The Renault F1 Team Preview of the 2006 European GP.
Fernando Alonso
Fernando, two wins and two second places, including
last race in Imola. Were you pleased after that result?
Absolutely. I went there saying that second would be a good
result for me, because Ferrari have always been strong in
Imola. They were competitive, like we expected, but I think
that in the race, the Renault was very close in performance
– and maybe even a bit quicker in race conditions. So
far, I have had perfect reliability this season, and we are
working hard to make sure that continues – while adding
performance as well. This has been a dream start for me, because
there is such a high level of competition in the field. I
hope it will continue!
Looking at the Nürburgring, what are the important
characteristics at that track?
I think the most important thing is that you need good traction.
There are a lot of slow corners, which means lots of hard
acceleration out of the turns. With the V8 engine, this will
be less of a problem. That's because we have less power this
year, so the car is not so much on the limit in terms of the
traction. But that is the area we always concentrate on for
this circuit, as well as finding a good balance. And we have
already seen that the R26 is very strong in both those areas.
Conditions can often be cold at the Nürburgring.
Will that be a worry for tyre performance, like we saw in
Melbourne where people struggled?
Honestly, I don't think it will be a problem for us. In Australia,
the car was really good in cold conditions and using its tyres
well. The same was true in the winter: when it was cold, we
were very competitive. So if the conditions are similar at
the Nürburgring, it will be good for us.
Are you optimistic ahead of this race?
I am expecting a big fight again. I think the level of competition
is much closer than the championship standings suggest, and
there will be some big challengers. The Michelin tyres have
performed very consistently at every circuit this year, and
they have done a great job. It will be the same in Germany,
I am sure, so we will see a big push from McLaren-Mercedes
at their home race, running on the same Michelin tyres as
us...
And how about Ferrari and Michael Schumacher?
What we don't know at the moment is how consistent Ferrari
will be. So far, they have been strong at the same tracks
as in 2005, and not so good at others. It is too early to
say if it will be the same this year, so we can't write them
off – and Michael is racing in front of his people too.
We must concentrate on our job though, at Renault. I have
the new B spec RS26 engine, which is a good step forward,
and there are new developments on the car at every race. So
I am sure we can be fighting for the win again on Sunday afternoon.
Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo, Imola was a disappointment for you…
what happened?
I pushed as hard as possible in the race but from eleventh
[his qualifying position], there was not so much I could do.
The car was very heavy in the first stint and difficult to
drive. The handling came back in the next stints – but
there is only so much you can do with the strategy at Imola,
and it is hard to make up places. I got stuck behind Barrichello
at one point but even so, nearly got sixth place. It is frustrating,
but we know we lost the chance of a good finish in qualifying.
We made some mistakes, and it won't happen again.
How hard is it to bounce back from a race like that,
where you don't reach your potential? It must be massively
frustrating…
Of course. But you have to keep your concentration, and your
motivation. If you lose that, you cannot go on. Behind me,
there is a team working at the maximum to support both of
the drivers, and giving us the same possibility to win. So
I want to win for them as well, to pay back their hard work
and their commitment.
Going to the Nürburgring often means rain…
is that a worry for you?
Yeah, that's true – it can be cold and raining too,
at some point in the weekend and sometimes in the race. But
I don't think it's a problem because I feel very comfortable
in the conditions and my smooth style works well in the wet.
Michelin made a big step on their intermediate and wet tyres
last year, so rain won't be a worry for me or the team.
The Nürburgring looks like a ‘complete'
circuit with a bit of everything – is that accurate?
It is a good circuit, for sure, and one that I enjoy driving.
There are a few slow-speed corners, like turns 1 and 6. You
have a slow-speed chicane where you jump on the kerbs and
the car feels nervous. There are quick curves, some of them
you have to attack aggressively, and they link together so
you need to get a perfect line to be quick. It is an interesting
circuit, and it should suit the R26.
So what are your predictions for the race…?
I think we will be right up at the front. I still have another
race on the B spec engine, but we have had excellent reliability
on it, so we know the performance will be there. The car was
very quick last year at this track – I went from the
pit-lane to P6 in the race, so we had strong pace and the
Michelin tyres worked well. The R26 will be quick, like it
has been at all the circuits. I am sure the competition will
be strong too, from the usual teams. But we will fighting
for the podium, and to score the maximum points possible.
European GP Tech File
Chassis
The Nürburgring has a reputation as a ‘complete'
circuit: it includes high speed corners, medium-speed chicanes
that upset the car balance and some very slow corners with
high traction demands. The R26 will need to meet all of these
challenges this weekend.
Aerodynamics: The Nürburgring is one of the highest-downforce
circuits of the season. We usually find ourselves trying to
control understeer at this circuit, except perhaps in turn
8 where the car is always nervous. However, the high downforce
level allows us to compensate for that, and make the car more
driveable, and stable during the changes of direction and
under braking.
Tyres: Tyre choice is always tricky here owing to the variable
weather conditions, and the fact that temperatures can be
very cool. As always, we will be looking to find the best
compromise between a tyre soft enough to give good single
lap performance but which may risk some graining, and a harder
tyre that will last well, but not offer the same performance.
Generally, rather than taking the risk of a hard prime and
a soft option, we choose two tyres according to possible weather
conditions, with for example a prime for cooler conditions
and an option in case the temperatures are higher.
Braking: The brakes will not be a problem at this circuit.
We will monitor them closely, but there is no reason to think
that wear levels on the discs and pads would be abnormally
high, as the braking zones are not particularly severe.
Engine
Atmospheric pressure: Located in the Eifel mountains, the
Nürburgring is at an altitude of roughly 500m above sea
level. The lower air density means the engine generates less
power (approximately 5%) but also reduces the loads on some
parts such as the pistons.
Circuit configuration: The layout of the Nürburgring
does not contain any intrinsically severe demands for the
engines. The flowing layout includes elevation changes which
make the circuit enjoyable for the drivers, but the high number
of corners means the time spent at full throttle is just 66%
of the lap. The engine needs to pull strongly from low revs
to launch well out of the slow corners, but there are no particularly
long straights, with the longest single period at full throttle
being just 10s, a low value for the season.
Over-revving: While the layout of the Nürburgring is
not intrinsically severe, the circuit is bumpy in a number
of places, notably turns 4, 7 and the chicane at turns 13/14.
If the drivers take the wrong line, this can potentially damage
the engine by either excessive use of the limiter, or over-revving.
It is a point that is studied with some care during practice
to avoid any problems in qualifying or the race.
Bob Bell, Chassis Technical Director
Bob, the Renault F1 Team has so far scored 51 points
of a possible 72 in the world championship – a scoring
rate of 71%. How pleased are you after four races?
We are delighted with our results so far, but I think the
points tally is only part of the story. We are plainly in
a very strong position, and in terms of pure competitiveness,
I think we are stronger at this stages than we were in 2005.
What was the mood after Imola, having come second
to Ferrari?
It was a contrast to last year, when we won. In 2005, the
team was on a high after four consecutive wins, but there
was a real concern about the tyres after that race. This year,
Michelin did a strong job, and those worries were not there.
The performance of the car in the race, was such that we were
not at a disadvantage relative to our competitors. We are
in better shape, and the mood reflects that.
Other teams have been talking a lot about development,
while Renault seems to have been rather discreet in this area.
How is the development going?
We are doing the normal things, and putting new parts on the
car at every race. The work at the factory is diligent, the
level of performance is increasing every weekend. The lap-times
show that, but equally, we are not taking any advantage for
granted.
This is the second year of stable regulations –
is it harder to find improvements?
Yes, and I think we are seeing that up and down the grid.
You can see in the visual evolution of all the cars, that
people are finding it harder to make big gains, and there
are more small developments going on the cars. That's normal
when the regulations are stable.
Yet the lap speeds are similar to last year with
200 bhp less, much of which is down to the tyres. After seeing
Ferrari bounce back in Imola, what is your opinion on the
balance of power between the tyre manufacturers?
Overall, I think the advantage will remain with Michelin this
year. Ferrari are clearly very quick, and you can never write
off Michael or the team. They will be pushing us all year
long. But from the next races, I expect the balance to swing
back in Michelin's favour.
Looking at the R26, how did the team maintain its
advantage from 2005
The R26 is a logical development of last year's car, and we
chipped away at the basic factors that improve performance:
we made parts lighter and stiffer, and tried to improve the
driveability too. We have pushed our processes hard, to improve
the efficiency of the wind-tunnel. But there's no magic to
it. You have to work hard on the basics, and take no advantage
for granted.
Yet the engine is brand new. Many teams spoke of
a radical change from the engine, yet at Renault, the emphasis
was on continuity…
Viry had a very calm approach to the new engine regulations,
and they have produced an excellent engine. There was no sea
change from V10 to V8, just a rational approach to the engineering
challenge. It was a matter-of-fact programme that has delivered
the results we wanted.
So what is the secret of the R26?
I am not sure there is one! What we do have, though, is a
very benign, consistent car. It was something we concentrated
on from 2004 to 2005, and have built on again this year. We
work very hard to improve the feel and driveability of the
car, to give the drivers total confidence to put it right
on the limit, lap after lap. We know that with the R26, the
level of performance on a single lap, can be maintained consistently
on a 20-lap run.
Looking to the coming pair of races in Germany and
Spain, what are you expecting?
I suspect they will be Michelin races, and that our main competition
will come from the Michelin teams, which means McLaren and
Honda. We are not writing off Ferrari, of course, but we have
tested strongly in Barcelona, and the car was very quick at
the Nürburgring last year.
Finally, what will be the team's approach?
We have to go out there and be aggressive. The car is strong
and both drivers will be using the uprated B-spec engine.
There is no change in our approach: we will be racing to win.
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