Preview, 2006 German GP - 24 JUL 2006
The Renault F1 Team preview of the 2006 German GP.
Fernando Alonso: "A win in Germany is worth
more than ten points"
Fernando, what is your outlook for the coming races?
I am feeling very optimistic. We had a strong first half of
the season, and they key thing now is to keep going and finalise
the job. The Renault team is ready, and I am ready. I think
we can finish 2006 the same way we started it.
This seems to be a season where, more than ever,
people are talking about tyre performance…
We are in the middle of a good fight between the tyre manufacturers
at the moment. Michelin and Bridgestone are pushing each other
hard at every race. We have fantastic tyres on the car and
Michelin are giving us the extra performance, that's why we
are leading the championship. I am confident for the rest
of the year and certain that Michelin can become champions
again.
The other key theme is in-season development. How
does Renault compare to its rivals?
I think we are developing the car in a good way at the moment.
We began the season with a fantastic car, so maybe that left
us a little less room to improve than the other teams. But
even our competitors are developing and trying to come back,
we are still winning races. The team hasn't stopped improving
the car and engine, they have done a really good job.
Ferrari beat Renault on home turf in France…
Would beating Michael Schumacher at his home race be an important
win?
It's important to beat Michael at every race – not just
Hockenheim! We know that at this stage of the season, we have
to be finishing in front of the Ferraris. But I think that
a win in Germany could be worth more than ten points because
of the psychological aspect. I try to win all the races –
but it would mean a lot to take the victory here.
What are the demands of the circuit in Hockenheim?
It is a very physical track. The temperatures are always extremely
hot, which makes it very demanding for the drivers. In terms
of the car, straightline speed is still something you need
in Hockenheim – not like in the old days, but the circuit
has long straights even now. In the slow corners, the grip
is always low but you need good mechanical settings and a
driveable car. It is a delicate compromise to find to be quick
here, and not an easy one to find.
Giancarlo Fisichella: "It's difficult to find
a perfect set-up at Hockenheim"
Giancarlo, you had a dramatic race last year –
passing Michael Schumacher on the penultimate lap. What do
you remember of it?
It was a great race! I started having some problems with the
brakes in the middle of the race, and especially towards the
end it was really tough because we didn't know whether we
could get to the finish. I was having to brake 100m early
into the corners, but Michael had some tyre problems so I
could stay with him easily. Then, my engineer gave me the
all-clear with two laps left, and I got Michael going into
turn 6. It was a good move – and a good result for me
in the end.
How will you be looking to set the car up for the
race?
Hockenheim is a difficult circuit when it comes to getting
the right set-up for the race. There is a very long back straight
where you need good power and speed, then lots of slow corners
which need good traction. The temperatures are always very
high in the race, which makes life hard for the tyres, especially
the rears. You need to find a good set-up so that the tyre
performance doesn't drop off too quickly on the long runs.
What kind of performance are you expecting in Germany?
We know that the Renault package is a very strong one, good
enough to win races. At the moment, though, the tyre factor
is playing a big role, so it is hard to make too many predictions
about performance between the teams before we start running.
But France showed us that Toyota are now at a strong level,
so there are maybe four teams fighting for the podium. My
priority in the summer is to race consistently, and get on
the podium as often as possible. I have to beat Massa and
Raikkonen. They are my rivals for third place in the championship
and I know that if I am beating them, I am helping Renault
for the constructors' title too.
Pat Symonds: "We will be racing aggressively
to the end of the year"
If we compare 2006 to 2005, you were in a similar
position at this stage of the year, leading both championships.
What are the differences twelve months on?
The strategy we have to adopt this year is totally different.
Last year, our rivals had a speed advantage and their Achilles
heel was reliability. We were on the same tyres, which meant
it would be hard to race them – so we went conservative
to benefit from their reliability problems. This year, Ferrari
are on different tyres to us, so their performance is not
in synch with ours. What's more, they have had bloody good
reliability. As a team, we have improved our performance in
every area, scored more points and finished more races. But
that isn't enough this year, we have to develop aggressively
and race aggressively too – which is a much more fun
way of going racing. In retrospect, 2005 seems almost boring
in comparison!
Tyres seem to be the talking point of the 2006 season…
Why have they seemingly taken on such importance during this
championship in particular?
Tyres always were a dominant performance factor, and always
will be. But in 2006, we have two teams, Renault and Ferrari,
with their cars at a very similar level – and each of
them is on a different tyre. Added to this is the fact that
tyres play a bigger role in total performance than any other
factor. For example, in France, a 5% increase in downforce
would bring around 0.3s/lap; a 5% increase in tyre performance
would bring more than a second a lap. When this characteristic
is coupled with the apparently equality between the leading
teams, then tyre performance becomes the keynote of the championship.
You have said repeatedly that this season is unfolding
race by race – not according to sweeping general trends.
Why?
It is because the balance of performance is so fine –
and can swing either way on small details. In France, we raced
aggressively and before the race, we hoped that Ferrari's
tyre would not hang on – indeed, they themselves were
worried that it would not. But it did, so we had to get the
maximum possible from the weekend, which was second position.
That might have been a form of damage limitation, but it shows
how fine the balance is this year and how quickly it can swing.
You have to think carefully for each event, prepare thoroughly
– and then react as it unfolds. There are no certainties
in this 2006 championship, and that's why we will be going
to Hockenheim aiming to win.
So in your opinion, the fact that Ferrari has won
the last two races – and the last one in hot temperatures
– in not a trend that will automatically continue through
the summer?
I don't think there is any evidence either way, that's the
real point. Magny-Cours is a circuit with some strange characteristics,
and what works there doesn't necessarily work elsewhere. That's
not to say it is not the case either, but there's no evidence
for it. And people sometimes have short memories – after
all, Michelin dominated in Canada where track temperatures
were at 48°C.
In terms of Renault's partnership with Michelin,
is development still moving ahead quickly?
Absolutely. As we began 2006, it was clear that Michelin had
only one thing in mind: retaining their world championship.
They are putting in that little bit extra in every area, and
if anything, the fact they are leaving F1 at the end of the
year has only made them more determined to leave as champions.
Renault will introduce a significant performance
update in Germany. Will that pay off not just at this race,
but all the way through the summer with the testing ban in
force?
I think we have to take things race by race, testing ban or
no testing ban. There is nothing to support the argument that
because we are quick at the start of August, we will be at
the end. The three circuits and the tyres we use there will
be very different. And we can still put aero updates on the
cars without track testing, make some engine improvements,
and run the cars on static testing rigs. History doesn't suggest
that relative performance remains stable in August, so while
our update in Hockenheim is an important one, we won't be
resting on our laurels in Hungary and Turkey.
What can you tell us about the work being done by
the team's three drivers?
Fernando has done a fantastic job so far this year. He may
be leaving the team at the end of the season, but his relationship
is unchanged. He has done extra testing for us, he is working
hard, and I think he attaches real importance to the idea
of winning a second title in a row. Giancarlo has a pivotal
role to play in the outcome of the constructors' championship.
That title is going to go down to the wire, and Fisi needs
to be there at every race stealing points off Ferrari. His
contribution will be fundamental in the next months. And of
course, Heikki has played an important role in our success.
He has done a super job in testing. As engineers, we know
that he is taking the car to the limit, giving good feedback
– and giving directions the race drivers agree with.
We haven't got a bad word to say about him.
How important would it be to this Renault team, to
win a second consecutive championship?
I have always said that winning a second title is a mark of
real class in any racing organisation. Any championship win
is relative, and some titles are easier than others. But to
win two in a row almost inevitably means you have dealt with
different levels of competitiveness, and adapted to them.
That shows the integrity of any team. For me, that would be
the real significance of a title win this year.
Clearly, you believe Renault will prevail in the
battle. Why?
It's the depth of this team that makes me confident. The attention
to detail, the ability to think ahead, to think laterally,
to adapt… There are so many characters contributing
so much to the effort, at the track, in the wind tunnel, on
the dyno, in manufacturing, logistics, design and many more
areas ; what's more, each of these sectors has great depth.
That is what will help us win in the end, and not just this
year but in seasons to come as well
Finally, taking things race by race, where will the
competition be coming from in Hockenheim?
I am expecting a four-way battle between Renault, Ferrari,
McLaren and Toyota. We saw in France that Toyota are right
up there, and we know that McLaren are on the pace. No question,
it's going to be a hard, hot weekend in Hockenheim. But we
go there confident, determined to be aggressive. It's just
the kind of challenge everybody at Renault enjoys.
Hockenheim Tech File
Although the current Hockenheim layout inevitably invites
unfavourable comparison to the ‘classic' – and
rather uninspired – traditional circuit that existed
until 2001, it has been the scene of close, exciting racing
in recent years. Sat in the middle of a pine forest, the race
is typically run in sweltering conditions with high humidity.
This makes life hard for the tyres, particular at the rear
of the car owing to numerous slow corners and traction events.
Downforce
In an ideal world, Hockenheim would demand medium downforce
levels to find the best compromise for optimum lap-time, as
we need grip in the medium-speed corners towards the end of
the lap. However, we do not work – and more importantly
race – in an ideal world. Like all Tilke tracks, Hockenheim
features long straights followed by slow corners that make
overtaking possible. As such, the downforce settings we use
leave the drivers short of grip in the stadium section in
order to have the top speed necessary to defend position –
and overtake rivals. Thus, we end up running medium-low downforce
levels – much as in Bahrain, for example.
Suspension
The long straights and slow corners of Hockenheim demand contrasting
suspension set-ups: stiff to maintain aerodynamic performance
at high speed, and soft for optimum mechanical grip. In general,
we will achieve this with relatively soft settings, and bump
rubbers to maintain stable ride heights at speed. The car
is run with a forward mechanical bias (stiffer at the front
than the rear) in order to optimise grip under traction and
braking. Indeed, braking stability is particularly important
at this circuit at turn 6 – where the cars slow by more
than 200 kph – is the key overtaking opportunity. We
therefore pay detailed attention to this area.
Circuit characteristics
Conditions at Hockenheim are traditionally extremely hot,
with some of the highest track temperatures of the whole year.
The heavy traction demands of the circuit means that the rear
tyres are often the focus of much attention, in order to control
the risk of blistering and avoid excessive wear that will
make the car balance unstable. Furthermore, the circuit has
the unusual characteristic of narrowing significantly where
the new tarmac joins the old, particularly in turn 12. This
is one of the quickest corners on the circuit, and the circuit
narrows on entry. It makes it easy for drivers to go off-line
and damage the car here in the large gravel trap if they are
pushing hard.
Engine performance
Hockenheim has always been a demanding circuit for the engines,
but its relative severity has in fact decreased this year.
Although the engines will spend about 10% more of the lap
at full throttle than last year (71% of the lap in 2006),
the delta from 2005 to 2006 is among the smallest of the season.
This is because the circuit contains very few high speed corners,
which is where the difference in throttle usage between the
V10 and V8 engines has been most apparent this year. Nevertheless,
with nearly three quarters of the lap at full throttle, this
remains a demanding circuit for the engines, and it not only
demands a powerful engine, but also one that pulls strongly
from low revs. Good torque is important in order to launch
the cars out of the many slow corners.
Acoustic offset
As is always the case, high temperatures mean the engine experiences
a phenomenon known as ‘acoustic offset'. This occurs
at high temperatures and means that peak power is developed
at higher revs, essentially shifting the power-band of the
engine upwards. In these circumstances, the ability to use
greater rpm represents a performance advantage – meaning
the C specification RS26 engine that both drivers will be
using will play to their advantage in the hot conditions.
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