Spanish Grand Prix 2008 Preview
The ING Renault F1 Team prepares for the fourth round of
the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship: the Spanish Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso: "Racing in Spain is
a special feeling"
Fernando, Bahrain was a difficult race for you and
the team. Was it the result you had expected?
The race was difficult, but we were prepared for that. Our
qualifying performance had been a pleasant surprise, but we
knew that our race pace would not allow us to achieve much
better than tenth place, and so we did not manage to score
any points for the first time this year. We are missing some
speed and that is what we hope to improve with the latest
updates that we have coming. I know that the team is doing
its best to progress quickly, and I will continue to give
my maximum this weekend.
You are preparing to race in your home Grand Prix.
Is that a special feeling?
This is certainly a special feeling. I benefit here from amazing
support and it is very motivating. Some people see this as
added pressure for me, but it's not. Instead it gives me the
determination to do even better. I hope to be in a position
to give the Spanish people a beautiful show. And with two
races in Spain this year, I am very lucky.
The return to Europe always coincides with upgrades
to the cars and new developments, and the team has worked
hard to provide a stronger package. Have you felt the progress?
After the first three races, it was clear that we were not
at the level of the leading teams. We were missing some speed
and the car was sometimes unstable in the quick corners and
under braking. The team has made big efforts with improvements
to the aerodynamics and with the level of mechanical grip.
We had the chance to work through these on the track at Barcelona
last week, and the first results proved encouraging. But it
remains to be seen how much our competitors will have improved
by as well.
What can you hope for from the Spanish Grand Prix?
I think that once again it will be a very competitive race.
All the teams and drivers know the track very well, so it
is difficult for the driver to make a difference at this level.
I hope that our hard work will pay us back and that our car
will allow us to catch up with the other teams, although it
will certainly not be easy. Qualifying once again will be
essential, and we will have to be well placed to try and score
the maximum points.
Nelson Piquet: "I have taken a lot
from the first three races."
Nelson, you are three races into your F1 career.
How do you look back on the start of the year?
The beginning was obviously very tough, especially at the
first race in Australia, because everything was new and there
was so much to learn. But race-by-race things are getting
easier. I have taken a lot from the first three races and
gained so much experience in terms of how to approach a Grand
Prix, and how to work with the team to optimise our performance.
I think I just need a bit more luck in the coming races and
then we will hopefully be able to start challenging for some
points. I have a good relationship with Fernando and we work
well together, and I'm keen to make the most of his experience.
Where do you feel you need to improve?
Every race I learn something new – just little things
about how to set up the car and how to get the most from the
tyres. And a Formula 1 weekend goes by very quickly so you
need to maximise each session in order to be ready for qualifying.
In Australia we did not do this, but I felt that in Malaysia
and Bahrain things were better. This is something I will continue
working on throughout the season.
Can you tell us about the circuit here in Barcelona?
Is it a track you enjoy?
Barcelona is not one of my favourite circuits, but it is certainly
one that I know very well as we spend so much time testing
there throughout the year, and so there are unlikely to be
any surprises during the Grand Prix. It's not a particularly
difficult or challenging circuit, but you need to have good
aerodynamic performance because there are a lot of medium-speed
corners. This makes it difficult to follow other cars closely
and overtaking is not easy. It will therefore be important
to do my best in qualifying so that I don't get stuck in traffic
and we can make the most of our strategy.
The team has an updated package for the Spanish Grand
Prix. What difference will it make and what is your goal for
this weekend?
I think that with the improvements that we have in Barcelona
we should be able to take a step forward. We had some positive
days here last week and there are lots of avenues that we
are still exploring. But we have to remember that the upgrades
to the car need to be understood, developed, and maximised
- all this takes time and so we cannot expect instant results.
But, if I was being optimistic, I think we can aim to get
both cars into the top ten in qualifying and then aim to finish
the race in the points.
Bob Bell: "We are reasonably confident
that we can take a big step forward"
Bob, it has been three weeks since the Bahrain Grand
Prix. What has been the agenda for the team over that period?
Our main focus was to prepare for the Barcelona test last
week, which was very important for us as we have quite a major
aerodynamic upgrade and some new mechanical components for
the R28. The purpose of the test was to verify that they were
all fit for purpose and then to pick the best parts for the
Spanish Grand Prix because some of those upgrades are circuit
dependent.
What areas have the team focussed on in the quest
to improve performance?
We now have quite a clear picture of where we are underperforming.
One of those areas is our aerodynamic performance because
at the moment we are deficient in aero-generated grip in the
high-speed corners. That's where we are making the biggest
push because that area is probably contributing the most to
our lack of performance. Equally, we are losing out in the
low-speed corners where the performance of the car is dominated
by mechanical grip, and so we have suspension upgrades that
will start addressing those problems. We are also a bit down
on engine performance and we can recognise a straight-line
performance deficit compared with other teams. However, in
the world of frozen engines there is not much we can do about
that.
Will this progress be reflected by an improvement
in on-track performance?
We are reasonably confident that the things we are putting
on the car will produce a clear and definable performance
advantage. I think we will also see some more unquantifiable
benefits with improvements to the driveability and feel of
the car because if we give the drivers more confidence, particularly
under braking, they can extract more performance from the
car. So we can be reasonably confident that it will be a big
step forward and that it will be multiple tenths of a second.
We do have to be cautious, though, and remember that every
team sees Barcelona as an opportunity to introduce a major
upgrade – we just have to make sure that we take a bigger
step than the other teams.
Let's talk about the drivers. How is Fernando's state
of mind ahead of his home Grand Prix?
Fernando remains very focussed and positive. I think he's
also suffering a degree of disappointment because he doesn't
have a car capable of fighting for the podium, although he
recognises that the team is doing all it can to provide a
better package. So I think he will approach Barcelona with
mixed feelings because although he will enjoy massive support
at his home race, this is certainly a race where he would
like a car that is capable of fighting for the win. However,
the one thing we know about Fernando is that he will fight
tooth and nail until the chequered flag, whether he's fighting
for first place or fifteenth place – he never gives
up.
Nelson had a difficult debut, but has come on strongly.
How do you view his introduction to Formula 1?
It has been a difficult introduction for Nelson, in much the
same way as it was for Heikki last year, and there is a lot
of expectation on young drivers nowadays. Winter testing was
difficult and we did have concerns as to whether Nelson would
be fully ready for the season. But he was, and at the final
winter test he showed his true performance which impressed
us all. Melbourne was certainly a difficult debut, but in
the last two races he has really shown his capabilities and
I think he has done an excellent job for the team. We've been
impressed and to some extent pleasantly surprised, and we
expect him to get stronger and stronger throughout the season.
What can we expect from the team this weekend?
During winter testing we did not look too bad in Barcelona
and if this trend continues, combined with the upgrades we
have to the car, then we should take a step forward. Barcelona
is very much a circuit that separates the wheat from the chaff
in terms of aerodynamic performance and we do recognise that
we are deficient there in comparison to the front runners,
but I still feel we can do a good job.
Barcelona: Tech File
The Grand Prix circuit near Barcelona is one that every F1
team knows well from the thousands of kilometres of testing
carried out there over the winter. Few venues offer such a
variety of medium and high-speed corners and it is widely
acknowledged as the definitive aero circuit that provides
a stern test of a Formula 1 car. With few big braking zones
and so many high-speed corners, overtaking remains extremely
difficult and a good qualifying performance and sensible strategy
are paramount for a successful weekend.
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamic efficiency is always a key factor at Barcelona,
although the introduction of the new chicane last year has
replaced on of the most critical high-speed parts of the lap
and means the track is not as demanding as it once was. Even
so, the circuit remains the ultimate test of a car's aero
package and teams will run with high downforce levels to ensure
competitiveness over the whole lap.
Suspension
With the suspension we have to find the best compromise to
give the drivers a well balanced and responsive car. This
means we will use relatively stiff settings at the front of
the car to get a good change of direction, while the rear
will be slightly softer in order to get the best possible
traction out of the slower corners. This will be especially
important this year with the removal of traction control.
Ride height is also an important parameter to consider as
generally we can run the car quite low in order to gain maximum
aerodynamic performance.
Engine Performance
Barcelona is not generally thought of as an ‘engine
circuit' as the engine is not under particular stress as any
point and only 62% of the lap is spent on full throttle. There
are relatively few hard acceleration zones from low revs as
the engine spends most of the lap accelerating from the middle
of the rev range. As such, the priority is for the power delivery
to be progressive and driveable in order to maintain the best
handling balance, and limit tyre wear.
Tyres
Barcelona is well known for being a demanding on tyre wear
because it includes so many long, high-speed corners and has
a fairly abrasive track surface. The tyres are therefore under
high loadings, particularly the front left which has to work
hard in the quick right-hand corners such as Turns 3 and 9.
As a result Bridgestone will supply hard and medium compound
tyres for the weekend, and the team will need to pay close
attention to the wear and degradation during free practice
to determine which compound to run the majority of the race
with.
Renault at the Spanish Grand Prix
Renault's F1 history has seen involvement in the Spanish Grand
Prix at no less than three venues: Jarama (1978/79/81), Jerez
(1986/89/90) and Barcelona (1991 onwards).
While success was never forthcoming on the twists and turns
of Jarama, Renault scored its first Spanish win in 1986 when
the race moved to Jerez, as Ayrton Senna clinched victory
in his Lotus-Renault in one of the closest finishes in F1
history, beating Nigel Mansell's Williams by just 0.014s.
However, Renault's success story in Spain really began in
1991 when the race moved to its current home in Barcelona.
As a brand new facility the circuit offered a demanding technical
challenge and placed great emphasis on the aerodynamics of
the cars. Nigel Mansell took the first win at the wheel of
his Williams-Renault in a race that witnessed one of the iconic
moments in F1 history as he went wheel-to-wheel down the main
straight with Ayrton Senna's McLaren to pass the Brazilian
in the early stages.
Mansell's victory set the tone for Renault dominance in Spain
as the Briton went on to deliver a repeat victory from pole
in 1992 en route to the world title. Alain Prost took over
the Williams cockpit for 1993 and extended Renault's run of
Spanish victories, again from pole position as he laid the
foundations for his final world championship. 1994 saw a similar
story as Damon Hill continued Williams-Renault's winning trend
in Barcelona. The V10 era saw two more wins for Renault power
in Spain, with Michael Schumacher leading home Johnny Herbert
in a Benetton-Renault one-two in 1995, and Jacques Villeneuve
taking the win in 1997 in his Williams-Renault, on the way
to the world title.
Since Renault's return to the sport as a manufacturer in
2002, the team has continued to find success in Barcelona,
taking five podiums in six years. With Fernando Alonso at
the wheel of the Renault cars the team has always enjoyed
great support and the Spaniard has delivered some memorable
performances. In his first Spanish Grand Prix with Renault
in 2003 he came close to winning the race after pushing Michael
Schumacher's Ferrari hard to take a well-earned second place,
a feat he repeated in 2005. But the following year Alonso
seized his chance, delivered Renault's 150th Formula 1 pole
position and dominated the race to take a famous home victory.
In 2007 the team scored points as Heikki Kovalainen took
a solid seventh place. Points will remain the target for the
team this weekend as Fernando and Nelson look to add to Renault's
fine heritage at Barcelona.
Barcelona: Over at Red Bull Racing
Fabrice Lom, the man who oversees the activities of Renault
F1 at Red Bull Racing, looks back on the Bahrain Grand Prix
and the weekend to come.
Fabrice, how did you view the performance of Red
Bull Racing in Bahrain?
We knew that it was going to be difficult, because the characteristics
of the circuit did not suit the qualities of our car. But
we were still disappointed not to reach the top 10 in qualifying,
even though Mark Webber only missed tenth place by 0.009s.
However, we were confident for the race because we had been
very competitive over long runs in free practice. We were
proved to be right because Mark had an impeccable race to
finish seventh to claim two points, which is an excellent
result considering the current hierarchy of teams.
You say that the characteristics of Bahrain were
not suited to the qualities of the car. Is the engine part
of this?
All the indications show that the Renault V8 is at a level
of our competitors and that it is even among the top engines.
We have absolutely no worries concerning this issue, or for
that matter concerning the level of reliability. Besides,
Barcelona or even Istanbul should give us an advantage. We
are therefore more than happy and ready for the next challenges
that await us.
What are the aims for the first European Grand Prix
of the season in Barcelona?
Clearly we want to progress in the hierarchy and to get in
front of the Toyotas. We have several improvements to the
chassis that were tested last week in Barcelona. The objective
will be to improve our performance quicker than our rivals
and to establish ourselves as the fourth team in the championship.
We do not want to lose any ground and will try to progress
step-by-step. For the next Grand Prix, Mark will use his engine
from Bahrain and David will have a fresh V8. Everybody knows
the circuit very well because it is the traditional testing
home for the teams. So we know that our opponents will be
at their optimum during this race. We will also need to be.
ING Renault F1 Team in numbers
13 – It's the number of ING Renault F1 Team trucks
used during the European season each year.
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