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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:04 am
by Ed
The Renault F1 Team started its final pre-season test session in Barcelona today with Vitaly Petrov behind the wheel of the R30.

Circuit: Barcelona
Length: 4.6 km
Driver: Vitaly Petrov
Chassis: R30-03
Total Laps: 74 laps
Fastest Lap: 1:24.173

Summary of the day: Bright conditions in Barcelona allowed the team to complete a busy day of work. The programme included practice pit stops in the morning and set-up work in the afternoon.

Vitaly Petrov: “The track conditions were pretty good today and it was nice not to have to drive in the rain! The day went quite well and we did a lot of pit-stop practice to begin with and then some set-up work, which was useful.”

Alan Permane, Chief Engineer: “We spent part of the morning doing pit-stop practice with Vitaly, which went very well. This was the first chance for our pit crew to practice with a running car at the circuit without refuelling and there were no procedural problems. Unfortunately we had a hydraulic problem in the early afternoon, which meant we had to change part of the hydraulic system and that limited our running. But we were still able to do some set-up work as we concentrated on getting Vitaly comfortable in the car on this circuit.”

Barcelona Test Schedule 26-28 February:
Friday 26 February: Robert Kubica
Saturday 27 February: Vitaly Petrov
Sunday 28 February: Robert Kubica

Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:59 am
by Ed
The Renault F1 Team continued testing at the Circuit de Catalunya today with Robert Kubica in the R30.

Circuit: Barcelona
Length: 4.6 km
Driver: Robert Kubica
Chassis: R30-03
Total Laps: 53 laps
Fastest Lap: 1:24.912

Summary of the day: Another sunny day gave good conditions for testing. The team spent the morning focussed on shorter runs and set-up work, but ran limited laps in the afternoon.

Robert Kubica: “It’s frustrating to lose track time this afternoon because of a problem with the suspension, but I’m sure the team will get on top of the issue so that we can have a good weekend. We have some new aero parts coming for the car on Saturday and Sunday, which will help improve the pace of the car.”

Alan Permane, Chief Engineer: “Robert was in the car today for his first laps at Barcelona in the R30. We spent the morning doing some set-up work, but in the afternoon we had a problem with the suspension, which limited our running. We’re still looking into the issue and will have the car fixed and ready for tomorrow morning.”

Barcelona Test Schedule 27-28 February:
Saturday 27 February: Vitaly Petrov
Sunday 28 February: Robert Kubica

Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 10:21 am
by Ed
The Renault F1 Team completed a third day of testing in Barcelona with Vitaly Petrov.

Circuit: Barcelona
Length: 4.6 km
Driver: Vitaly Petrov
Chassis: R30-03
Total Laps: 68 laps
Fastest Lap: 1:22.523

Summary of the day: Light rain showers in the morning limited Vitaly’s track time, but the afternoon remained dry allowing the team to complete qualifying simulations and long runs.

Vitaly Petrov: “Another day of changing weather so we lost some time in the morning with the rain, but fortunately it was dry in the afternoon. We had a lot planned as it was my last day in the car before Bahrain and we did some good work and we’ve improved the car quite a bit. The qualifying simulation was useful and it was important I did this before the first race.”

Alan Permane, Chief Engineer: “It was a better day for Vitaly. We had a few issues with the car in the morning that we carried over from yesterday, but we very quickly got on top of them. The car was then much to his liking just before lunch. Unfortunately we had a little bit of rain again this morning, but managed some work in the afternoon carrying various fuel loads and Vitaly finished the day quite happy with the car. It’s a shame that he couldn’t have run a bit more today, but it was good to get a decent day of running.”

Barcelona Test Schedule:
Sunday 28 February: Robert Kubica

Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 11:43 am
by Ed
The Renault F1 Team completed its final day of winter testing in Barcelona with Robert Kubica.

Circuit: Barcelona
Length: 4.6 km
Driver: Robert Kubica
Chassis: R30-03
Total Laps: 107 laps
Fastest Lap: 1:23.175

Summary of the day: Dry and sunny weather in Barcelona gave good testing conditions. The team lost some track time in the morning with a technical problem, but covered good mileage in the afternoon.

Robert Kubica: “In the morning we lost a lot of track time with a technical problem. In the afternoon we tried to do a race distance, which was interrupted, but we did cover a lot of laps. Afterwards we just did a couple more runs for set-up work to try and improve the car a bit more.”

Alan Permane, Chief Engineer: “Our final day of testing was a mixed one as we suffered a problem with the gearbox on the installation lap, which limited our running. We managed to get back out at the end of the morning to evaluate some new aero parts and also worked on improving the set-up of the car. For the afternoon we tried to cover a race distance, and although it was interrupted, we did cover the desired number of laps. To end the day we returned to our set-up programme.”

First Grand Prix of 2010
Bahrain 12-14 March

Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 7:41 am
by Ed
Robert Kubica, R3003
Free Practice 1: 19 laps, P3, 1:57.041
Free Practice 2: 29 laps, P15, 1:58.155

Vitaly Petrov, R3002
Free Practice 1: 13 laps, P16, 1:58.880
Free Practice 2: 26 laps, P8, 1:56.750

Robert Kubica:
“The conditions today were totally different to winter testing with high track and ambient temperatures. That was something new for everybody and it had a big effect on the tyres, which is why we did a couple of runs to observe the tyre degradation, followed by some set-up work. During the first session the new part of the track was quite dusty and slippery, but it improved during the day. I expect the track to improve a lot more over the weekend, too. Overall, it was a pretty good day.”

Vitaly Petrov:
“It was a great feeling to be out in the car for the first time this morning, but we had a busy programme so I got straight down to work. We had a few small problems to begin with, but we will work hard overnight to try and improve the car. My first F1 qualifying session tomorrow will be very interesting.”

Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer:
“Robert did everything we expected of him today and Vitaly also had a very solid first day of practice as an F1 driver. We spent the two sessions running on a variety of fuel loads in order begin our preparations for both qualifying and the race. The two tyre compounds are behaving as we expected and are similar to the tyres we used at this circuit last year, with the super soft compound performing very well. In terms of car balance, there is still a little bit of understeer that we need to dial out overnight, but the rear end is stable and we have a good car under braking, which is what you need at this track. All in all, it’s a satisfying start to the weekend.”

Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 2:41 am
by Ed
FREE PRACTICE 3

Robert Kubica, R30-03, P8, 15 laps, 1:55.331

Vitaly Petrov, R30-02, P18, 16 laps, 1:56.811

QUALIFYING

Robert Kubica, R30-03, P9, 1:55.885

Robert: ”The first target for today was to get into Q3, so we can pleased with that part of the qualifying session, but I am actually a bit disappointed to be only ninth on the grid. I did two good laps in Q1 and Q2, but on my lap in the final part of the session I had a big snap oversteer in the hairpin at turn 16 that cost me about four tenths. On the positive side, we have a clearer picture of where we stand now, and it looks pretty positive when you see the cars around us on the grid: the R30 clearly has good potential. It will be a long, tough race tomorrow but our target has to be to move up the field.”

Vitaly Petrov, R30-02, P17, 1:56.619

Vitaly: “For my first ever qualifying session, this is a normal result, but I really enjoyed today. Our first target was to make Q2 so we achieved this, but we were not very lucky in Q2 and could not continue. Tomorrow is race day and it will be very interesting to see how we do - we will certainly try our best.”

Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer
“Vitaly had a solid qualifying session for his first Grand Prix weekend. He went comfortably through Q1, which was good. In Q2, he went into turn 9 a little bit too quick on his final timed lap, so he will start P17 tomorrow. As for Robert, he had a solid, untroubled Q1 and Q2 and then went comfortably into Q3, which was what we had hoped for. On his Q3 lap he had a bit of oversteer in turn 16, which cost him quite a bit of time. Overall, we are pleased with the performance of the R30 today and we know that the car works well with high fuel loads and has good straight-line speed. We look forward to a strong race tomorrow.”

Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:22 pm
by Ed
Race

The season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix saw Robert Kubica finish in 11th position, while teammate Vitaly Petrov retired in the early stages of the race.

Robert Kubica, P11
All our hard work this weekend was undone by the incident on the first lap. During the lap to the grid, we had high engine oil levels and we took some out on the grid, but it seemed like Webber had the same problem after turn one: his engine just sucked the oil in and there was a massive amount of smoke in front of me. I think Sutil just didn’t lift off because he couldn’t see anything and he hit me. I spun during the incident and that cooked the rear tyres: they were overheating from that point onwards and I eventually stopped very early on lap 12. I completed the rest of the race on hard tyres, and that was a big challenge: I just set myself the goal of finishing in the points, but we didn’t quite make it. Without the incident on lap one, I think we would have had a very strong points finish because we showed the pace to fight well. Overall, it was a positive weekend for us, though: we were well prepared after the winter; the team did a fantastic job at the track and back in Enstone to get the cars ready with the new package, and we didn’t have any issues with the engine or the brakes. Now, we need to keep working and keep pushing.

Vitaly Petrov, retired, lap 13 - suspension
I made a fantastic start and was running well in P11 at the end of the first lap. The car felt good, and my pace was better than Barrichello in front of me. Then I ran wide over a kerb in turn 12 and it seemed to damage the right-front suspension at that point. I came into the pits to have the car checked over, and that was when we realised that the suspension couldn’t be repaired so I had to retire. It was an extremely disappointing end after such a great start, but I’m pleased with how things went up to that point, and I want to thank all my mechanics and the whole team for the car they gave me this weekend. They did a fantastic job.

Eric Boullier, Team Principal
Mixed feelings after this first race of the season. Robert fell victim to a racing incident on the first lap, when he touched another car, and he drove a fantastic race to climb back through the field. It’s frustrating to finish so close to the points but, at the same time, we can be encouraged by the speed he demonstrated to get there. I’m very disappointed for Vitaly, too: he made an outstanding start and drove very well in the opening laps, looking after his tyres without overdriving, and showing strong race pace. Overall, we can say that the R30 is a good basis to work from but we’re under no illusion about the amount of work ahead of us if we want to catch the teams in front. The whole team has put in an incredible amount of effort during recent weeks, both at the factory and here at the track this weekend. The team spirit is strong and we’re all motivated to keep on pushing to improve even more.

Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer
We were disappointed not to score points today. Robert got hit from behind on the first lap and was running pretty much last at the end of lap one, before climbing back up to P11 where he ultimately finished. His pace on a long second stint on the hard tyre was very good. Vitaly made an excellent start before he experienced a problem with the front suspension that we are currently investigating. On the positive side, the car looked competitive in race trim and we had the pace to achieve a much stronger finish today. I’m confident that, with the upgrades we have planned at the coming races, our performance will only improve in the weeks ahead.

Rémi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations
The entire team had a very tough first weekend of the year but, in typical fashion, they all rose to the challenge. The two drivers did a fantastic job: Vitaly got better and better through the weekend, while Robert justified all the hopes we had for him and it was a shame to see him fall victim to a racing incident on lap one. On the engine front, we used the same engines throughout the weekend without any problems at all. We had no surprises running on the heavy fuel loads, no issues with fuel consumption and we respected every part of our planned strategy. We hope that our hard work will be rewarded with points at the next race in Australia.

Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 2:11 am
by Ed
Robert Kubica, R30-03
Free Practice 1: P1, 22 laps, 1:26.927
Free Practice 2: P11, 28 laps, 1:27.108

Robert Kubica: “It was a good Friday. This morning everything went well with just some small balance issues, so we did some set-up work to get used to the track, which is very different to Bahrain and the tracks where we tested over the winter. The second session was damp so we did some runs on intermediates to get a feeling for the wet conditions. Overnight we will work to try and improve the balance so that we get the maximum from the car tomorrow.”

Vitaly Petrov, R30-02
Free Practice 1: P9, 25 laps, 1:28.114
Free Practice 2: P5, 26 laps, 1:26.732.

Vitaly Petrov:“This morning the car felt pretty good and better than it did in Bahrain. The first session was a learning experience for me as I got to know the track and did some set-up work. We knew it was going to be wet in the second session so we went out as early as we could on the dry tyres before the rain got too heavy. When the track was damp we did some runs to analyse a few things and to understand the balance of the car on different fuel loads. It could rain on Sunday so it was good experience to run in these conditions.”

Technical Debrief with Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer:

Track conditions and evolution: Albert Park is a track that is not used very often so the track started off very dirty and there was a quick evolution during the first session with the lap times coming down rapidly. The second session was affected by rain which slowed the evolution down.

Tyre performance: We’ve not been able to assess both compounds as much as we would have liked because of the rain. We ran on the prime in the morning and were happy with things, but we didn’t get to do a comparison in the afternoon. However, we did run one car on option and one on prime so we can look at that data. As yet we haven’t seen any clear trends.

Car balance: A little bit too much understeer still. The car is quite stable at the rear, but we need to work on the front end. Both drivers are reasonably happy and the new parts are performing as expected.

Ride on the bumps: It is bumpy here but the car is working well on the bumps so no complaints.

Drivers approach: For Vitaly it was a new circuit so he ran earlier in the first session with Robert running a bit later. The approach this afternoon was affected by the rain, but we ran as much as we could, especially with Vitaly. With Robert we ran into the dry on intermediate tyres and the car looked like it was working well.

General outlook: Robert was quickest this morning and although we don’t know fuel loads of the others, we had no major complaints with the car. I said at the beginning of the weekend that the goal was to get both cars into Q3 and I still think that’s a realistic target

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:52 am
by Ed
2010 Australian Grand Prix, Sunday

Robert Kubica, P2
Fastest lap: 1:29.570
Pitstops: one, lap 8, 24.188s (Intermediate / option)

Robert: “Second place today is a fantastic result for the team after all the hard work we have done over the winter. It was a difficult race to call in terms of strategy and I pitted to change my intermediates for slicks as soon as we saw Button’s pace. I managed to jump Massa in the pits and I came out ahead of Button, but it was my first lap on slicks so I could not hold him off. I thought I would pit again later in the race, but the team said we didn’t need to if I could look after the tyres until the end of the race. I tried to take care of them as much as I could, which wasn’t easy because I had Hamilton behind me and then Massa, but in the end my tyres lasted and we managed to get this great result. We have put in so much hard work this winter, and we know there is still a long way to go before we are really competitive with the fastest teams, but this is a brilliant boost for everybody in the team."

Vitaly Petrov, retired lap 10
Fastest lap: 1:43.132
Pitstops: one, lap 8, 28.963s (Intermediate / prime)

Vitaly: “I made a good start to gain eight places and enjoyed the first few laps in the wet when I was inside the top ten. We made a change to slick tyres at the same time as most of the field, but when I was on the slicks I got caught out in the braking zone for turn three and got stuck in the gravel. I’m very disappointed because I think I could have scored points today. Still, this is a great day for the team and Robert’s second place shows the potential of the car.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal
“The second place today is a fantastic result for Robert and the whole team in Enstone and Viry. We worked really hard over the winter and we can be very proud of this result. Although we still need to improve the car, this podium gives us all a lot of motivation to keep pushing. Robert drove a perfect race, looking after the car and fighting hard. I also have to say a big well done to the mechanics, who did an excellent job to get Robert out ahead of Massa in the pits, which was crucial for the final outcome of the race. It was a disappointing end to the race for Vitaly, but he is still learning about F1. His start was very strong, and with his strategy he could have been challenging for points.”

Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer
“Robert drove a brilliant race today. He made a good start on the intermediate tyres and I think we stopped to fit slicks at pretty much the ideal time. After that he drove and excellent race and managed his tyres perfectly to bring the car home in second place. Unfortunately Vitaly’s race ended early as he got caught out in the damp conditions, but he has another weekend under his belt and will look to bounce back in Malaysia next weekend, where we will have some more new aero updates on the car.”

Rémi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations
“Today’s result is excellent and we must dedicate it to the mechanics who have worked so hard over the last few weeks, and, of course, to Robert Kubica who delivered an exceptional performance. Without him we would not have been able to get this result. We’re not yet at the level of the leading teams, but we will continue working hard to get there.”

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:53 am
by Ed
2010 Malaysian Grand Prix, Friday

Robert Kubica, R30-03
Free Practice 1: P5, 1:35.402, 22 laps
Free Practice 2: P6, 1:35.148, 34 laps

Robert Kubica:
“It was a usual Friday as we worked on trying to get a feel for the different characteristics of the track. We did a couple of runs this morning to understand and improve the balance of the car, and in the afternoon we mainly concentrated on tyre evaluation and comparison. I had no issues during both sessions so overall it has been a straightforward Friday.”

Vitaly Petrov, R30-02
Free Practice 1: P14, 1:36.712, 9 laps
Free Practice 2: P9, 1:35.872, 20 laps

Vitaly Petrov:
“The overall balance of the car was good today and it certainly feels like we have made an improvement compared with Melbourne. Unfortunately I had a problem with the fuel pump this morning and a water leak this afternoon, which cost me some track time. We still have a lot of work to do overnight and tomorrow morning so that I can get the most from the car and qualify well for the race. For today and Saturday, I am wearing a black armband to show my respect for the people who were killed or wounded at Lubyanka and Park Kultury stations in Russia this week. My thoughts are with everybody affected by this tragedy.”

Technical Debrief with Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer:

Track conditions and evolution: The track was lacking a little bit of grip at the start of P1, but it improved through the session. It was much hotter in P2, but the circuit had more grip.

Tyre performance: We’ve done a good comparison of the prime and option tyres with Robert on both long and short runs so we have a good understanding of their performance for the race.

Chassis balance: Both drivers were quite happy with the cars straight away and we’ve worked on the set-up throughout the day. We’ve got a few issues with braking stability, which we still need to work on, and Vitaly has a bit too much understeer, but the overall balance is not too bad.

Any issues in the session: Unfortunately Vitaly had a fuel leak this morning, which cost him some running time, but the mechanics did a good job to get the car ready for the start of P2. At the end of P2 Vitaly had a water leak. We’re sorry these problems cost him time out on track.

Target for the weekend: As with the previous races we’d like to get Robert well into Q3 tomorrow. Although Vitaly has lost some track time, he’s had good pace today so hopefully we can get him into Q2 and close to Q3.

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:54 am
by Ed
2010 Malaysian Grand Prix, Saturday

FREE PRACTICE 3

Robert Kubica, R30-03, P10, 1:34.549, 17 laps

Vitaly Petrov, R30-02, P16, 1:35.076, 17 laps

QUALIFYING

Robert Kubica, R30-03, P6, 1:51.051

Robert: ”Today’s weather made for quite a challenging qualifying session, but the car felt good in the wet and I made it easily through Q1 and Q2. For the final part of qualifying we thought the rain would get heavier so I pushed really hard on my first timed lap in Q3, which destroyed the tyres and made it difficult to improve as the track continued to dry. However, sixth place is a good place to start and I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow. I think the weather could play a big role, and if it’s like today the race could become a lottery.”

Vitaly Petrov, R30-02, P11, 1:48.760

Vitaly: “It was difficult to predict the weather today, so we decided to go out as early as possible, which was the right decision because the rain kept getting heavier in Q1. In Q2 the car felt good on the intermediates and I pushed hard throughout the session, but I just missed out on Q3, which is a shame. Still, 11th is a good place to start and if we get more rain tomorrow, anything could happen. I will be aiming to finish the race and hopefully score some points.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal
“With the changeable weather today it was a difficult session to call with lots of possible strategies going through our minds. Overall the team made the right decisions with the tyres for both cars and the drivers did a great job. For the race tomorrow the forecast suggests we can expect some more rain so it’s good to be starting towards the front of the grid. This is our best qualifying performance as a team this year and I think we have a good opportunity to get both cars in the points tomorrow.”

Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer
“Today’s session was great fun from the pit wall and I’m pleased that we got the tyre choice right for both Robert and Vitaly in the first two sessions. Robert made it easily through to Q3, but Vitaly just missed out, which is a shame because he has been quick today. With quite a mixed up grid for tomorrow, we should be in for an interesting race and I think we are well placed to score some good points. The weather could play its part again, but as we have seen today our car works well in the wet and the dry, and the team has reacted well to the conditions. We’re probably a bit more competitive in the wet, but I don’t mind if it’s wet or dry.”

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:55 am
by Ed
Malaysian Grand Prix, Sunday

Robert Kubica, P4
Fastest lap: 1:38.074
Pitstops: one, lap 21, time in pits: 22.958s, (option / prime)

Robert: “It was another enjoyable race and the car was consistent with good pace all afternoon. The start of the race was really important because I managed to get ahead of Hulkenberg into turn 1, and then I got a good exit out of turn 2, which helped me overtake Sutil. After that I managed to build a good gap to the cars behind me, but we didn’t have the pace to catch Rosberg. Fourth place is a good result and gives us some more important points.”

Vitaly Petrov, Retired lap 34
Fastest lap: 1.40.693
Pitstops: one, lap 14, time in pits: 25.241s, (option / prime)

Vitaly: “The first half of the race was great fun and I enjoyed fighting with the cars around me, especially the battle with Hamilton. Then, in the middle of the race, the car just stopped and I think it was a problem with the gearbox. I’m disappointed to retire, but I now have some more experience and I learnt a lot about managing the tyres, which will help me improve for the next race.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal
“To finish fourth with Robert is another great result for the team. Obviously we benefited from our good qualifying performance yesterday and Robert made a good start to the race. After that he drove very well and the car showed good pace. Vitaly also made progress at the start, drove aggressively in the opening laps, and had a good fight with Hamilton. It’s a real shame he had to retire because I think he could have scored his first points today.”

Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer
“Robert drove a great race today and was up to fourth on the first lap, which he held until the end of the race. We tried to catch Rosberg, but the Mercedes had pretty similar pace and so we had to settle for fourth. As for Vitaly, he made another good start and drove really well in the opening laps. When we changed him to the prime tyres he struggled for rear grip, but then his race came to an end with the gearbox problem, which we are still investigating.”

Rémi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations
“We had a strong race today and have come away with a good result. We were clearly on the same pace as Nico Rosberg, although he managed to stay ahead of us as the strategy unfolded. The two Red Bulls were on another planet today and underlined the overall performance of the Renault engine which has finished in three of the top four places. Our fourth place today confirms our recent progress, but we must continue working hard. I would also like to say well done to all the mechanics, who have done a brilliant job all weekend in tough working conditions.”