2006 CHINESE GRAND PRIX
SHANGHAI - PREVIEW
The Honda Racing F1 Team heads east to Asia next week for
the final double-header of the 2006 Formula One season, the
Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, followed one week later by
Honda's home race, the Japanese Grand Prix at the Honda-owned
Suzuka circuit.
The team has continued to push the development of the RA106
car and RA806E engine right up to the end of the season with
six days of intensive testing in Jerez over the past two weeks.
These tests provided the final opportunity for race drivers
Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button to prepare for the three
remaining flyaway races as they focused on the continuing
development of the latest specification Honda engine for the
last two races, intensive tyre and aerodynamic evaluation
programmes, as well as electronic controls upgrades.
With over thirty tonnes of freight packed up and sent on
its way to Shanghai for the Grand Prix next weekend, the Honda
Racing F1 Team will first make a pit-stop in Tokyo this weekend
as Jenson Button and James Rossiter drive the RA106 at the
Japanese Automobile Federation 'Mega Web' Motorsports Festival
in Odaiba Bay.
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"The Shanghai circuit is extremely impressive but more
importantly it has a challenging track layout. The venue holds
some pretty special memories for me as I won the very first
Grand Prix there from pole position in 2004 which was a great
weekend. With three races left of the season, my aim is to
put the car into a podium position and I believe that we can
deliver the performance to achieve this. The tests in Jerez
have been very positive with developments on the aero and
electronics packages, plus intensive evaluation of the tyres
for Shanghai and the final races. Importantly the car and
engine were very reliable and we hope that this will enable
us to continue the strong performance that we have shown over
the last three races."
JENSON BUTTON
"The Chinese Grand Prix has quickly become one of my
favourite races on the calendar and the atmosphere at the
race for the last two years has been fantastic. The circuit
is very technical and quite demanding for the drivers but
also fun to drive, with the stand-out feature being the length
of the corners, particularly turn one which is tough on the
neck. We had a good result in Shanghai in 2004 when I finished
in P2 behind Rubens and I think that the track will suit our
car this year. Our final test of the season in Jerez went
well this week and we hope to end the season on a high note
with some good performances at the final three races."
GIL DE FERRAN
Sporting Director
"Both of our drivers have been very successful in the
Chinese Grand Prix in previous years and Shanghai is a great
addition to the calendar for our team. We go to China encouraged
by our recent race performances and our most recent test in
Jerez which was our last opportunity to evaluate all the developments
that we intend to use in the final three races. The Shanghai
circuit is a very striking facility with a mixture of long
straights and an interesting combination of low and medium
speed corners. The main feature is the length of some corners
which present a unique and difficult challenge, particularly
turn one where the drivers start turning at full throttle
at about 280 kph and continuously brake and turn for about
six seconds until the slowest part of the corner. Hopefully
we can maintain our steady progression in performance and
be fighting at the front of the field yet again."
Shanghai International Circuit
Race Distance 56 laps
Circuit Length 3.387 miles (5.451 kms)
The Chinese Grand Prix made its debut on the Formula One
calendar in 2004 to universal acclaim of the hugely impressive
facilities. Designed by Hermann Tilke, the Shanghai International
Circuit is built on three square kms of reclaimed marshland,
and can seat up to 200,000 people.
The 5.451 km track is shaped like the Chinese character 'shang'
standing for 'high' or 'above'. It comprises seven left and
seven right turns with several overtaking opportunities, in
particular at the multi-apex turn one and at the end of the
back straight. Average speeds are approximately 200 kph, with
the cars reaching their maximum speeds down the longest straight
in Formula One, which stretches for over a kilometre in length
between turns thirteen and fourteen.
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