German Grand Prix 2008 Preview - 14 JUL 2008
The ING Renault F1 Team prepares for the tenth round of the
2008 Formula 1 World Championship: the German Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso: "Finishing strongly in the
points must remain our priority"
Fernando, the British Grand Prix took place in dreadful weather
conditions, but you managed to score three points. What are
your feelings after the race?
I had said that when it rains, anything can happen, and that
turned out to be the case. It was a difficult race, with changeable
track conditions and we did not make the best choice in terms
of tyres when I made my first stop. After that my tyres wore
out quickly and controlling the car therefore became difficult,
especially towards the end of the race. We probably could
have had a better result, but in the end I scored three points,
which is important for the team and the championship.
We've reached the mid-season point. How do you view the rest
of the championship?
It's important for us to continue improving because we want
to finish this season strongly and have some good races. At
the moment we are not on terms with the leading teams, but
we are moving in the right direction. The team is working
hard and I will continue to give my maximum.
The German Grand Prix returns to Hockenheim this year. What
are the challenges of the track?
It's a very physical track for the drivers. It can also be
quite hot, which makes things difficult for the whole team.
For the car, good straight-line speed is necessary, but not
as much as it was in the past when the circuit was different.
In the slow corners grip is always poor, but it is possible
to make up for some of that with a good mechanical set-up
and a car that is easy to drive. To be fast in Hockenheim,
the right compromise is always difficult to find.
Do you think that the R28 will perform well in Hockenheim?
We drove in Germany three days last week to improve the set-up
of the car and so that we could approach the race in the best
shape possible. The weather was mixed, but we were still able
to complete our programme, and I think that we have a good
basis to work from when we start free practice on Friday.
The R28 has performed well on different types of circuit already
this season, and we must concentrate on realising our potential
this weekend.
Nelson Piquet: "I'm motivated for this race
and really looking forward to racing in Germany"
Nelson, the British Grand Prix was a mixed weekend. You qualified
well, and raced strongly until your retirement. How do you
look back on the race?
I was obviously disappointed to retire from the race, especially
from such a strong position with a car that was handling well.
We were on course for a great result, but I went off in the
heavy rain which flooded the circuit. Still, I take some positives
from Silverstone because the car was good, we improved it
throughout the weekend, and I qualified well inside the top
ten, just behind Fernando.
Silverstone marked the half-way point of the season. What
do you hope for from the second half of the year?
For me personally the priority is to keep learning and improving
as a driver. We have shown in the last two races how competitive
the car is, and so we have to build on that and approach the
coming races determined to score points so that we can improve
our position in the championship. The European part of the
season will take us to some tracks that I've raced at before,
which should make things a bit easier.
Hockenheim is another familiar venue for you. Tell us about
the circuit…
It's a fun track to drive and I've raced there at a few times
before when I was in GP2, although it's quite different in
an F1 car. It's a demanding circuit with several heavy braking
zones and so you need a well balanced car that is stable under
braking and which also has good traction and grip out of the
slow corners. It's quite a rewarding place to drive and, as
we tested there last week, the car should be well sorted already
when we start free practice on Friday.
What are your aims for this weekend?
As always, we will be aiming for points. I'm very motivated
for this race and really looking forward to racing in Germany.
I expect the midfield battle to be incredibly tight once again,
but, if we can reach Q3 in qualifying, I think that points
will be a realistic target. The whole team is focussed and
working hard for this coming weekend, and it would be great
to reward everyone with a strong result. I will do everything
I can to achieve that.
Alan Permane: "The mood in the team is one of
optimism"
Alan, looking back to Silverstone – and the wet race
lottery – were you happy with the final result?
We have mixed feelings. While it was good to get some more
points on the board, there is definitely a feeling that we
could have come away with even more. Obviously the decision
not to change Fernando's wet tyres at the first pit-stop proved
to be the wrong one, and the rest of his race was compromised.
Equally, Nelson's weekend ended in disappointment when he
was caught out by the heavy rain, which probably cost us a
double points finish.
Fernando was strong all weekend. Sum up his performance for
us?
Fernando was excellent and got the most from the car as always.
The hard work was done the week before the race at the test
and so we arrived at Silverstone with a well balanced car.
He was competitive at the beginning of the race, but at the
first pit stop it was 50/50 as to whether it would rain again
and we chose to gamble by not changing his tyres. Ultimately
that didn't work, but it was definitely worth taking the chance
because we've seen similar decisions in other races really
pay off.
And your thoughts on Nelson's weekend overall?
It was a shame that Nelson's race ended prematurely because
he was having a really strong weekend. He had struggled a
bit in the test the week before, but over the race weekend
he really got down to things and was looking strong. He qualified
well, with a reasonable fuel load, just behind Fernando, and
made the most of a circuit that he knew well. He had a great
start to the race, but like many other drivers he spun in
the heavy rain and was unlucky to get stuck in the gravel.
There is still a feeling that the team has not fully realised
its potential so far. Would you agree?
Yes. Despite scoring points at Silverstone, it still felt
like a missed opportunity. That is very often the case when
you have the benefit of hindsight and you think about how
you could have done things differently. But we will take the
lessons we've learned from the first half of the season, and
come back stronger in the second half.
It has been a couple of years since we raced in Hockenheim.
What are the main challenges of racing there?
It's a demanding track which is hard on tyres and on the brakes.
But we've seen some good racing there in the past as it's
a track where you can overtake. This will be the first time
we have raced in Hockenheim with this generation of Bridgestone
tyres, and so evaluating the tyres was one of the main focuses
of the test there last week. We have gathered some valuable
data and will complete our assessments when free practice
begins on Friday.
What are the objectives for the weekend?
Having tested in Hockenheim last week, we should be in good
shape for this weekend. Obviously we go to each event aiming
to win, but we have to be realistic, and, based on our performance
in the last two races, I think we can aim to get both cars
into the top ten in qualifying and hopefully race strongly
in the points on Sunday afternoon. We have quite a large aero
update for Hockenheim, and we know the car has speed, so the
mood in the team is one of optimism. We're focussed on what
we need to do, and ready to close the gap on those around
us to try and secure fourth place in the constructors' championship.
Hockenheim: Tech File
The revisions to the Hockenheimring in recent years have
transformed what was once a flat out burst through the forests
into a medium downforce circuit, with the team having to balance
the demands of a long back straight and a low-speed stadium
section at the end of the lap. The team therefore has to adopt
a compromise with the set-up. The benefit of such a diverse
track usually gives an exciting race with plenty of overtaking
opportunities.
Aerodynamics
Like the latest generation of Tilke tracks, Hockenheim is
characterised by long straights followed by slow corners and
hairpins, designed with overtaking in mind. With such a long
back straight, a good top-speed is essential to fend off competitors
in the race, but this has to be balanced with the grip needed
in the medium and low-speed parts of the lap. Downforce settings
are therefore a compromise, requiring the team to adopt a
medium downforce set-up and leaving the drivers short of grip
in the low-speed stadium section, but allowing a reasonable
top-speed on the straights.
Brakes
The circuit is one of the hardest tests of the year on brakes,
being similar to the demands of Bahrain. Braking stability
is vital, especially into the hairpin at turn 6, where it
is easy to lock a wheel, and even more challenging following
the removal of electronic braking assistance. The team therefore
play close attention to finding the optimum braking and cooling
solutions, which was one of the priorities at the pre-Grand
Prix test.
Suspension
The long straights and low-speed corner mix of Hockenheim
requires contrasting suspension set-ups. Mechanically, we
are able to run the cars quite soft as there are no significant
high speed changes of direction on the circuit. Front to rear,
we run a forward mechanical bias ie: a stiffer front end,
in order to get good traction out of the slow and medium speed
corners and keep the rear stable under braking. Indeed, with
the braking zone into turn 6 being the main passing opportunity,
braking stability is something we work hard to get right.
Tyres
The demands on the tyres are quite severe and so Bridgestone
will supply the hard and medium options from its range. The
stress does not come from the lateral load of the corners,
but is due to the traction zones and heavy braking required
at this circuit. It will be the first time we have raced in
Hockenheim with this generation of Bridgestone tyres and so
the team made the most of the test last week to begin its
tyre evaluation work. Hockenheim in July is also a place were
we can expect high track temperatures and, coupled with the
heavy traction demands, the team needs to keep a close eye
on wear rates for the rear tyres and beware of blistering
which will make the car unstable.
Engine
The engine requirements at Hockenheim are not as demanding
as in the past, but, with 63% of the lap spent on full throttle,
it's still a challenging workout and about average for the
season. With a lack of high-speed corners, the main demands
come from the long back straight. Good torque is essential
and so the engine needs to work well at low revs to help the
cars get a good exit out of the low-speed corners. The potential
for high temperatures in Hockenheim also means the team must
pay attention to cooling to avoid overheating, but the latest
generation of V8 engines are capable of running at peak revs
in high temperatures.
Renault at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim
The Hockenheim circuit has welcomed 30 Grands Prix since
1970 with Renault engines shining there on many occasions.
The first participation of a Renault car in the German Grand
Prix at Hockenheim came in 1978. Starting ninth on the grid,
Jean-Pierre Jabouille's race was short lived as the Frenchman
retired from the race after just five laps. The following
year, Jabouille set pole position before retiring once again,
while in 1980 promising second and third starting slots for
Jabouille and Arnoux failed to produce a victory. In 1981,
the two RE30s dominated the front of the grid but, once again,
victory remained just out of reach with Renault having to
be content with a second place…a result that was repeated
in 1982.
It was not until 1991 and the partnership with Williams that
a Renault engine triumphed in Hockenheim. Nigel Mansell set
pole position and claimed the win, while teammate Riccardo
Patrese set the fastest lap. 1992 saw the same result with
the same team and same drivers. In 1993 Renault engines scored
a third consecutive victory in Hockenheim, this time with
Alain Prost, the Frenchman having started from pole position.
In 1995, Damon Hill secured pole position in his Williams-Renault,
but it was Michael Schumacher who took his first home victory
in the Renault-powered Benetton. The following year, Damon
Hill bounced back and realised the ‘hat trick': pole,
fastest lap and victory – an achievement that Gerhard
Berger would repeat the following year in 1997 for Benetton-Renault.
In 2001, when Renault returned to the sport with Benetton,
Giancarlo Fisichella and Jenson Button finished in fourth
and fifth places respectively. It was not until 2005 that
a 100% Renault car took victory in Hockenheim as Fernando
Alonso swept to victory en route to the world championship.
In total, that makes seven victories for Renault on this
famous German track: one as a 100% manufacturer team, four
with Williams and two with Benetton.
Hockenheim: Over at Red Bull Racing
Fabrice Lom, the man responsible for the technical coordination
of Renault's V8s at Red Bull Racing, reflects on the team's
performance in the British Grand Prix and looks ahead to this
weekend's German Grand Prix.
Fabrice, how did you view the performance of Red Bull Racing
in Silverstone?
It was excellent until the first few minutes of the race.
Then things became very complicated. We had taken part in
the three-day test at the circuit the week before the Grand
Prix, and we had seen that we had good potential. We confirmed
that on Saturday when Mark Webber qualified on the front row
of the grid, but, for various reasons, we did not manage to
turn that into a result on Sunday, largely owing to weather
conditions and circumstances in the race.
You did not score points for the first time since Melbourne…
Yes, and that's frustrating because we had the speed to get
a great result at Silverstone. Fortunately for us, Toyota
only scored two points, but we are now in fifth in the constructors'
championship, with a small gap to fourth. But we remain optimistic
because we think can keep up our performance during the rest
of the championship.
Red Bull Racing tested in Hockenheim last week. Did that
go well?
Our performance there seems less promising than it was at
Silverstone. But, saying that, we are not too worried as the
car has proved to be fast on all types of track so far this
season.
Is Hockenheim a difficult track for engines?
Not really. Mark and David will use the V8s that they used
in the Silverstone race, but that will not be a big handicap.
Mark's engine ran the whole race in the wet and suffered less
stress than it would in the dry. David's engine only completed
the first lap of the race. Our priority will be to finish
in front of Toyota, who seem to be our main rival.
ING Renault F1 Team in numbers
4 – That's the number of race suits available to each
of our drivers on a Grand Prix weekend.
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