British Grand Prix 2008 Preview
The ING Renault F1 Team prepares for the ninth round of the
2008 Formula 1 World Championship: the British Grand Prix,
which marks the mid-point of the season.
Fernando Alonso: "I am always determined"
Fernando, you scored a point in the French Grand
Prix, yet you had other hopes for Renault's home Grand Prix?
Yes, after the qualifying session I thought that for the first
time this year we could aim for the podium, so I was understandably
disappointed with the final result. My race didn't start well
as I lost some ground, and after that I was not able to find
the pace I had shown on Saturday. The car had good straight-line
speed, but I still couldn't make any progress. I scored a
point, which is something, and I'm determined to do better
this coming weekend.
How are you approaching the British Grand Prix this
weekend?
I am positive because we saw in Magny-Cours that we are making
progress, although we know there is still a lot to do. We
did three days of testing at Silverstone last week with Nelson
when we worked on the set-up of the car, tested some new parts,
evaluated the tyres, and so we now have a good feeling for
the track. That will certainly help for the first practice
session and for improving the car throughout the weekend.
The factory in Enstone is less than an hour down
the road from Silverstone…
After Magny-Cours, this is another home race for us and there
will be lots of members of the team there to support us on
Sunday. A good result there will be very important for the
whole team.
What can you tell us about the Silverstone circuit?
It really is a classic circuit on the F1 calendar. The track
is very demanding for the cars, just as it is for the drivers,
especially through the quick corners where the chassis needs
to be well balanced. It's also quite a physical circuit with
lots of G-forces for the driver to cope with. A good lap at
Silverstone is always exhilarating because the car and the
driver must both be at their optimum.
Nelson Piquet: "I hope I can carry this momentum
into the next part of the season"
Nelson, you scored your first points in France. How
special was that?
It felt great to score my first points as I have been waiting
for this moment since the beginning of the year. It took a
bit longer than I would have liked, but the early races were
not easy for me or the team. In France everything just came
together for us – we ran without any problems and improved
the car throughout the weekend, and so I was well prepared
for the race and felt comfortable with the car.
Has the result given you more confidence for the
second half of the season?
I hope I can carry this momentum into the next part of the
season, starting with the next race at Silverstone, but this
result hasn't changed anything inside me – I knew what
I was capable of and that things would come right eventually.
I think I will have a stronger second half of the year as
I have more experience to draw on and I have learnt an enormous
amount from the first eight races. Every second you spend
in the car, you learn a bit more, and you become a bit more
confident: it's just a natural learning process and it takes
time.
What are you hoping for from Silverstone? Isn't it
one of your favourite circuits?
Yes, I like the track and we tested there last week so we
have the car quite well sorted already. Obviously the aim
is to score more points, and to be matching my teammate, but,
as we saw in France, the midfield pack is very competitive
and a lot of the cars are fighting on the same level: just
a few tenths can be the difference between qualifying in 8th
or 16th. And qualifying will be especially important at Silverstone
because overtaking is not easy due to the high-speed nature
of the track.
Silverstone is the second home race for the team,
and you also live in the UK. Does that make it more special?
I guess it will feel a bit like a home race for me, and it's
also nice for the members of the team who are based at the
factory in Enstone to come and support the team. But all the
races are just as important as each other, and I will approach
the race in my normal way by pushing to the maximum all weekend
and aiming for another points finish.
Bob Bell: "We're pretty upbeat about Silverstone"
Bob, the team came away from France with its first
double points finish of the season. Happy with the result?
Although we're obviously very pleased to see both cars finish
the race in the points, I don't think we can be totally satisfied
with the result. I think Nelson got as much out of the race
as he was ever likely to given his starting position, but
it was obviously a great disappointment that Fernando was
unable to bring home a potential podium finish, which is ultimately
what we were aiming for.
Fernando's qualifying form was again exceptional,
but he struggled in the race. Is it fair to say that the team
needs to work on improving its race pace?
We were fairly confident that we could convert Fernando's
grid position into a podium finish, but he lost pace in the
race, primarily in his first stint, and after that it was
all over in terms of our hopes for a podium. We don't fully
understand yet why that was the case and so we are examining
the data to try and get to the root cause of why he lost performance.
So, yes, overall it is fair to say that we have seen more
improvement in terms of our qualifying pace than we have seen
in race conditions, and we need to address that.
Nelson had a great weekend and scored his first points
in Formula 1. How did you assess his performance?
I think that Nelson did a very creditable job and he kept
improving throughout the race weekend. In the practice sessions
on Friday he was quite a way off Fernando, and yet by the
end of the weekend he was right up there with him and ultimately
brought home more points. So it was a really positive weekend
for him, which is great for his self-confidence. Hopefully
it will act as a launch pad for the second half of the year
as we travel to some of the European tracks that he has raced
on before. I think this is a real opportunity for him to show
his true colours.
Looking ahead to the British Grand Prix, what can
we expect from the R28?
I think we're pretty upbeat about Silverstone. It's a medium
/ high down force track with some high-speed corners –
a bit like Barcelona – and the R28 has generally gone
well in this configuration. You need good change of direction;
good traction; good high-speed performance and so I think
it will suit the strengths of the car. And having tested at
Silverstone last week we should be able to dial the car in
quickly to the circuit and find a good set-up.
Will there be further developments in time for the
British Grand Prix?
We hope to have some new parts on the car for Silverstone,
but they will probably be very late additions and we cannot
say for sure whether they will make the car. We ran them in
the test last week and hopefully they will allow us to take
another small step forward.
Silverstone will be the second home race for the
team – is it a special feeling to race there?
Yes it is. It's pretty much the home Grand Prix for Enstone,
and it's a special race for everyone who works in England
in the Formula 1 industry. With our factory being so close
to the circuit, we are always determined to put on a special
show there.
We're approaching the half-way point of the season.
What is the target for the second half of the year?
It's very much as it was for the first half of the season.
We have got to keep developing the R28 to put us in a position
were we're regularly challenging BMW and McLaren and fighting
for podiums by the end of the season. We need to do that so
that we can go into 2009 feeling confident that we can move
on from our current position to where we should be, which
is at the front.
Silverstone Tech File
The challenge of racing at Silverstone has been transformed
in recent years by the introduction of V8 engines and ever-increasing
levels of downforce. The result is that corners previously
requiring downshifts can now be taken with just a lift of
the throttle, and indeed the first half of the lap, all the
way to Vale, requires very little braking at all. The engines
are therefore under prolonged load with a full throttle percentage
of 66% per lap. Corners range from 180 mph sweepers to the
long, slow complex at the end of the lap – and the car
must also cope with the bumpy surface and capricious, gusting
winds.
Aerodynamics
Downforce levels at Silverstone are medium to high –
the same as those used at the last race in Magny-Cours. The
downforce is required for the quick corners in the opening
part of the lap, and the relatively short straights and short
braking zones mean that any deficit in straightline speed
is unlikely to see competitors overtaking you. The lack of
heavy braking also means we run some of the smallest brake
ducts of the year to optimise aerodynamic performance.
Ride
Ride is an important characteristic at Silverstone, where
maintaining consistent aerodynamic performance is so critical
for performance in the quick corners. The surface is quite
bumpy, and nowhere more so than under braking for turn 8,
where the uneven surface can unsettle the car. The drivers
also tend to drift out onto the kerbs exiting the quick corners
in order to take the fastest line, which can make the circuit
seem bumpier than it is.
Suspension
We run the car with a forward mechanical balance at this circuit
– essentially with a stiff front end and softer rear
end. The stiff front gives the car a good change of direction
in the high and slow speed corners, while the softer rear
end gives better grip under traction, exiting turns 9, 11
and 16 in particular.
Tyres
Tyres are always given a hard time at this track, especially
because of the numerous high-speed corners, and this means
that Silverstone, along with Barcelona and Spa, is among the
toughest tracks of the season for tyre wear. To cope with
this Bridgestone will offer the ‘medium' and ‘hard'
compounds from its 2008 range of Potenza tyres in order to
cope with these challenges.
Ambient conditions
As a former airfield, Silverstone is inevitably exposed to
the wind – and this can have a big impact on car performance.
Gusting wind alters the aerodynamic balance of the car and
makes handling unpredictable, particularly in the high-speed
corners. The driver must be able to judge the direction and
strength of the wind, and adjust his driving accordingly.
Strategy
Fuel consumption is high at Silverstone, as is the time penalty
for carrying extra fuel weight. This means that it is a circuit
where strategies rarely vary from the norm, as two extra laps
of fuel, for example, could cost nearly two tenths per lap.
Expect to see most teams running a "standard" two
stop strategy, which is generally slightly forward-biased
for the front runners in order to ensure good grid position
and clean air in which to race in the early stages. With overtaking
nearly impossible at this circuit, track position is all-important.
Engine
The Silverstone circuit gives the latest generation of V8
engines a thorough workout with just under 66% of the lap
spent at full throttle. This is slightly less demanding than
in previous years, largely due to the advent of control tyres
from Bridgestone, but the engine still needs to be responsive
at high revs as the drivers take the quick corners on either
full or partial throttle. In terms of cooling, an extensive
test at this circuit in the run up to the Grand Prix means
we are well prepared for every eventuality.
Renault at the British Grand Prix
Silverstone, the place where it all began for the Formula
1 world championship in 1950 – and for Renault's F1
adventure in 1977. During the turbo era, the British Grand
Prix alternated between Brands Hatch and Silverstone, which
meant that Renault engines raced at the old airfield just
five times from 1977 to 1986. During that period, Renault
power took three podiums – a second place for René
Arnoux in 1979, a win for Alain Prost in 1983 and a third
place for Jacques Lafitte's Ligier-Renault in 1985. The 1981
race had promised much, with an all-Renault front row and
the cars running one-two in the early stages, but failed to
deliver with Prost retiring, and Arnoux classified 9th after
retiring before the flag following a distribution problem.
The V10 era, though, was the beginning of something quite
different. In 1989, Patrese spun out of a potential podium
position, while in 1990, Thierry Boutsen finished on the second
step. But 1991 was when things really got going, as Nigel
Mansell took charge around the sweeps of Silverstone. Dominant
victories in 1991 and 1992 followed, with team-mate Riccardo
Patrese completing a one-two in 92. The run of victories then
continued unbroken until Renault retired from the sport, with
Prost taking victory in 1993, Hill in 1994, Herbert's Benetton
in 1995, Villeneuve in 1996 and the Canadian repeating the
feat in 1997 – leading home Jean Alesi and Alexander
Wurz (on his debut) for a Renault 1-2-3.
The third era of Renault's F1 participation got off to a
slower start, with an unremarkable performance in 2002. 2003
saw Jarno Trulli lead the race from P2 on the grid, but he
could manage only P6 at the finish. Not until 2005 did the
first podium come, a hard-fought second place for Fernando
Alonso, followed by a dominant weekend in 2006, during which
he set pole, took the win and clocked the fastest lap for
good measure.
Last year, Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella both
scored points, finishing in 7th and 8th places. As the team
return to Silverstone this year, there is no doubt that Fernando
Alonso and Nelson Piquet will be determined to score points
on a circuit that they both enjoy. In total, Renault power
has taken 9 wins, 18 podiums and 10 pole positions at Silverstone
since the very first start in the 1977 British Grand Prix.
Silverstone: Over at Red Bull Racing
Fabrice Lom, the man in charge of Renault's technical operations
with Red Bull Racing, reflects on the French Grand Prix and
looks ahead to the next round of the season in Silverstone.
Fabrice, how was the French Grand Prix for Red Bull
Racing?
If we look at the overall result, we have to be satisfied
with finishing 6th with Mark Webber, which meant we were in
the points for the seventh time in eight races. However, we
are now used to scoring points and the performance of the
car meant that we were hoping for an even better result. So
we have mixed feelings…
The RB4 seems to be working well. Is this due to
specific circumstances or more a sign of the progress made
by Red Bull Racing?
I would lean more towards the second explanation, but perhaps
it is difficult for me to be objective with this question!
We are confident for Silverstone as it is a track that should
suit us…so long as the wind does not cause too much
disturbance.
The reliability has been good up until now…
Yes, we have had 100% since the start of the season. That
was our objective over the winter and the result proves the
quality of the job performed by the team.
This weekend we are in Silverstone. What is the team
aiming for?
We want to continue our progress. The test session here last
week allowed us to approve a lot of things, but we were disturbed
by some incidents which meant that we could not complete the
whole of our programme. So there remains a little work for
us to do during the weekend. In terms of the engine, the drivers
will have new V8s, which is a good thing for Silverstone as
to perform well you need to have lots of power. But we must
not neglect the reliability as the load on the engine is significant.
A good result would be to see Mark and David among the top
eight.
ING Renault F1 Team in numbers
5000: that's the number of guests that the team entertain
during the Grand Prix season at races and test sessions.
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