Preview, 2007 United States GP
The ING Renault F1 Team previews round seven of the
2007 Formula 1 World Championship.
Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo, you enjoyed a strong weekend in Montreal
but left empty-handed. You must have been pretty disappointed
on Sunday evening?
Naturally, yes. The race was going well and the car was quick,
but everything ended badly. I could have finished on the podium
and it is frustrating to miss out on an opportunity like that.
The positive thing to draw out of it all, though, is that
the car was clearly competitive in Montreal. We were fighting
with Ferrari in the race. That's encouraging for this weekend
in Indy… and hopefully we can round it off with a better
result.
The race is held at the legendary Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. What is the atmosphere like at the circuit?
It's incredible to be honest. There are lots of real racing
fans, it is a legendary circuit, and that makes it very special
to be competing in a Grand Prix here. And it is all the more
special because I managed to finish on the podium here last
year…
What do you think of the circuit itself?
Contrary to what you might think, it's not an easy circuit,
and it's very difficult to find the good set-up. You have
to find a good compromise between having enough grip through
the infield, and being fast down the straight. You need a
stable car with a good change of direction for the twisty
section, but good top speed to be able to overtake or defend
your position on the straight. It's not an easy balance to
find.
And how does it feel to drive round the famous banking?
It's an enjoyable part of the circuit, but it's not a very
difficult section from the driving point of view. In a Formula
1 car, it's practically like a straight because the car has
so much grip that we can easily take it flat out…
Finally, what are your expectations for the car's
performance this weekend?
We have to go into the race weekend feeling positive. This
has always been a good circuit for me, and I think that our
pace in Canada was quite good. Our fight in the championship
is with BMW at the moment, so our target has to be to try
and out-score them this weekend. They were very competitive
in Montreal as well, so we will have our work cut out. But
that will be what we are aiming for.
Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki, you had an extraordinary race in Canada,
going from P22 at the start to fourth place at the finish…
I have to say that the way things turned around after two
difficult days was pretty amazing. We finished so close to
the podium after a tough weekend, and I think we can be satisfied
because it wasn't just down to luck: we had the right strategy,
I drove well and the car was quick… That was a good
boost coming into this race, and I will be aiming to keep
the momentum.
What lessons did you learn from the weekend in Montreal?
Well, the first one was a repeat of what I saw in Melbourne:
it is crucial not to lose track time over the weekend. When
I went into qualifying, I had no feeling for the performance
on the soft tyre, for example. So clearly I need to do the
sessions to find a good balance with the car, and build my
confidence through the weekend. But the other lesson was about
the attitude you need. I had a tough weekend, but I stayed
positive and kept on working hard. The team worked for me
too, supported me all the way, and I did the best for them
on Sunday. That's what you have to keep on doing if you want
to be successful: stay confident, and stay positive.
What will it be like to race at Indianapolis for
the first time?
It's a mythical circuit, that everybody in motor racing has
heard of. It's a spectacular sight when you go through the
tunnel for the first time, and find yourself in the infield.
The oval is huge, and makes the F1 circuit look very small
alongside! I think it is an interesting circuit for us to
race on though. The section on the oval is very high speed,
while the infield offers some interesting combinations of
corners. I am looking forward to discovering what it feels
like from the cockpit.
What areas will you have to focus on with the engineers
to find the best set-up compromise?
The straight is very long, and it includes the banked section
because we stay flat out all the way through, so you need
a good top speed – which means relatively low downforce.
On the other hand, you have to get the best mechanical and
aerodynamic grip for the infield. That makes it hard to find
a good balance because you need opposing characteristics from
the car. The car needs to work well on both halves of the
track though, and that is what we will be concentrating on
during Friday practice.
In terms of results, can you build on the fourth
place from Montreal?
I think I have some good momentum from the race in Canada,
and my target will be to build on that this weekend. I believe
we have a top ten car now, so I need to make sure I get the
most out of it in qualifying. Once you make it through to
the third part of qualifying, then it opens up many more opportunities
in terms of strategy for the race. I am learning all the time
about how to improve my performance, and Canada was another
good lesson for me. I was aggressive, and didn't make any
mistakes. That will be the first target in Indy and if I do
that, then I am confident that the results will start to come.
Indianapolis Tech File
The Formula 1 circuit constructed within the boundaries of
the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway may look simple
on paper – but as always in Formula 1, appearances are
deceptive. The tight, technical infield layout is combined
with one of the longest straights of the year, and this demands
opposing characteristics from the car: impeccable low speed
grip and handling combined with low downforce levels and a
strong top speed. The famous banking and yard of bricks lend
the circuit a unique flavour, but a good lap-time is built
in the twisting infield, where the drivers need to be neat
and precise in their driving throughout the 73-lap race.
Downforce: Indianapolis is a circuit composed
of two radically different halves. Ideally, the teams would
run higher downforce levels than they do in reality, in order
to improve grip through the twisting infield, particularly
under acceleration and braking. However, the long straight
leading to turn 1 represents a legitimate overtaking opportunity,
and this complicates the choice of downforce level. The car's
top speed must be sufficient to allow the driver to pass competitors
in front, and indeed to defend his position against competitors
behind. Wing levels are therefore calculated to provide a
competitive top speed of around 320 kph (similar to that achieved
in Canada), while generating sufficient downforce to be competitive
through the infield. The engineers will tune their choice
of downforce level during the weekend, according to the top
speeds reached by other competitors.
Mechanical: Much as in Canada, the car's
in-corner performance is dictated primarily by the mechanical
set-up of the car, rather than dominated by aerodynamics.
This is because many of the corners are taken at low speed,
in second or third gears. The long sweep of turns 3, 4 and
5 is taken as a single corner, and requires good front-end
stability to give the driver confidence, much like in turn
11, where the exit is the critical factor as the drivers do
not lift off again afterwards until they begin braking for
turn 1.
Strategy: The Canadian Grand Prix marked
the first time in 2007 that a car running anything other than
a two-stop strategy reached the podium (Wurz did so by making
a single stop). This was thanks in large part to the unusual
circumstances of the race, with numerous safety car periods.
At Indianapolis, teams are likely to adhere to this pattern,
aiming to spend the greatest possible percentage of the race
on the most race-worthy compound. Like in Canada, fuel consumption
and the lap-time penalty for carrying additional fuel are
relatively low at this circuit, meaning it is possible to
run a ‘rearward-biased' strategy (stopping later than
the 1/3 and 2/3 distance) without overloading the tyres, or
incurring too great a time penalty in qualifying.
Tyres: The Bridgestone Potenza tyre compounds
available for this weekend are the ‘soft' and ‘medium'
options from the 2007 range. This is the second time these
compounds will be raced, the first having come in Melbourne.
The compounds are a step harder than those used in Canada
last weekend, reflecting the higher lateral loads encountered
on the infield and on the banking, which require the tyre
to work harder than in Montreal.
Engine: The engines spend just 59% of the
lap at full throttle, below the season average, which might
induce people to think that this circuit is relatively easy
for the engines. However, the track also includes a full throttle
period which lasts for around 22 seconds (from the exit of
turn 11 to the braking zone for turn 1). This is the longest
of the season, and continuous periods at full throttle put
the engines under particular strain. The engine also needs
good torque characteristics to launch the car out of the numerous
slow corners, and this is an area in which the RS27 is particularly
strong.
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