{"id":4353,"date":"2010-04-12T21:56:28","date_gmt":"2010-04-13T01:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/?p=4353"},"modified":"2010-04-12T21:57:09","modified_gmt":"2010-04-13T01:57:09","slug":"renault-f1-2010-chinese-grand-prix-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/formula-1\/renault-f1-2010-chinese-grand-prix-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Renault F1-2010 Chinese Grand Prix Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"RenaultF1Team\"The Renault F1 Team looks ahead to this weekend\u2019s Chinese Grand Prix.
\n<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Robert Kubica: \u201cWe can be proud of our recent performance\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Robert, you had a strong weekend in Malaysia and finished the race in fourth place. Were you satisfied with the result?<\/strong>
\nIf you had offered me fourth place before the start of the weekend, I would have taken it. Like Australia, it was another strong performance by the whole team and a good weekend all round. In qualifying we made the right decisions and reacted well to the weather conditions, and in the race I made up a couple of places at the start, which was important for the final result. To have scored 30 points in two races is a good achievement and as much as we could have hoped for.<\/p>\n

The team is adding new developments at each race \u2013 can you feel the car improving?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s great to see the team pushing so hard and bringing new parts for each race but, as a driver, it\u2019s difficult to judge how much the car has improved when you are driving on different circuits each week, and in different weather conditions. For example, Sepang is a totally different circuit to Melbourne and requires different characteristics from the car. But we know from the data that the car is getting better and better.<\/p>\n

Are you looking forward to this weekend\u2019s Chinese Grand Prix?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s not my favourite Grand Prix of the year, but all the races are just as important as each other with the same points available. The track is quite interesting because there are some unusual corners, such as turn one, which is almost a full circle and is quite difficult technically. The circuit has a similar layout to Sepang with both high and low speed corners, so I think we can be competitive there. And we will have some more updates for the car to help us continue closing the gap to the front.<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts on the season so far?<\/strong>
\nObviously Bahrain was a big disappointment but it was good to make up the lost ground in the last two races. We know that our car is still not the quickest, but we have made some good decisions in the races and I feel we really deserve the results we have achieved. I don\u2019t think there are any real surprises this year. Most of the teams are very close together in terms of performance with Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari as the top three teams. We are just behind them along with Mercedes, and then you have a close fight between Force India, Williams and Toro Rosso. So it\u2019s very tight and we need to keep pushing to get closer to the front and to maintain the advantage over the teams behind us.<\/p>\n

Vitaly Petrov: \u201cThe priority is to get the experience of a race distance\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vitaly, you made another strong start to the race in Malaysia. How did it feel from the cockpit?<\/strong>
\nWhen you start the race just outside the top ten, it\u2019s hard to overtake as many cars as I did in Bahrain or Australia, but I still made up a couple of positions. I felt very comfortable in the first part of the race and enjoyed some good fights with the cars around me, especially with Hamilton. We then made an early pit stop and changed to the prime tyres, which was probably a mistake because I struggled for grip compared with the options. But in the end it didn\u2019t matter because my race ended with the gearbox problem.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re now three races into your F1 career; are you pleased with how things are going?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m pleased with my relationship with the team, especially with the engineers who have really helped me adapt to Formula 1. I\u2019ve been spending as much time as I can with them talking about the systems on the car, the set-up and where we can improve. On the other hand, it has been frustrating not to finish the races, especially retiring so early in Bahrain and Australia, which has limited my experience. At the moment I only know what it feels like to complete half a race in terms of managing the tyres and adapting to the changing fuel load so that\u2019s not ideal.<\/p>\n

The next race is in Shanghai – what do you think of the circuit?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve raced there in GP2 so I don\u2019t need to worry about learning the track. It\u2019s a challenging circuit with a lot of different corners, which makes it a very technical circuit and difficult to find the right set-up. There are lots of long corners, such as turn 13, where your car understeers and it\u2019s hard to get on the power, which always feels frustrating. Of course, I\u2019ve only experienced the circuit in GP2 and I\u2019m sure it will be even more challenging in an F1 car.<\/p>\n

What targets do you have in mind for this weekend? <\/strong>
\nThe priority is to try and finish the race and get the experience of a race distance. I also want to get closer to the top ten and hopefully fight for points in the race. I also need to continue working hard on my qualifying performance so that I can make it through to Q2, and hopefully Q3.<\/p>\n

James Allison: \u201cWe\u2019ve made the most of our opportunities\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

James, after three races the team has scored 30 points \u2013 you must be pleased with the start to the season?<\/strong>
\nI think we\u2019ve achieved as much as we could have realistically hoped for because our results have exceeded the current level of competitiveness of the car. We\u2019ve made the most of the opportunities that have been presented to us and we have scored some strong results, which is a great way to start the season.<\/p>\n

The team has praised Robert Kubica for his work ethic. In what ways has he re-energised the team?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve been impressed by his attitude and the fact that he is as hungry as we are to get the team back to the front of the grid. He\u2019s constantly asking about the updates we have coming for the car and is incredibly hard-working, which helps motivate the whole team.<\/p>\n

Vitaly continues to impress. What is your assessment of his start to the season? <\/strong>
\nI think his biggest strength is his mental toughness, especially at the key moments. His performance at the start of the races is a good example of that, and also his approach to qualifying where he copes well with the pressure. He has been unlucky not to finish the races, and we feel very sorry that we have let him down twice with car failures that have cost him strong finishes. Every weekend he is getting closer to Robert in terms of pace and I expect that to continue throughout the year. I am confident that when we give him a reliable platform, he will get the job done for us and bring the team points each weekend.<\/p>\n

The R30 is very close to Mercedes in terms of performance: can we overtake them in the coming weeks?<\/strong>
\nI think we can because at the moment they\u2019re only just ahead of us on qualifying pace, whereas we seemed to have the edge on race pace in Malaysia. We will have more updates in China, including a new floor and an alternative front wing. Although this might not be enough to get ahead of Mercedes in qualifying trim, it should move us closer to their tail. And if we can jump ahead of them at the start of a race, I\u2019m confident we have the pace to stay ahead.<\/p>\n

How aggressive is this year\u2019s development programme compared to, say, 2009 or previous years?<\/strong>
\nWe have made no secret of our intention to develop our car aggressively during 2010. Aggressive development means having effective ideas and getting them to the track as fast as possible. Our current rate of aerodynamic development is at an all-time high; it\u2019s at least double that of last year. The factory is also pulling out all the stops to get our ideas to the car in around half the time compared with last year.<\/p>\n

How much of an asset is the team\u2019s CFD facility in developing the R30?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s a fundamental component of any aero department nowadays and without it we simply couldn\u2019t develop the car at our current pace. At the moment, CFD-derived projects are providing more than half of the aerodynamic gains that eventually end up on the car.<\/p>\n

Does the team have mechanical improvements planned as well as the aero upgrades?<\/strong>
\nFor any F1 team, the design and in-season development of a car is dominated by improvements to the aerodynamics because it has the biggest impact on performance. But there are still many mechanical projects underway, such as suspension and brake developments. They don\u2019t grab the headlines because they are usually an accumulation of many dozens of small things and are not as visible as an aerodynamic upgrade.<\/p>\n

Talk us through the technical challenge presented by the circuit in Shanghai and how the R30 is likely to perform there?<\/strong>
\nThe biggest difference we can expect in Shanghai is that it will bring much cooler conditions than Malaysia and Bahrain. We will have to ensure that we can make the tyres work well in the cool temperatures. We hope to take another small step towards the front in Shanghai and I think a realistic goal for the weekend is to get both drivers to bring home points.<\/p>\n

A lap of Shanghai with Robert Kubica<\/strong><\/p>\n

The track in Shanghai is an impressive place. There\u2019s an amazing infrastructure, big buildings, and lots of space, although it\u2019s not really something you are aware of when driving the car.<\/p>\n

As a circuit it\u2019s quite technical because you need a car that works well in slow and quick corners. Good straight-line speed is also important, along with braking stability. It\u2019s therefore difficult to find the ideal set-up and you have to make a compromise with the aerodynamic balance. Most cars usually prefer to run with more downforce and sacrifice speed on the straights.<\/p>\n

The start of the lap is a real technical challenge because it\u2019s basically a full circle. I find it tricky because it\u2019s such a long corner, which gets tighter, and you cannot see the apex. The length of the corner makes it one of transition where you are bit on the brakes and a bit on the throttle so that you carry as much speed as possible. You also get a lot of understeer, which makes it easy to run wide and can put you offline for turn two.<\/p>\n

The lap has several high-speed corners, such as turns seven and eight. These corners follow each other closely so it\u2019s important to get a good line on the exit of seven to be online for the entrance of eight. Your line through seven can drift a bit depending on how much your car is understeering, but most cars will take the same line through this sequence.<\/p>\n

Turns 11 and 12 are low-speed corners, but the exit of turn 12 is very tricky. You have to get on the power early because the corner opens up into the banked turn 13, which leads onto the long back straight. You need to look out for snap oversteer in turn 12, but once you\u2019re on the power you don\u2019t want to lift the throttle. However, you usually get understeer through turn 13, which can really hurt your speed onto the straight. In the car it feels like the back straight never ends so it\u2019s a good time to make adjustments on the steering wheel or talk on the radio.<\/p>\n

The hairpin at turn 14 is a very good opportunity for overtaking and is the biggest braking zone of the lap. You always try to brake as late as possible and you need to be careful not to lock your wheels too much because it costs you a lot of lap time. It\u2019s a difficult corner and hard to get your braking point spot on for every lap of the Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

Turn 16, the final corner, looks like it should be straightforward, but it\u2019s easy to get it wrong and lose time here. You need to get on the power early, but there is a small bump in the middle of the corner, which makes it tricky.<\/p>\n

Life on the road: keeping cars healthy<\/strong><\/p>\n

The race bays in Enstone have looked rather deserted of late. With four flyaway races on the trot, it has been well over five weeks since the R30s last passed through Enstone. Life on the road may sound glamorous, but without the home comforts of the factory it\u2019s a challenge to keep the cars in tip-top shape. So what measures are taken to ensure the cars remain fit for action?<\/p>\n

The first thing to mention is the reliance on air freight to ferry various car components around the globe. While it\u2019s true that the actual chassis haven\u2019t been back to Enstone, a fair amount of the R30\u2019s components have been making regular trips back to Enstone. In fact, over a tonne of air freight was shipped back to Enstone from Sepang last week, packed full of bodywork and suspension components in need of servicing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the key parts on the car have a design life and a service life,\u201d says Technical Director, James Allison. \u201cWhen a component reaches its service life, it has to come off the car and return to the factory for assessment, and if that means shipping it to the other side of the world, then that\u2019s what has to be done. That\u2019s the case, for example, with our carbon suspension components, which need proof testing after each Grand Prix so that we can locate any potential weaknesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having to send so much freight back to Enstone is a major logistical challenge and often requires members of the team to carry parts back as hand luggage on commercial flights. That was the only way to meet the deadlines imposed by the back-to-back races in Australia and Malaysia with less than a week to get parts back to Enstone, serviced and out to Sepang.<\/p>\n

Proof testing of components doesn\u2019t just happen at Enstone, though. At each race there\u2019s a travelling non-destructive testing expert on hand to keep an eye on critical components. \u201cWe can check a lot of the composite materials using ultrasound to locate any weaknesses,\u201d explains Chief Engineer Alan Permane. \u201cIf we are running a new front wing then we\u2019ll use this technique to scan certain points on the wing for stress fractures. We will inspect the wing after the installation lap and then after each run to make sure everything is performing as it should.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reacting to unexpected curve balls is also important, as the team discovered in Melbourne when the roll hoop on Vitaly\u2019s car was damaged while the car was returned to the pits on the back of a truck. At times like these it\u2019s only the resources of the factory that can come to the rescue: the design team in Enstone produced a bespoke repair kit that was sent out to Sepang ready to be fitted to the car. Without such reactivity it would have been a struggle for the race team to fix the car on-site.<\/p>\n

While most of the cars\u2019 components have been serviced or replaced, there\u2019s little that can be done to preserve the cosmetic appearance of the cars during flyaway races. Repainting is a luxury that has to be put on the back-burner and both R30s will be carrying a few battle scars into this weekend\u2019s Chinese Grand Prix. There\u2019s nothing major, just the odd chip to the paintwork here and there. The cars will get a fresh coat of paint when they arrive back at the factory next week so that they\u2019re in pristine condition for the start of the European season.<\/p>\n

Courtesy Renault F1 \u00a9 RIF<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Renault F1 Team looks ahead to this weekend\u2019s Chinese Grand Prix. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[3,604],"tags":[1275,1221,1286,5262,5261,5340,562,560,55,501,505,96,1239,415],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4353"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4353"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4358,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4353\/revisions\/4358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}