Zitat05/04/2013 KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN ON THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX Currently running second in the Drivers’ Championship, Kimi Räikkönen is keen to bolster that points tally, starting at the Shanghai International Circuit…
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT? It’s always difficult to predict what will happen in the next race as we haven’t been there yet with this car, and every car reacts differently to each circuit. Unfortunately we didn’t achieve any points there last year so we can only improve from that. I have been first, second and third in Shanghai in previous years so it would be nice to add to that list. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t go well there; we have some new parts for the E21 and the last upgrades we had seemed to help so it will be interesting to see what will happen if it doesn’t rain.
YOU’VE GONE PRETTY WELL IN CHINA BEFORE; YOU MUST HAVE A GOOD FEELING GOING THERE? I won there in 2007 and that was a good feeling as it was the year I won the World Championship. I celebrated those wins pretty well at the time. It’s a proper race track and there are good opportunities for overtaking. Our car looks good so far, so let’s see what happens when we get out on track.
HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO REFLECT MUCH ON THE FIRST TWO RACES OF THE SEASON? Australia felt like quite an easy race for me as everything went so well in the car and the result was the one which everyone wants to get. Malaysia was a tough race. The start was not good and then I lost part of my front wing on the first lap. The car didn’t handle too well after that and with the wet conditions it was pretty tricky. The pace wasn’t too bad, but it could have been much better when you look at our times on Friday.
YOU HAD SOME CLOSE TUSSLES IN MALAYSIA, PARTICULARLY WITH NICO HULKENBERG… It was racing and that’s what we’re all here for. There were a few times where it got pretty close. There are things you should and shouldn’t do but this is racing and at the end of the day I don’t think it changed our result too much.
THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX WAS FULL OF ACTION IN 2012; HOW WAS IT FROM YOUR POSITION? There was some good racing and it looked like a strong result could have been possible, but we ran out of rubber during the final stint and didn’t score any points. Hopefully we’ll be a little bit more lucky with the tyre performance this time and well prepared from a strategy point of view. We had the race pace in 2012, that’s true, but we tried to carry on with our tyres for too long. They dropped off, and that was it. On the other hand without trying to push with those tactics, we would never have been fighting for top positions. If you look at last year we didn’t have a bad car for China, and if we get the car working as well as we did on Friday at Sepang, we should do well in Shanghai too.
ZitatRomain Grosjean: “We’ve got great potential, I just need to unlock it.”
With two races and a handful of points in the bag so far, Romain Grosjean tells us how there is more to come from the E21, just why he’s looking forward to driving the Shanghai International Circuit, and his aims for the Chinese Grand Prix.
How are you feeling two races into the season? It’s been a little frustrating as I don’t think I’ve shown my full potential yet. The first two races were quite difficult for me and I would really like a weekend where I can show what myself and the team can do this season. We’ve got great potential, I just need to unlock it. Hopefully we’ll find the key in China.
Do you think more was possible in Malaysia? If we’d had the car we wanted all weekend then yes. Starting further up the grid and making a better start would have helped too, but it’s always easy to say that. During the race itself I spent a lot of time stuck behind Felipe [Massa] in the middle phase and I’m sure if I could have passed him earlier then I would have stayed ahead, but by the end my tyres were finished so it was best just to let him through without compromising either of our races. There were a couple of times where maybe the backmarkers could have made things a little easier too.
Is the E21 delivering more of what you want from a racing car? We have definitely made progress. It’s been frustrating for me as sometimes the car gives me what I want and sometimes it doesn’t, even if the conditions and setup are very similar. I’ve been working closely with my engineers and we made good progress over the last race weekend. The car and the latest tyres seem to be very sensitive to having the balance exactly right so that’s what we’re focusing on.
The team have been bringing new parts to the car; have these been helping? We’ve been making steps forward with performance and that’s always what you want. The new front wing was beneficial and I’m looking forward to getting the latest exhaust configuration in China. Kimi used it in Sepang and it was definitely of benefit to the car.
You scored your first Formula 1 points last year in Shanghai; is it good to be returning? It was great to get off the mark and it’s always fantastic to score points at a Grand Prix; the more the better! It was a challenging weekend as we didn’t have the car we wanted at the beginning, but we were able to run a different tyre strategy and get a good result. Hopefully there’ll be more points scored this year too.
What do you think of the circuit? It’s an impressive facility; the first time you see it you realise how big it is. The circuit layout is pretty good and there are some nice challenges like increasing radius corners and turns with a bit of banking. There are more slower speed corners than we’ve had at the last couple of races and there’s a big straight too, so there’s plenty to keep you occupied.
What would you like to achieve in China? I would like to score strong points. I finished in tenth in Australia, then sixth in Malaysia so I’d be quite happy if I finish in second place in Shanghai. That or a win would make me very happy! Let’s see how the car is once we arrive on track and hope there won’t be rain again as we know our car does struggle a little in wet conditions.
ZitatEric Boullier: “I’m sure we can expect some stronger results”
The Malaysian Grand Prix may not have yielded the desired result, but Team Principal Eric Boullier is satisfied with what he's seen so far in 2013 and predicts more to come...
What are your thoughts now you’ve had some time to reflect on the first two races? Australia was fantastic in terms of the race win and Kimi’s performance. For Romain, it was a more difficult weekend and we’ve been working hard to improve things for him; the results of which were seen in Malaysia where he had a much better race, even if it was quite a difficult weekend overall. As a team we faced a tough event which exposed one of our weaknesses; namely our performance when the conditions are wet. That said, when you take into account our qualifying positions and the difficult start for both drivers I think the points we took for sixth and seventh is a solid result. We didn’t see the full potential of the car, and the time we lost at the start was always going to be difficult to catch up.
What have you made of Romain’s performances so far this season? Romain hasn’t been able to get the car immediately to his liking and that is never beneficial for a driver. He’s compared with Kimi, who has a tremendous amount of experience at knowing what he wants from the car and how to get it. Whilst Romain struggled in Australia, we saw a strong drive from him in Sepang. He was unlucky in qualifying as his single lap pace looked good, but then of course the rain took away his chance of making Q3. During the race he managed the strategy well, raced hard, and I think he also demonstrated that the work he’s done over the winter has paid off. He has proven that we can count on him.
Team orders; what's your view? Team orders are part of the sport. You have two main strategies to run a team. You might favour one driver, clearly stating ‘driver number one’ and ‘driver number two’ if your target is chasing the Drivers’ Championship title. Alternatively you have both drivers equal, as this is the way you want to go racing, meaning the team holds a lot of importance. The team gives both drivers the same cars, the same conditions, the same performance, but there is a commitment from the team to the drivers. In that case I can understand team orders, because you are working for the team, not for the drivers; they are working for you. Sometimes it seems that emotion takes over, but don't forget that the drivers are paid to work for you, as they are for the company. I don't see any people in the world who could disobey their company and not be sanctioned, or at least give clarification as to why they’ve disobeyed.
Have you ever been in that position with drivers potentially disobeying orders? Yes, it happens because of the adrenaline and excitement of winning a race, but I think in Formula 1 it should not happen. Firstly, we should not have team orders so early in the season; not while the championship is at such an early stage. When it happens you need to fix it and fix it quickly. Yes, one of our drivers if famous for doing pretty much what we wants, but when you have 600 people behind you, there is a certain respect you must have for the team.
It's the strongest start to the season we've had since you've been in charge; how are you feeling? It's still early days; as usual we'll wait to see how the first four races go before we can predict anything and when we're back to Europe we'll have a better idea of where we are and what we can achieve.
How are Kimi and Romain looking from your point of view? We have a Kimi who is happy to be back racing, completely up to speed after a full year since his return and clearly chasing the Championship. At the same time we have a Romain who has come back from a tough 2012 and has built himself over the winter - he's now facing the challenge of putting that into practice, but he's doing well.
The team looked promising last year in Shanghai; what are your thoughts heading into race three of the season? First of all, I think we can take some positives from Malaysia. We’ve made a step forward with the car in terms of single lap pace, but still the race pace looks strong as well. For China, Romain will have the upgraded exhaust and bodywork package which Kimi ran in Malaysia, plus there will be a few additional parts arriving so it’s going to be quite interesting. Coming away from a race feeling like sixth and seventh is a bad result for the team shows how far we’ve come, so we’ll keep pushing and with a normal weekend I’m sure we can expect some stronger results.
ZitatJames Allison: “China Presents Quite a Different Challenge”
After a weekend which flattered to deceive in Malaysia, Technical Director James Allison gives us the lowdown on wet weather woes, setup solutions and why the great tyre debate makes for pleasurable reading
Melbourne and Sepang have some similar characteristics; how does Shanghai differ? China presents quite a different challenge to the last two circuits. Melbourne has a lot of medium speed corners with relatively few at either end of the scale, while Sepang has a reasonable spread; perhaps slightly biased towards the more high speed corners than average. Shanghai by contrast has almost no high speed corners, featuring predominantly low speed ones with a smattering of medium. Some of the lower speed corners are also extended in their radius, even with tightening arcs. This provides quite a stern test for the tyres, as you have a significant excess of torque over grip making it very easy to wreck a set of rear tyres rather quickly. It’s generally quite cool in Shanghai as well – unseasonably so last year – meaning that graining will be an issue once again; particularly given the smoothness of the asphalt which is comparable to that of Melbourne. From what we’ve learned so far the E21 is reasonable in conditions where graining is rife, so we’re hoping for more of the same in China.
2012 saw Kimi’s race unravel late on; what was this down to? Last year we ran a strategy which saw our drivers make one stop fewer than the rest of the field. In the end this proved a bridge too far for Kimi, largely down to the fact that he tends to be fractionally harder on his front tyres than Romain. As it turned out this race was a bit of a graining fest for the fronts, which was unfortunate as prior to that point he was sitting quite pretty in that race.
A few teams have suggested that this year’s tyres are too big a step from those of 2012; would you agree? Not really; they’re just one step softer all round than last year and the new construction makes it harder to access the rubber on the inner corner of the tyre. In other words, the available rubber is reduced as it’s very tricky to get the entire width of the tyre in contact with the road. Certain teams are keen for a switch back to last year’s rubber, but teams will always push for what’s in their best interest. We feel the current tyres makes for entertaining racing, but then we would say that as our car tends to prosper when the tyres are tender.
The inclement conditions in Malaysia weren’t in our favour; where do we stand on that? The result in Sepang was obviously not what we were looking for, but that can largely be attributed to being half a minute down after seven laps. I have to be completely candid and say that wet weather is not our forte. We struggle to get the intermediate tyres warm enough to grip the road, and our current rear wing configuration for – whilst aerodynamically stable in wet conditions – does not generate the sort of downforce levels required for a wet track. Unfortunately we will be fighting an uphill battle with this until we bring a new, higher downforce rear wing to the track.
Romain showed marked improvement over the weekend in Malaysia; is he now happier with the car? Romain started off the weekend with a setup that was far too oversteer biased, but through gradually moving towards greater levels of understeer he became significantly more comfortable in the car; subsequently putting in a very good race performance. As mentioned previously, these tyres really do reward a well-balanced car, but the format of a race weekend places sufficient time constraints to make finding that sweet spot a challenge. In Melbourne we didn’t quite manage to find the zone with Romain, but by the end of the week in Malaysia we had it much more to his liking and he subsequently rewarded us with a sterling drive.
Do we have any upgrades planned for China? We’ll be upgrading Romain to the latest spec exhaust and related bodywork as run by Kimi in Malaysia. We also have a few small tweaks to the front wing, rear wind endplates and sidepod vanes. One of the benefits gained from the new exhaust package is an increase in rear downforce through corners where the ratio of exhaust speed to car speed is high, which tend to be the lower speed corners. This is a good step forward which we hope will aid us in protecting the tyres at this kind of circuit.
ZitatChinese Puzzle: An Engineer’s Guide to the Shanghai International Circuit
The Circuit
INTRODUCTION The circuit layout has two straights and a mix of corners, from tight hairpins to flowing curves and radial turns. The constant changes of direction mean correct engine mapping is extremely important to give good drive out of the corners. Turns 12 and 13 – which form the radial corner that leads onto the longest straight on the circuit – demand particular attention.
TURNS 1 + 2 The first few turns can be bumpy which unsettles the car. This makes braking difficult in the entry phase of the first corner. Turn 1 leads straight into turn 2 and can be viewed as a single, increasing radius corner which places a lot of load on the front tyres. Tyre management in this corner helps with durability.
TURNS 3, 6 + 10 There are heavy traction demands out of these corners.
TURN 4 Heavy braking here.
TURNS 7 + 8 Good high speed change of direction required here.
TURN 9 Braking into turn 9 is tricky with a transition from high speed corners into heavy braking. Exiting is important as it sets the car up for turn 10 leading on to the following straight.
TURN 13 Turn 13 is banked providing an interesting challenge for the drivers.
Turn 14 One of the most high-speed features of the season, the cars have to slow for turn 14 at the end of the long straight. Although this is one of a few heavy braking areas around the track, these are well spread over a lap so the brakes have sufficient time to cool. It’s not a harsh track on braking.
The Car
REAR WING We run slightly less downforce here than in Sepang or Albert Park in deference to the opportunities for overtaking provided by the two straights.
FRONT WING The front wing gives slightly less load than at the previous two circuits.
SUSPENSION The kerbs here are low meaning that the ride height can be lower than would otherwise be necessary. The bumpy braking zone into turn 1 tests the car’s damping capabilities. The set-up needs to encourage good change of direction from the car at both high speeds (turns 7-8) and low speeds (turns 2-3 and 9-10).
BRAKES Shanghai is not a severe circuit for brakes. There are some heavy braking zones with up to 5G of deceleration – turn 1 into 2, turns 6, 11 and 14 – but they are well spread over a lap giving time for the discs and pads to cool.
ENGINE Shanghai sits around mid-table in terms of the stresses it puts on engines. There is one very long straight where the engine is pushed to its most severe usage, but the rest of the circuit features 16 medium to low speed corners meaning the engine is used at relatively low revs for the rest of the lap. The straight between turns 13 and 14 is the longest on the Formula 1 calendar. Gear ratios are therefore carefully calculated to trade off acceleration and maximum speed taking account of aero set-up, engine power, weather, KERS and DRS usage. Short ratios favour acceleration; a longer top gear ratio permits higher maximum speed.
TYRES Pirelli’s P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft tyres will be nominated. The asphalt is not especially aggressive and temperatures are not particularly high, but with the 2013 generation of tyres there is still potential for a lot of degradation and this will be investigated during Friday running. The left front tyre gets a particularly hard time in turn 1, turn 2 and the long right hander of turn 13. There are some significant lateral forces on the car in turns 1, 8 and 13.
ZitatLoud and CLEAR in China: Partner Perspective, Clear
Lotus F1 Team partner CLEAR has started its second season with the squad with strong activation programmes across thirty key markets to harness the power of Kimi, Romain and Lotus F1 Team.
In Australia, branding across Melbourne could be seen on billboards and trams with a significant on-event fan participation programme, including driver appearances at Albert Park.
In Malaysia CLEAR continued with its ‘Helmet For Heads’ CSR campaign. Having already raised over $25,000 for the Road Safety Fund following successful media events held in Singapore, Abu Dhabi xxx
For the third race of the season CLEAR is harnessing its recently implemented national marketing campaign, ‘Champion Performance.’
The campaign integrates TV, digital, PR and retail output including a partnership with the largest news and sports portal in China, Sina, sponsoring their F1 content for the full season.
An eye-catching CLEAR / Lotus F1 Team roadshow is appearing in key Chinese cities with events taking place near famous landmarks. Utilising a Lotus F1 Team show car, the roadshows showcase Lotus F1 Team special edition shampoo to engage with local consumers. Thousands of people have rushed to the roadshows and over 10,000 bottles of the special CLEAR shampoo was sold during one roadshow weekend.
In the build-up to the Chinese Grand Prix, CLEAR will hold a customer and media event in Shanghai with over 120 influential local media at the event, including sixteen national and provincial TV stations.
Kimi is a particular favourite from a local media perspective, allowing CLEAR China to aim for unparalleled media exposure to the legions of Chinese F1 fans, with estimated reach of the media activities exceeding 100 million people to improve the CLEAR and Lotus F1 Team awareness in this most important of markets.
ZitatInside Line: The Latest News from Enstone
Räikkönen Revealed There are few more mysterious men in the Formula 1 paddock - or indeed the sporting world - than Kimi Räikkönen. So, just who is the Iceman?
From a very proud mother to fellow drivers and trusted friends, we spoke to some of Kimi’s closest companions to delve a little deeper into the truly unique sporting enigma that is the 2007 World Champion.
Fooling Around Here at Enstone we’re renowned advocates of the lighter side of Formula 1, so of course the opportunity to take advantage of April Fools’ Day just couldn’t be missed!
So, early on April 1st the team formally announced the launch of the 2013 World Simulator GP Championship™, featuring quotes from Team Principal Eric Boullier and an exclusive Q&A with ‘Head of Ultra Simulation’ Justin Thyme.
Picked up by various members of the press – to whom we of course express our sincerest apologies – the concept entails pitching reserve drivers from each team on the Formula 1 grid in an online championship, aimed at aiding car development and sourcing burgeoning talent for the future.
The Next Generation The magic of Formula 1 is something which spans all generations, and at just 6¾ years old, Olivia Moore is developing into quite the young expert.
Proud daughter of Transport Supervisor Ian Moore, Olivia gave us a fresh and highly entertaining view of life inside the Enstone factory as we caught up with her during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. Check it out here: http://www.lotusf1team.com/the-next-generation.html
Look Who’s Talking: Social Media in Action
Despite the lack of on-track action, the Lotus F1 Team community has been ticking along nicely during the break between Malaysia and China.
As the great tyre debate continues to rumble on, a quick web survey revealed that most fans are pleased with the racing produced by Pirelli’s controversial 2013 rubber; provided Kimi and Romain can continue to make the most of it anyway.
Over the Easter weekend, followers were invited to get creative by painting their own hard boiled Kimi or poached Romain in the #F1Scrambled challenge, with some interesting results…
Facebook and Google+ have seen a more low-key blend of web content promotion, with a link to our ‘2013 Grid Girls’ gallery proving very popular indeed…
On the more artistic side, Instagram has featured some beautiful behind-the-scenes shots of factory life here at Enstone, with Pinterest adding a range of the more spectacular and personal images from our weekend in Malaysia.
Lotus has made faster pit stops a priority ahead of the next two grands prix in order to try to give its drivers a competitive advantage in races.
At the Malaysian Grand Prix, Red Bull set a new pit stop record with all four tyres changed in just 2.05s on Mark Webber's car. The previous record had been 2.31s set by McLaren, but with improved equipment and hours of practice Red Bull beat that five times during the race in Malaysia.
Lotus race team manager Paul Seaby said it was essential his pit crew continued to lower its times in order to remain competitive.
"For both myself and the crew, the main priority at the moment is to get our pit stops more competitive and - more importantly - consistent," he said. "We want to give the drivers a better chance of keeping up with the cars in front, or preferably further ahead of those behind! We know we can do it; it's just a matter of instilling that confident mind set to allow them to relax and breeze through the stops as second nature. There's certainly no lack of effort, and we're sure it will come."
Lotus has completed roughly 40 practice pit stops at its factory this week and Seaby said new equipment had helped to reduce the pit crew's times.
"We tried out a new rear jack which proved to be an instant hit, raising the rear of the car a lot quicker. We're looking for tenths of a second, so any small details like that can make a big difference.
"Our best stops are down to about 2.4 seconds now and we're consistently hitting between 2.5 and 2.7 seconds which is not bad at all for a live stop. Performing push stops - where a few of the guys physically push the car into position - can flatter you a bit as it's easier to get the gun on the nut, so considering that this is as 'live' as you can get without being out on track I'm pleased with our progress."
" Yes, one of our drivers if famous for doing pretty much what we wants, but when you have 600 people behind you, there is a certain respect you must have for the team."
What is Boullier trying to imply? " title="mad" /> " title="nono" /> Sometimes wish he doesn't talk so much! " title="roll" />
Woohoo that's great news Sonny! " title="five" /> Hopefully it will stay dry thoughtout the weekend!
@ Sonny, as for magnums none left & haven't bought any yet. Will stock pile them by Wednesday! h" title="hih" /> @ Whatever, what no magnum on sale? " title="eek" />
WHATEVER, I pay about US$10 for a pack of 3 Magnum. Haagen Dazs is another popular choice but also pretty expensive. I love ice cream! cream" title="icecream" /> Usually indulge in them during GP weekends. " title="red" />
We don't have Ben & Jerry's either, only Haagen Dazs (and some good Italian Gelatti). But since 80% of the country is poor some even living out of a dollar a day... only a few of us can buy that kind of stuff here.
Back to China GP, I'm glad I will be able to watch FP 1 & 3 live again. And as for the qualy and race, it's still going to be hours-after transmission for me, so again no live chat with you guys " title="" />
I'm " title="ii" /> for the nice weather prediction
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