Preview, 2007 Hungarian GP
The ING Renault F1 Team previews round eleven of the 2007
Formula 1 World Championship.
Giancarlo Fisichella: "Carry on moving forward"
A disappointing race for you at the Nürburgring…
We were all quite down on Sunday evening, but since then a
lot of work has been done to understand where we went wrong,
and to avoid repeating our mistakes. It is in the past now,
we have learned what we could from the weekend, and we are
now fully-focused on the race ahead. We need to carry on moving
forward…
Are you pleased to be back in Budapest this year?
I have always enjoyed this race, I like the track and I have
been competitive here in the past. I crashed out of the race
last year after making a mistake, but the conditions were
very difficult indeed. We are expecting much hotter temperatures
this year, which will be a very different challenge!
What is the atmosphere like during the race weekend?
It is always a fun race. We get a big crowd, probably because
the race is held during the summer holidays. There is a relaxed
atmosphere and lots of spectators in the stands.
How will you plan to approach the weekend?
As at every race, our first meeting will be on Thursday to
discuss the technical programme for practice. Friday is the
day for race preparation, doing the basic set-up work and
then comparing the two types of tyre available during the
weekend. Then after the meeting, we will walk the track with
our engineers, corner by corner, to see any changes and discuss
driving lines. We have well-established working methods.
In terms of the technical preparations, what will
you be concentrating on?
Hungary is quite a selective circuit, and the very high temperatures
often make things a bit more complicated, especially for the
drivers and also the powertrain. To be quick here, you need
an effective high downforce set-up, good grip and good traction
out of the slow corners. We will be working on those areas
as soon as we start running on Friday morning.
Heikki Kovalainen: "Aiming for a solid performance"
Heikki, although we don't test in Hungary, you already know
the circuit from GP2. Do you enjoy it?
Yes, it's a fun track to drive. I found out in GP2 how difficult
it is to overtake here, and it means that like in Monaco,
it is absolutely essential to qualify well for this race.
If we can do that, then we will be in a position to run an
aggressive race and try to score more points.
Nürburgring was a tough race, do you expect
a better result in Hungary?
We will certainly be aiming for that! We did three days of
running in Jerez last week to prepare for the hot conditions
we expect in Hungary and Turkey, and I think everybody is
determined to have a strong race this weekend. There are some
more new parts on the car for this race, so I am looking forward
to starting our work on Friday.
The races here are often described as being quite
boring, but all the drivers seem to enjoy the track. Why?
It is a very demanding track physically for the drivers, because
it can be very hot and there are no straights on which you
can recover. The corners follow quickly one after the other,
the track surface is quite bumpy and you have to maintain
concentration over 70 laps. We all enjoy tackling challenges
like that, feeling the car on the limit and trying to push
a little bit more to go even faster… I think it's a
circuit where the drivers can make a real difference, and
that probably explains why we all enjoy it!
What areas of the car set-up will you focus on as
you prepare for the race?
There are not really any high-speed corners in Hungary. That
means our main focus will be on the mechanical balance, and
getting the car working on the high downforce levels to make
sure we are quick in the slower corners. You also need good
braking stability, and good change of direction through the
sequence of corners after turn 5. Strong traction is important
but this is an area in which the R27 is usually strong. We
will need to work hard to get the car working well, but I
think we will be able to achieve a good result this weekend.
We will certainly be pushing to the maximum!
Pat Symonds: "Approaching Hungary with optimism"
Pat, the team endured a difficult race at the Nürburgring,
in changing conditions that usually allow you to excel. What
happened?
We made mistakes early in the race, and they cost us a very
strong double points finish. It was made all the more frustrating
because it was the type of race in which we normally excel.
We are good at thinking on our feet and making the right decisions
under pressure, but our mistakes seemed to compound themselves
in Germany. Since then, we have conducted our usual analysis
in even greater detail than normal to ensure we learn everything
we can from the experience – and to make sure our mistakes
remain one-offs.
Were there positives that you could take from the
weekend?
Absolutely. Look at the calculated risk we took at the end
of the race with Heikki. He had to stop once more for fuel
on lap 49, and we knew there was rain coming in the next few
minutes. We could have sent him back out on dry tyres, and
then called him back in two laps later for wets. By doing
that, he would definitely have finished outside the points.
Instead, we sent him out on a bone dry track on wet tyres,
anticipating the rainfall. In the end, it probably came a
few minutes later than we would have liked, but it was a bold,
brave decision that could have paid off handsomely. As it
was, he still managed to score a point. Decisions like that
one are certainly something to be proud of.
The team was running new aerodynamic developments
in Germany. How did they perform?
Exactly according to our simulations. The major development
was a new front wing, which reflected an enormous push from
everybody at Enstone to get it ready in time for the race.
It performed according to our predictions, which was very
encouraging. For other reasons, we didn't take full advantage
of the gains it should allow us to make, but we have worked
on this point during our testing in Jerez and should be much
better-equipped to exploit the wing in Budapest.
It is no consolation for the team, but the European
Grand Prix was a great race at the front of the field…
It was a great race for the spectators, without a doubt. The
rain introduced the chaos factor that invariably leads to
good racing. It jumbled the cars up, putting faster competitors
behind slower ones; and it meant that the performance profiles
of the cars changed during the race – Ferrari clearly
had the advantage in the dry, whereas Alonso was faster than
Massa in the wet. Even under the current regulations, those
ingredients combine successfully to produce exciting racing.
Looking ahead to Budapest, what are your expectations?
We go there feeling optimistic. The car was quick in high-downforce
trim in Monaco and, since then, we have added performance
to it. We experienced problems getting the tyres working properly
in the cooler conditions at the Nürburgring, but this
is unlikely to be a problem in the high temperatures we usually
encounter in Hungary. And while the timesheets placed us 11th
and 12th in terms of fastest laps in Germany, I think our
pace was actually much better than that suggested: the fact
that our strategy was somewhat out of synch with our competitors
may have masked some of our pace. Everybody is very focused
for the weekend ahead, and determined to demonstrate that
although frustrating, the last race was nothing more than
an extremely annoying blip in performance.
Hungarian GP Tech File
The Hungaroring offers plenty of challenges to drivers and
engineers alike. The circuit features no high-speed corners,
leading the teams to run the highest possible downforce levels,
while the primary concern for the engine teams is ensuring
good cooling in the usually hot conditions. The high summer
temperatures also make life difficult for the drivers, who
need to be in peak physical condition to cope with a race
that gives them very little respite over its 70-lap distance.
Chassis
The twisting, 14-corner layout of the Hungaroring features
just one legitimate overtaking opportunity per lap, into turn
1. Apart from this straight of just over 700m, the circuit
is filled with sequences of low to medium-speed corners, with
short braking distances which make overtaking nearly impossible.
The result is that the teams all run with maximum downforce
levels, similar if not identical to those used in Monaco,
in order to optimise not just cornering speeds but also braking
and traction. Maximum speeds achieved on the main straight
rarely exceed 300 kph with the V8 engines.
Mechanical grip is an important factor at a slow-speed circuit
such as this, and teams will generally try to run the car
with softer settings all round to improve mechanical grip.
The drivers want a responsive car in the slow-speed sections,
with good traction on corner exit, which will usually lead
the teams to a forward mechanical bias (stiffer front/softer
rear) in terms of set-up. However, rear tyre wear must be
monitored very carefully, particularly to avoid overloading
the softer compound available this weekend.
Bridgestone will make available the Soft and Super Soft compounds
from its 2007 range, as were used in Monaco and Canada. The
low-grip circuit conditions, coupled with the absence of high-speed
corners, make these choices possible. As has become customary,
the tyre management challenge for the weekend will be to control
graining on the softest compound, and this should improve
as the circuit rubbers-in throughout the weekend. Data collected
during practice will determine whether the super-soft is suitable
for use during the majority of the race, while cooler-than-expected
temperatures, or overnight rain washing the circuit clean
of rubber, could further complicate the situation.
The other important chassis parameter will be ensuring good
cooling of the mechanical parts. Although the car's cooling
capacity is now well-known, attention must be paid to ensuring
the radiators are still well-cooled in spite of the high levels
of front downforce we run at this circuit. This will have
been the object of particular attention in the wind tunnel,
and will be fine-tuned during the weekend to ensure the cooling
solution required brings the minimum performance penalty.
Engine
With the longest period spent at full throttle barely exceeding
ten seconds, and with only 57% of the lap spent at full throttle
(significantly lower than the average), this is not a demanding
circuit for the engine. Of the 14 corners, five are taken
in second gear at around 100 kph. Unlike at Monaco, where
the cars reach abnormally slow speeds in the hairpins, the
minimum speed at the Hungaroring is approximately 90kph. This
means the engine spends the majority of its time in a relatively
narrow operating window between 100 kph and 250 kph, and the
closely-spaced gear ratios we use are selected to ensure optimum
performance in this range. As always on a circuit featuring
a large number of slow corners, good torque is important to
help launch the cars out of the turns. The characteristics
of the RS27 mean the engine is strong in this area.
Magic Moments: 30 Years of Renault in F1
The Hungarian Grand Prix has only been in existence for just
over 20 years, but this race was the first signal of the drive
to non-traditional markets that has seen Formula 1 expand
east from its European base since that time. The tight, twisty
Hungaroring circuit has never been considered a classic, but
has nevertheless produced some enthralling battles –
as well as some tedious races devoid of passing. For Renault,
though, it will always have a special place in the company's
F1 history, as the place where Nigel Mansell won its first
world championship in 1992.
Renault at the Hungarian Grand Prix
The Hungaroring saw just one race in Renault's turbo era,
the very first race in 1986. Ayrton Senna's Lotus took pole
position, and then engage in a race-long battle with Nelson
Piquet's Williams. Piquet ultimately emerged victorious as
Senna settled for second, while two more Renault-powered cars
(Dumfries/Lotus and Brundle/Tyrrell) finished in fifth and
sixth positions, the final points-scoring places.
On Renault's return in the V10 era, the company began a series
of strong performances at the Hungaroring that would see Renault-powered
cars on the podium every year until 1997. Patrese took pole
in 1989, the year of Renault's return, while team-mate Boutsen
took the final podium position. The Belgian followed up the
feat the following year by winning from pole position, while
in 1991 Mansell and Patrese took a double podium finish behind
Senna's victorious McLaren. 1992, though, was the year which
engraved the Hungaroring in Renault's sporting history. The
Williams-Renaults annexed the front row and while Mansell
only finished in P2, it was enough to bring him his only,
and Renault's first, world championship.
The run of success continued in 1993: an all Williams-Renault
front row, with Damon Hill taking his first Grand Prix win.
In 1994, the Englishman started and finished second, while
twelve months later the Williams-Renault duo of Hill and Coulthard
took the front row – and a 1-2 finish. Things improved
one step further in 1996, with a one-two-three finish for
Hill, Alesi and Villeneuve in three of the four Renault-powered
cars, while in 1997, Villeneuve made the most of Hill's misfortune
aboard his ailing Arrows to make it three wins in a row for
Renault power in Hungary.
In the era of the Renault F1 Team, the Hungaroring has also
come to be regarded as something of a milestone. After an
inauspicious race in 2002, the following year saw the team
take its first victory since Renault's return to Formula 1,
after Fernando Alonso dominated from pole position. The Spaniard
followed this up with a podium in 2004, but since then, Renault
has not scored a single point in Hungary – although
Alonso spun out of a dominant lead last year after a wheel
came loose. In total, Renault power has competed in 16 Hungarian
Grands Prix, taking 7 pole positions, 6 wins and 16 podiums.
Following a disappointing outing at the Nürburgring,
the team will be striving to add to that record in 2007.
Over at Red Bull Racing with Fabrice Lom
Fabrice, the Renault-powered Red Bull Racing team had a strong
race at the Nürburgring…
Yes, it was a fantastic result for the team. At Magny-Cours
and Silverstone, we endured two difficult races, but we knew
the potential was in the car. Everybody worked very hard and,
at the last race, we got the first rewards for that: not just
a podium, but both cars in the points at the chequered flag.
We scored ten points, the same number as McLaren and more
than Ferrari or BMW. More importantly, though, we scored ten
more than Toyota and five more than Williams. In terms of
the championship, that made it a very successful weekend.
Looking ahead to this weekend in Budapest, are there any
major challenges for the engine?
No, not really. This is a demanding circuit or the car, with
lots of bumps, high kerbs and a lot of gearchanges. From the
engine's point of view, though, the time spent at full throttle
is below average, and there are no particularly severe challenges.
The only thing we will have to pay special attention to is
the cooling, as we are expecting extremely hot temperatures.
We worked on a range of different cooling options and bodywork
configurations during our test in Jerez last week. While we
are confident about the car's cooling, we will nevertheless
be particular special attention to this area.
After your good result at the Nürburgring, do you think
you can achieve the same this weekend?
That would be nice! I think we should have a competitive package
in Hungary. It is a twisty circuit, but one with few very
slow corners; it is more about series of medium-speed corners,
and our car seems pretty strong in this area, both in terms
of braking and downforce levels at these speeds. If everything
goes smoothly then we should be capable of a competitive showing,
but as always, we need to wait for the opening sessions on
Friday to get a better idea. Certainly, we will be working
hard to secure a strong result.
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