a significant reduction in engine power.

What the drivers say
Reflections on the European Grand Prix

Nico “It was a good weekend for us. Again, the car performed really well which is good to see. It’s been consistent on every single track so far so I’m pleased with the way the team is working. In relation to other teams, we’ve done well on the development front as well. We should have been on the podium this race, but McLaren have made an even bigger jump than us which is frustrating, but we are always there and a podium should come soon. Hopefully Kazuki will have some more good fortune on his side for the rest of the season as he was very quick this weekend and he could have scored some points if it weren’t for the puncture.”

Kazuki “From Saturday on, it was a bad weekend for me. We had a problem with the car in qualifying which ruled me out of Q2 and put me right down the grid in P17. From there, it was hard work to make any headway even though I made up three places in the opening lap. I was running in 13th and racing for 11th when I then had a puncture which was really frustrating. Up until then, it was going quite well considering so the end result was a shame.”

What we did after Valencia

Kazuki “We only have a couple of days before heading over to Belgium, so I’ll be going to the factory to do some simulator work with my engineers.”

Nico “I don’t have any plans really. I’m going home to Monaco and will just be relaxing with friends and fitting in some training.”

Spa – from a technical perspective

Nico “Spa should be good for the team. It’s a very high speed track, very different to Valencia, but our car goes really well everywhere. This track, in particular, will suit our car because we have a strong aero package for the quick corners so I’m looking forward to it.”

Kazuki “It’s very different to Valencia with its medium and high speed corners. We struggled a bit there in 2008 but this year’s car is competitive everywhere so it should be fine. The weather made it a difficult race last year so hopefully it will be more stable this year.”

Belgium: love it or hate it?

Nico “Belgium’s in the middle of nowhere really so it will make a change to the places where we’ve visited recently. Going to different places is what Formula One’s about though so it will be nice.”

Kazuki “I don’t have much experience of the country as a whole, but Spa and the surrounding countryside is really beautiful. It’s quiet, but the people are really passionate about Formula One so always really nice to go there.”

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