2006 Malaysian GP Preview, Renault F1 Team
The Renault F1 Team's official 2006 Malaysian Grand
Prix preview.
Fernando Alonso: "Traditionally this
is a strong track for Renault"
Fernando, that was a great start to the season in
Bahrain…
Yes, it was the perfect way to begin the year I think. We
had a very exciting race for the spectators, and I think we
can expect a very interesting start to the season. As we thought
from testing, there are four teams fighting to win at any
type of circuit – Honda, McLaren, Ferrari and Renault.
We can all win races, so it will be a fun time in the coming
weeks.
What about the circuit in Sepang? It has always been
a special place for you…
Sepang has always been one of my favourite driver's circuits,
and I seem to have important moments of my career there too
– my first pole and podium in 2003, and the first win
of my championship in 2005. I am arriving on the back of a
win, at a super circuit, so I am very happy and hopefully
we can win again. Traditionally, this is a strong track for
Renault.
Finally, let's talk tyre performance. Michelin seemed
to narrowly have the edge in Bahrain…
I think the tyres should be ready. Michelin have done a fantastic
job with the new rules, and the high temperatures are not
a problem at all. I think they have the tyres to win again
in Malaysia.
Giancarlo Fisichella: "Sepang will
suit the strong points of the R26"
Giancarlo, what are the physical demands of the race
in Malaysia?
I think this is the toughest track physically, but also mentally
because we need to maintain our concentration on a very demanding
circuit in terms of driving, and in the heat. I am prepared,
and in good physical condition, so it won't be a problem but
for sure, we will see who is fit during this race. Malaysia
is one of the best circuits I think, the atmosphere is good,
and I really enjoy it.
What are the demands of the circuit in terms of the
car?
I call it a complete circuit. You have everything to make
a very challenging circuit in Malaysia. There are many different
types of corners. You have high-speed, low-speed hairpins,
and it is all good fun to drive.
How are you feeling after the disappointment of retirement
in Bahrain?
I am very positive. Last year, I won the first race then had
a difficult season. This year, I hope it will be the other
way round – a bad race then a lot of good results! I
will have a fresh engine in Malaysia, and we know that it
was not a problem with the V8 itself. My approach will be
the same: to try and go for the win. I think the Sepang circuit
will suit our strong points with the R26, maybe more than
Bahrain. It has all the characteristics we believe suit our
package.
Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations:
"There are four potential favourites. Expect
an exciting battle in Malaysia.
Denis, we are one race into the season. Can you begin
drawing any conclusions about the relative performance of
Renault and the competition?
We saw the first demonstration of the teams' true performance
last Sunday, and it was immediately clear that the situation
is highly competitive. A number of teams are quick on a single
lap, able to maintain that speed in race conditions and, as
we saw from Raikkonen, capable of running a different strategy
and making it work. At Renault, we are pleased to be within
that group, but the performance differentials are very small.
What was your impression of the state of play with
the new V8 engines?
Before the season, there were some thoughts that the new regulations
might be the opportunity for one manufacturer to take a decisive
advantage, and that does not seem to have happened. It is
a little early to judge reliability with any certainty, but
it was initially very good. The changes have seen the cards
shuffled a little, with Ferrari jumping back to the front,
Honda very quick and Renault and McLaren maintaining their
performance. There are four potential favourites, so we can
expect an exciting battle in Malaysia.
You seem excited at the prospect of the next race…
Well, if Formula 1 was a wine, you could say we were in for
a good vintage! I think we will see the points being shared
widely this year, and in that environment, any weakness will
be punished severely. We will need to have two cars performing
at the highest level, and to maintain our levels of quality.
In modern F1, quality means the combination of reliability
and the ability to develop performance throughout the year.
We did it in 2005. In 2006, we have a sound basis from which
to work.
What happened to Fisico last weekend?
We do not yet know the exact cause of the problem but with
a power deficit of around 50 bhp, he drove a very impressive
race. It is important to say the problem was not with the
engine itself, rather with a peripheral component that led
to a problem with how the engine was operating. In order to
make a proper diagnosis in the best conditions, we have sent
the engine back to Viry to be dyno tested this week with some
very high performance diagnostic tools. As the rules allow
following retirement, Giancarlo will use a fresh engine in
Bahrain.
What about Fernando's engine? After one hot race,
is the prospect of another in quick succession a worry?
In actual fact, Bahrain was not as hot as expected, with ambient
temperatures around 25°C. We will see higher values than
that during the European summer. From that perspective, the
hot race is still to come. However, Fernando ran a normal
weekend and stayed within the engine's allocated performance
potential throughout the Bahrain weekend.
What about the challenges of Sepang for the engine?
They have increased in severity relative to last year. The
nature of the circuit layout, with the high speed corners,
means the drivers will spend 15% more time at full throttle
than last year. It will be a demanding weekend for the V8,
and at its conclusion, we will have a much better idea of
how things stand for the first iteration of the V8 engines
in terms of performance and reliability.
Malaysia Tech File: Chassis
Sepang is what can be termed a ‘complete' circuit in
its demands on the chassis. It has high-speed corners, rapid
changes of direction (particularly turns 5 and 6), and slow
hairpins. In order to achieve optimum performance for these
contradictory requirements we must, as always, find the correct
compromise on the car set-up.
Suspension: The car must be stable and well-balanced
in the fast corners, and in the braking zones for the slow
corners. We will use relatively stiff settings to achieve
this, while still maintaining them soft enough to have good
traction in the slower corners.
Aerodynamics: We use medium high downforce
to optimise the car performance in the high-speed corners
and under braking.
Tyres: This will be a key factor and will
play a significant part in our set-up choices with the car.
The quick corners coupled to high ambient temperatures put
the tyres under significant loadings, and the rear tyres work
particularly hard at this circuit. Tyre degradation will be
a key parameter.
Cooling: Given the high temperatures expected
in Malaysia, the effective general cooling of the car will
be a key to success this weekend.
Malaysia Tech File: Engine
Performance: With 72% of the lap spent at
full throttle, Sepang is now one of the most demanding engine
circuits of the year – this is the third highest value
encountered all season, and represents a significant change
to the V10 era. This is because of the high number of high-speed
corners on the circuit. Given that the V8 engines have less
power than their predecessors, this means that the drivers
will spend more time on the throttle than last year.
Operating Range: The operating range of
the engine is not particularly demanding at this circuit,
as the engine is rarely used at very low revs. However, the
high speed sections can pose their own particular problems,
particularly through turns 5 and 6. The drivers use partial
throttle openings at high revs on this part of the circuit,
and if this is not properly managed, it can result in a phenomenon
named ‘blow-by' which can damage both the pistons and
piston-rings, with gas escaping from the combustion chamber.
High Temperatures: More so than in Bahrain,
we will once again have to contend with the acoustic offset
caused by the high temperatures. The higher temperatures,
and thus lower air density, modify the intake acoustics, and
mean that maximum power is produced at higher engine speeds
than at lower temperatures. This means the operating range
is pushed higher than usual.
Cooling: If we need to use higher engine
revs in order to extract maximum performance from the engine,
this will require an increase in the already significant cooling
capacity at this circuit. As always, the compromise on cooling
will be between keeping the oil and water temperatures within
their specified limits, and sacrificing a minimum amount of
performance in order to achieve this.
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