Preview, 2007 Belgian GP
The ING Renault F1 Team previews round fourteen of
the 2007 Formula 1 World Championship.
Heikki Kovalainen: "Spa is a real driver's circuit"
Heikki, you finished the Italian Grand Prix in the same place
as you started it, in seventh position…
We were a bit disappointed not to finish higher, and not to
have taken advantage of Massa's retirement to score more points.
But we made no mistakes during the race, so I have to admit
we finished where we probably deserved to. Even so, it was
good to finish the race and maintain my 100% record, and to
score points for the fifth race in a row. Now, we need to
focus on the weekend ahead.
This will be your first Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.
Are you excited?
Yes, very excited! Spa is a fantastic circuit, and I have
very good memories from my races in GP2. The track layout
is very nice, with lots of elevation changes and some really
good sequences of corners which put the drivers and the engineers
to the test. It is certainly one of the best races of the
year, and a fantastic challenge for the drivers – especially
through the famous section of Eau Rouge.
You tested at this circuit in July. Was it important
to do so?
It is always an advantage when you can test at a circuit before
racing there, and especially because the team didn't race
here last year – and we had never run the V8 engine
at this circuit. It allowed us to establish the baseline set-up
in terms of downforce levels, suspension settings, brake bias
and so on… I think we found some good answers, and we
will have a good starting point to work from throughout the
weekend in order to have a competitive car in qualifying and
the race.
Why do you think drivers enjoy the challenges of
Spa so much?
This is what I would call an old-style circuit. Not in terms
of the facilities, which have been improved a lot this year,
but in terms of the track design. There are many demanding,
high-speed corners and this is a real driver's circuit, where
we can make a big difference at the wheel. Even if the car
does not have the perfect set-up, or if it is not the fastest
on the grid, a very brave driver can go into the corners faster,
accelerate earlier or not lift where others do. This is a
circuit where you can really see who the good drivers are.
Giancarlo Fisichella: "A good opportunity for
a competitive race"
Giancarlo, you would have been hoping for more from
your home race last weekend…
To be honest, after I was held up in qualifying, I knew I
was in for a tough weekend. 15th isn't the place to start
from if you want a good result on Sunday, but I still pushed
hard all the way through the race. I finished 12th and there's
no doubt that I had wanted a better result on home ground
in Italy. But there are still four races left, and we will
be aiming to put in a strong performance at each one.
Spa-Francorchamps is a circuit that drivers usually
enjoy… are you one of them?
It is an exceptional circuit, and without a doubt the best
for the drivers. Eau Rouge is a fabulous corner, and really
impressive from the cockpit even though it is not quite as
demanding with the V8 engines, as it once was. But this is
a circuit where the driver can really make the difference.
Do you think the R27 is capable of a strong performance
at Spa, given the nature of the circuit?
We have already seen this season that our car is quite competitive
in low downforce configuration, notwithstanding the performance
last week in Monza. We run higher downforce than in Italy,
but this we still have relatively little wing in order to
get good top speeds, and I think this is a good opportunity
for us to be competitive. As always, we will be doing the
maximum to ensure this is the case.
Rain is often a factor to contend with in Belgium.
Are you worried about this?
Not at all. At this time of year in Belgium, we all expect
to have to run in the rain, or in changing track conditions.
That's not a problem for me, as I enjoy driving in the wet.
It would simply add another layer of excitement to the race.
Belgian GP Tech File
Spa-Francorchamps is the most complete test of a Formula
1 car on the current calendar. It combines 320 kph straights
with 70 kph hairpins, with several sixth-gear sweepers thrown
in for good measure – and, of course, the unique challenge
of Eau Rouge. While this section of the circuit and the fast
left-hander at Blanchimont may no longer be as testing as
they once were, corners such as Pouhon, taken blind in sixth
gear, still allow the drivers to make the difference. And
all of that is before you factor in the notoriously unpredictable
weather in the Ardennes, which can see the circuit soaked
at one end – and bone dry at the other.
Chassis
Spa is a severe test for a modern F1 car. The average lap
speed is high, aerodynamic loadings are both elevated and
prolonged, and every aspect of the vehicle's handling is tested
to the limit.
The circuit features a high number of "aero corners"
(only 6 of the 19 turns are taken at less than 150 kph), and
this would normally push the teams towards relative high levels
of downforce in order to maximise grip in the corners, as
is the case at a circuit like Silverstone for example. However,
Spa imposes a very different trade-off, because the two long
flat-out "straights" on the circuit both provide
genuine overtaking opportunities. This means that top-speed
is a critical factor in order to protect position, and downforce
levels must be determined accordingly. As a result, the teams
run a similar aerodynamic configuration to that used in the
North American races, achieving end of straight speeds of
around 320 kph with the V8 engines (compared to 340 kph when
we last raced at this circuit in 2005 with the V10). Aerodynamic
efficiency (generating maximum downforce for minimum drag)
is the key to success at this circuit.
In terms of suspension settings, the overall compromise is
relatively stiff in order to ensure good aerodynamic performance
in the quicker corners, and a good change of direction in
the quick chicanes. However, good traction is also critical
on the exit of the final chicane and La Source hairpin, as
poor performance in either part of the circuit can leave a
driver vulnerable to overtaking under braking for the next
corner. Spa is the most demanding circuit of the season for
the tyres, and it is no surprise that Bridgestone will bring
the two hardest compounds from its 2007 range for this race.
Our ride heights are limited by the high forces encountered
through the compression in Eau Rouge. From the bottom to the
top of the hill, the car's ride height can vary by as much
as 25 mm and if the car bottoms out too much, the drivers
can lose control. With the V8 engines and the current aerodynamic
regulations, Eau Rouge is now taken easily flat out at around
300 kph. The drivers will scrub off around 10 kph through
the sequence, but it is important to conserve as much speed
as possible in order to maintain position along the long straight
before Les Combes.
Almost the only part of the car which has a relatively easy
time is the braking system. The circuit features just three
very heavy braking events, before turns 1, 5 and 18. Overall,
though, this is one of the easiest circuits for the brakes
owing to the numerous high speed corners.
Engine
Along with Monza, Spa is the most demanding circuit of the
season for the new V8 engines, which have never been raced
here. The test session earlier this year was an important
one in order to verify the engine's operation around the long
lap.
The duty cycle is particularly severe, with 73% of the lap
spent at full throttle (only Monza exceeds this figure, with
77% of the lap). Furthermore, this includes two prolonged
full throttle periods of over 20 seconds. The most challenging
of these is undoubtedly the run of approximately 23 seconds
from La Source to Les Combes, which includes Eau Rouge. This
sequence exposes the engine and its ancillaries to extreme
positive and negative vertical ‘g' forces through the
compression and over the crest that follows. This is a factor
we take into account when designing our lubrication systems,
in order to avoid problems with oil feed under the extreme
loadings.
Spa is also the longest lap of the season, and the circuit
has a very high fuel mass penalty. Under the current qualifying
regulations, this means that an engine with good fuel consumption
can be a particular advantage.
Magic Moments: 30 Years of Renault in F1
Renault at the Belgian Grand Prix
Renault power has participated in 22 Belgian Grands Prix,
beginning with the 1978 race held at Zolder (the June date
of the 1977 event preceded the competition debut of the RS01,
one month later). In that time, it has taken 7 pole positions
and 16 podium finishes, of which 5 were race wins (for Alain
Prost, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill twice and Michael Schumacher).
In the modern era of the Renault F1 Team, the team has scored
one pole position (2004) and one podium finish (second place
in 2005 for Fernando Alonso).
Although Renault first took part in the Belgian Grand Prix
in 1978, the team's first finish did not come until 1980,
when René Arnoux claimed P4 in the race at Zolder.
The Régie's cars locked out the front row in 1982,
but retired from a race that was overshadowed by the death
of Gilles Villeneuve in qualifying.
For 1983, Formula 1 returned to Spa-Francorchamps for the
first time since 1970, racing on the remodelled Ardennes circuit
for the first time. Prost followed up his Zolder pole the
previous year by claiming top spot in qualifying once again,
and this time followed it up with the race win, Renault's
first at this event. He was joined on the podium by third-place
team-mate Eddie Cheever, scoring the second of his four podiums
for the French team.
The event returned to Zolder In 1984, where Derek Warwick
finished in second position (thereby scoring the second of
the team's five podium finishes during that season) before
returning definitively to Francorchamps in 1985. This saw
Ayrton Senna's first visit to the circuit, and the Brazilian
took his Lotus-Renault to the first of his five wins at Spa,
after starting from second position. He followed this up a
year later with a second place finish behind Nigel Mansell's
Williams.
The V10 era did not bring any success until 1992, when Williams
team-mates Mansell and Patrese finished behind Schumacher's
Benetton. This performance was followed by a double podium
for Hill (P1) and Prost (P3) in 1993, a win for Hill the following
year (following Schumacher's disqualification), and then a
dramatic victory for Michael Schumacher from P16 on the grid
in 1995, with Damon Hill following him home in second place.
That was to be the last win for Renault power in the Ardennes:
while Jacques Villeneuve's Williams-Renault took pole in both
1996 and 1997, he could manage no better than P2 in 1996 behind
Schumacher's Ferrari.
When Renault returned to the sport in 2001, Spa marked its
first success of note, when Giancarlo Fisichella took the
wide-angle V10 engine's first podium finish after a resilient
drive from eighth on the grid. Since then, the team has competed
at Spa just three times (2002, 2004, 2005) and scored points
on just one occasion, with Fernando Alonso in 2005. Drivers
Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella will be aiming
to improve that record this weekend, as Formula 1 returns
to the Ardennes for the first time in two years.
Over at Red Bull Racing… with Fabrice Lom
Fabrice, it was a low-key weekend for the team in
Monza…
Yes, we were disappointed that we weren't on the same pace
as our direct rivals, and that just one of our cars made it
to the finish. Mark finished just outside the points, which
is even more frustrating, but we are already focusing firmly
on the weekend ahead in Spa. It's another importance race
for all the engine teams.
There was a lot of discussion about the Monza-Spa
pairing, and the demands it places on the engine. What is
the main challenge at the Belgian circuit?
Spa includes some very long straights, which means a high
proportion of the lap is spent at full throttle. There is
also a high number of gearchanges, and a lot of high lateral
and even vertical ‘g' loadings. But in my opinion, the
main difficulty is with the lubrication system and specifically
the oil feed through the Raidillon. This is something that
the engine was designed to cope with, as we knew Spa would
be on the calendar and that we would have to face this unique
challenge. We tested at Spa in July, and we have no particular
worries in this area.
At this time of year in Belgium, rain can often disrupt
the proceedings… Is this another difficulty for you
to cope with?
When you not among the teams that can win races in normal
conditions, rain spices up a race and brings with it much
more uncertainty. That means you can always hope to take advantage
and come away with a strong finish. For the engine team, we
have to protect the engine to ensure it operates normally
in wet conditions. But this is something we are used to, and
we will be ready should it rain this weekend!
|
