Preview to the german GP to Renault Sport F1

The 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship now makes its way to Germany for round 10 of 19, the German Grand Prix, held this year at the twisty, undulating 3.2 mile Nürburgring on the edge of the Eifel mountains and forest range to the north of the country.

The German Grand Prix is the home race for two drivers from Renault-powered teams; Lotus Renault GP’s Nick Heidfeld and Red Bull Racing-Renault’s Sebastian Vettel. Renault engines have won at the Nürburgring five times, the first victory coming in 1995 with Michael Schumacher and the fifth at the 2009 German Grand Prix with Red Bull’s Mark Webber.


A lap of Germany from an engine point of view
Sector one
There’s a long run from the start finish line to the first corner, the Castrol-S, a second gear hairpin where revs will drop very low: just 9,500rpm. Then it’s straight into the Mercedes-Arena; a second to third gear complex taken with an average speed of around 62 mph. Through this section the engine needs to have good braking control on the entry to corners and good traction on the exit, however also needs to be responsive enough to accelerate out of the arena down the short straight leading down to turn 5 where cars will hit 167 mph before the braking zone.

Sector two
Turn 5 is a fourth gear left hander that quickly tightens into turn 6, a right hander taken in third gear, but then it’s back on the power for another short burst before the next heavy braking zone for the Dunlop-Kehre hairpin. Like turn 1, this hairpin is taken in 2nd and engine revs drop quite low – just 10,500rpm. The driver then needs a responsive engine to accelerate for the ‘straight’ leading through turns 8 and 9. Even though turns 8 and 9 are taken in sixth at 155 mph – not normally top speed – the drivers will be flat and will pull around 3.5g through this section. They will then drop from 181 mph to 90 mph and third gear for turn 10.

Sector three
Sector three is the shortest section in time, taking around 24 seconds to complete. It’s also the highest average speed on the track and the DRS activation zone, which comes 62m after turn 11. Drivers will be able to make use of the DRS on the 755m straight from turn 11 to 13 before braking for turn 13, or the Veedol chicane, a second gear chicane that sees drivers brake from 189 mph to just 56 mph. The track then opens back out for a final sprint to the last corner, a third gear right hander taken at 75 mph, before rejoining the pit straight for another lap.

View from Rémi Taffin, head of Renault Sport F1 track operations
The Nürburgring is a medium speed track with an average of 118 mph and a maximum speed of 189 mph in qualifying. The average is balanced out by a mix of low speed corners, such as turns 1 and 7 where the cars will run between 47 and 59 mph and the four long straights. As a result the engine has to be driveable through the lower revs but also offer responsiveness and top end power. In particular we will work carefully on the selection of the top gear ratios since seventh gear will be engaged four times a lap, a higher than average usage.

Track conditions change a lot over the weekend at the Nürburgring. Even though the circuit is used frequently by other motorsport formulae over the year, the fact Formula 1 only visits once every two years means that fresh rubber will be laid down during the weekend. As a result we will run less aggressive engine maps at the start of the event to allow the driver to be smoother on the throttle and fine tune towards a more aggressive mapping as the grip improves.

Did you know…
The back to back Grands Prix in Germany and Hungary will see the Renault Sport F1 trucks depart from the Nürburgring on Sunday night to arrive at the Hungaroring in Budapest by Tuesday. To supply three teams RSF1 takes four trucks to each race carrying five tonnes of equipment. One truck is stationed next to the Red Bull Racing engineering area, a second next to Lotus Renault GP and a third – used principally as a communications ‘common space’ – next to Team Lotus. The other truck is parked in the truck parking area to the exterior of the circuit. Approximately 30 people attend each race, six engineers and technicians per team, plus five logistics and a small marketing and management team.

| Renault

Double podium for Renault engine in British Grand Prix

Two Renault RS27 engines finished in the top three in today’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Red Bull Racing-Renault’s Sebastian Vettel secured second position behind winner Fernando Alonso, with Mark Webber third, giving the RS27 a total of 16 podium finishes so far this season. Lotus Renault GP’s Nick Heidfeld had a strong race to eighth, giving Renault engines three of the top ten positions.

Vitaly Petrov brought the second Lotus Renault GP home in 12th position, just 1.5secs from the points, however Team Lotus had a double DNF.



Sebastian Vettel maintains his lead in the drivers’ championship, with an 80 point lead over Mark Webber in second. Red Bull continues to lead the constructors’ title race, with 328 points to McLaren’s 218. Lotus Renault slips to fifth, three points behind Mercedes.

Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing-Renault locked out the front row for the second consecutive race, with Webber taking pole ahead of Vettel. Vettel had a better start off the line and built up a lead of around six seconds before the first round of pit stops when the circuit was sufficiently dry to change to slick tyres. Vettel maintained his lead, but a slow second stop due to a faulty rear jack dropped him behind Alonso and Hamilton. The German re-passed Hamilton for second during his third stop, but then faced a stern challenge from team-mate Webber in the closing laps of the race. After losing out to Vettel at the start, Webber kept Alonso behind until his first stop for slick tyres, after which he then closed the gap to Vettel to just over one second. His second stop was also slow but after a third stop the Australian was back behind Hamilton in fourth. A great move saw him pass the Brit for third and he closed to within one second of Vettel to secure his second consecutive podium.

Lotus Renault GP
A disappointing qualifying saw Vitaly Petrov and Nick Heidfeld start the race in 14th and 16th respectively. The race got underway in challenging conditions, with some parts of the track completely drenched but others relatively dry by comparison, but a great start from Heidfeld put him into 13th, with Petrov 14th. After a long battle with the Saubers and Toro Rossos, Heidfeld battled up to 8th at the close of the Grand Prix with Petrov 12th. Heidfeld is now eighth in the drivers’ championship with 34 points, while Petrov is ninth with 31.

Team Lotus
Team Lotus had a positive start to the weekend, with Heikki Kovalainen graduating into Q2 ahead of both Toro Rossos. The Finn started from 17th position, however a gearbox issue caused by a possible electrical problem put paid to his race just two laps in. Jarno Trulli was not so lucky with the weather in qualifying as the rain fell after he had only made one run. He started from 21st, however his race also came to a premature end on lap 10 with an oil leak. As a precautionary measure to prevent damage to the engine, Jarno was instructed to pull over and retire from the race.

Rémi Taffin, head of Renault Sport F1 track operations, gives his views on the race weekend:
Silverstone is a rightly described as a power track, where the engine has to have good top end power on the four long straights. At the same time, two of the straights are entered from relatively low speed corners, so driveability is also key. For this reason, we can be pleased with the double podium finish. Furthermore, considering the off-track discussions over the weekend, it shows just how determined the Red Bull Racing team and Renault Sport F1 are to succeed.

It was a disappointing end to the weekend for Team Lotus with the double retirement, one of which was due to an oil leak on Jarno’s car. We stopped him on track to prevent damage to the engine and we’ll conduct a thorough investigation to see what happened to put in place procedures and ensure it doesn’t happen again. It was a shame as the team is looking increasingly competitive and qualified in Q2 on merit.

Lotus Renault GP also had a hard weekend, but the race showed the race pace is still there, even in the changing conditions we saw here today. Nick’s eighth position is really important for the constructors’ championship as Mercedes are now looking quite strong and just managed to get ahead this weekend.

There’s a lot of work to do now before the next race and we need to remain focussed to deliver the best possible solutions to our partners.

British GP - Conference 4

DRIVERS
1 - Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)
2 - Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull)
3 - Mark WEBBER (Red Bull)

Q: Fernando, the first win of the season for you and Ferrari. You were gifted the lead by Red Bull but do you feel you forced the mistake today?
Fernando ALONSO: Well I don't know. It is difficult to know. I saw the problem in the pit-stop with Sebastian and we were in the lead at that moment. I didn't know as I was also fighting with (Lewis) Hamilton and with Mark and I left the pits and I found myself leading the race and then pulling a good gap. You never know. The race was in different conditions. We started with a very wet part of the circuit and then it was a little bit dry, but still with intermediate tyres. Then the intermediates were struggling a little and we were very quick at that part of the race and then with the dry tyres it was again the same thing. Very slow at the beginning when the track was damp and very quick when the track was dry so I knew that it was a race to be calm, to put the car on the track always, no mistakes, not being off the track at any moment as the grass is very wet and with no mistakes I knew the car had enough pace to fight for the victory. At the end it came.

Q: It was a great battle with Hamilton. Tell us about the pass and the re-pass.
FA: Well he overtook me quite easy. When we fitted the dry tyres he was very, very quick at that part of the race so we were forced to stay calm. We knew that our opportunity would be later in the race and when I overtook him again it was thanks to the DRS and the KERS and all these possibilities we have these days. Then we attacked the Red Bulls as from now it will always be the same thing. Every race we try to do like the final. Championship hopes are very difficult because Sebastian keeps finishing all the races first and second so the only thing we can do is try to win every race we go to and be very aggressive. Every race, every start, every strategy will be at the maximum.

Q: Sebastian, the pit-stop cost you the lead but were Ferrari on to you today? What do you think?
Sebastian VETTEL: I think it is hard to say how much we lost but surely we lost the lead. I think we had quite a bit of a cushion at that stage so it didn't help. I came out behind Fernando and Lewis and struggled to get past really. I had some places where I was quite close to him but it didn't quite work so we went in for the stop and I had a longer stint at the end. But all in all we had a very good race. It was very difficult in these conditions. I had a brilliant start and was able to pull away quite good at the beginning of the race on intermediate tyres. Then I think we waited a little bit and we weren't that aggressive which cost us a bit of our lead plus then the pit-stop so little mistakes here and there. But you cannot get it right all the time and you have to accept Ferrari beat us fair and square today. It was not only in this race, I think there has been a certain trend over the last couple of races. They have been very strong on race day on Sunday and generally improving their car so it shows us we need to keep on working very hard and keep pushing very hard so soon it is the other way around again.

Q: You were very, very close to the back of Lewis going into Copse at one point weren't you?
SV: Yeah, I was. I thought it was the only place where I could try something. On that lap I think I had too good an exit so got off the corner very well and was too close. I was sitting behind and in that right kink where the old pit building is you cannot do anything there so I was too close to use my momentum later on. I had to lift and I don't think there was much left. We don't see the front wing but it was very close but good fun.

Q: Mark, you lost the start to Sebastian but what happened at the end? You seemed to be closing on him, but you couldn't get past him.
Mark WEBBER: Well it was a mixed race as the guys touched on. It was very, very slippery and tricky at the start with the inters. Half the track dry and half the track wet. It made it very frustrating as all of us had to stay out on the inters for longer than we would have liked as we had to wait for slicks to come into play at that part of the track. Michael (Schumacher) pitted first then we waited to hear on his pace on the slicks. Then, when he started to go okay we elected to stop. Just before, on the in-lap, I had a massive moment in Becketts so Fernando closed a bit on me. I went across the grass as I came in so bit scrappy there. Then we had an interesting race after that. I felt very strong at the start of the stints, not too strong at the end of the stints, and then both Seb and I were in big trouble with the tyres at the end. I tried to pass him but not quite so that was the race.

Q: Are you surprised at how tough a battle you have been given here this weekend by McLaren and Ferrari?
MW: Not really. I think Ferrari we have seen, in the last few events, going pretty well. You never, never know. Sundays are always difficult. It is always about the tyres as you know. McLaren looked absolutely in trouble yesterday and then today they weren't too bad at all. Very quick and they did a clean job in the pit-lane. I didn't think we had the best day in the box today. It is not normal for our guys but you cannot be perfect all the time. That was it.

Q: Fernando, describe both the emotion and the satisfaction this win gives you today.
FA: It is a very special win. I think Silverstone is a special event for every driver competing in Formula One. We know the history of motorsport here in the UK so it is special grand prix. Also today I had the privilege to drive the Jose (Froilan Gonzalez's) car. It was the first Ferrari win in Formula One and this year it is 60 years ago that one Ferrari car won the first grand prix in Formula One. Today we won on the same circuit with the same passion, with the same group of people, working for this fantastic team. Every year competing in Formula One right from the beginning so this is the big thing about Ferrari. The passion, the victory and the love for competition so very happy to drive this car and achieve this success again.

Q: Fernando, what a way to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Ferrari's first win. Ideal way wasn't it?
FA: Definitely. I had two laps today with that car for the parade and it is part of the history of Ferrari. Being every single year, every single championship in Formula One, winning 60 years ago with that car with Froilan and now 60 years later on the same circuit with the same atmosphere I am sure in the team, with the same passion winning again with the red car. Very proud of the team. Very proud of the recovery that we did. I think three or four races ago we were 1.5 seconds behind and now we were leading the race and pulling away so definitely a good recovery from the team and a very special day. Every grand prix is special but winning in historic places on this fantastic circuit, Silverstone, with the tradition in England about Formula One, the culture about motorsport, it is even more special.

Q: Do you think you would have won without the pit-stop problem for Sebastian? After all you did set a succession of fastest laps in the middle of the race and you ended the race with a lead of 20 seconds.
FA: Who knows? You never know. I think it is difficult to have any prediction of what could have happened without the problems of Sebastian. For sure more difficult and you need to overtake on the track and when you are talking about two or three-tenths different pace in favour of them or us it is not easy to overtake as we saw with the McLaren and for Sebastian it was the same when he tried to overtake Lewis. It is not easy to overtake so the pit-stop problems for them was a help. But the same every race. Maybe in Canada it was a different thing also for Jenson. He won the race and we retired.

Q: You said earlier in the weekend this wasn't a circuit that you expected to suit the Ferrari. What can we expect from the Nurburgring?
FA: Well it is a huge boost for us. Good confidence being quick here in Silverstone as no doubts it was a race on the calendar that had one red cross. We knew that it was not an easy grand prix for us in terms of the characteristics of the corners, the lay-out never being our strongest point, the high speed corners in the last two or three years so we knew that Silverstone like Barcelona, was difficult for us so winning here is good motivation for everyone and good confidence I am sure approaching the next races as they will be circuits that are a little bit better for us.

Q: You can put a red tick against it now instead of a cross.
FA: We will try to enjoy the moment, the win, and work hard. We will have the same approach that we had in Valencia, that we had in Canada, and here as well every weekend. It is a weekend to try for the victory, try to win the race. There is not championship thoughts at the moment with anyone in the team as we know that the gap is massive at the moment with Sebastian. We just need to enjoy every weekend.

Try to win every weekend and be aggressive at the start, the pit-stops, there is no time to think about any other thing.

Q: Sebastian, what exactly happened at the pit-stop?
SV: Well I think you saw it from a better angle than I did. The mirrors are not really big. I think everything went initially according to plan. We changed all three tyres except the rear left. It went on but I think it wasn't tight yet and we put the car down, back on the floor. I saw it in the mirror that they realized it is not done yet so we had to put the car back up and lost a lot of time. Lost directly the position to Fernando in the pit-box and to Lewis on the circuit. Up to that stage I think it was a very good race. I had an excellent start and an excellent first stint. In these tricky conditions I was able to open a big, big gap which helped us for the rest of the race. Up to that point. It is difficult to say, as Fernando touched on, I think it would have been a tight race as Ferrari had very good pace and we have to respect that and take it into account. It was not just us maybe being unlucky or finishing second because of a mistake. I think especially Ferrari, especially Fernando, was very competitive today and it would have been a long way to the chequered flag. It was an exciting race with the conditions with one half completely wet – even struggling a bit and aquaplaning in places – and the other half dry, sunshine, on the same track. It is a bit funny. I think it can only happen around here. But it makes it very special to us as it makes it very tricky in these conditions. I think it was an exciting race. Then I lost a lot to Fernando behind Lewis. I couldn't get past initially and it gets more difficult. I lost the front tyres right behind him as I was so close and it wasn't easy to attack. I had one chance maybe into Copse but I think in hindsight my exit was too good so I ran into his back too soon on the straight and could not use the momentum. Then we got him at the stop but had to do a longer stint at the end. Mark was closing in, in the last three or four laps and he was quicker but we could stay ahead so a long race, a lot of things happened, easy to do a mistake again. We didn't do many and a good result for the team with Mark coming in third. A podium here is always special. There are so many fans here. It is one the nicest in-laps or coming back to the pits after the chequered flag as you can really feel people are passionate about racing. Most of the cheers goes to Jenson (Button) and Lewis but even with not having the British flag on your car they love racing. It is great to stand on the podium and see that many people.

Q: Mark, what happened at the start as it wasn't quite as good. It was still very good.
MW: Well Fernando and I spoke about it. The right hand side looked pretty good in those greasy conditions so that's the way it went today. I am not really bothered about that to be honest. The race wasn't won or lost there. Seb did a good pace on the inters and we were pretty evenly apart. Pace wise too-ing and fro-ing a little bit when the inters were going off. Then the pit stops started and all of us had different types of strategies, different in and out laps, and the pit-stops weren't the smoothest today so all in all it was where we didn't perform to the maximum. Fernando definitely deserved to win the grand prix, no question about it. He drove very, very well. The team did a great job so Ferrari deserved to win. I finished third.

Q: You had a few battles on the way?
MW: Yeah with Lewis I could get him. It was good to pick him off reasonably quick. It is always difficult when DRS zones have damp areas on the way in but managed to get him. That tyre did a lot so we had to get the tyre to the end. Coming to the end of the race I caught Seb but couldn't do enough to pass him.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
(Adam Hay-Nicholls – Metro) Mark, Christian Horner has said that you should be fine with the team orders at the end and if you and Seb had raced until the end you would both have ended up in the fence. Do you agree with that? Was it the right call? Does this mean realistically that you are out of this championship?
MW: I am not fine with it. No. That's the answer to that. If Fernando retires on the last lap we are battling for the victory so I was fine until the end. Of course I ignored the team as I want to try and get another place. Seb was doing his best and I was doing my best. I don't want to crash with anyone, but that was it.

I tried to do my best with the amount of conversation I had. One-way conversation obviously as I wasn't talking too much back. There was a lot of traffic coming to me, but I was still trying to do my best to pass the guy in front.

Q:(Adam Hay-Nicholls – Metro) Do you remember roughly how many messages you had?
MW: Probably four or five.

Q: (Sarah Holt – BBC Sport) Fernando, you've been saying for quite a while that you thought Silverstone was going to be a turning point for Ferrari. What did you know that the rest of us didn't and how personally important is it for you to get your first win this season under your belt?
FA: Well, what I've been saying over the last couple of races is that for sure the team has been improving a lot – there was one part of the championship in which we put new parts on the car and they were not quicker so the wind tunnel was not telling us the truth, so we lost a little bit of ground there in the first couple of races with upgrades on the car. Then it seems in the last three or four races every new part on the car is working fine, so they are steps forward for us and very good news, not just for this year but also for next year's development. We are very happy with this and it seems that here we brought quite a big aero update and everything is working fine. Both Felipe and me feel much happier with the car. It's something that in the last three or four races we were feeling and I was saying. Victory here is very special. As I said, I think here in England motor sport is very big. People understand this sport, people love motor racing. There are hundreds of different categories here, classic cars, different things that only happen here in England, because they love motor sport. So winning here, in front of these people, is great from a driver's point of view, and Silverstone, with all the historic races we've had here and the good fights for many big names that have raced here.

Q: (Mike Doodson – Honorary) Fernando, apropos what you've just said, it was a really thrilling experience for everyone here to see you push that old Ferrari right to the limit and I want to thank you very much for that.
I would like to ask, if you would have been 60 years older, do you think you would have wanted to race a rather primitive old car like that as much as you enjoy racing your modern Ferrari?
FA: Yeah, yeah, I think I still love motor sport, I still love cars. I also had the privilege to be with John Surtees last week in Maranello with his car as well, sitting in that car. I think it was obviously a different sport, much more dangerous. The level of power and grip is totally different now. When I drove those cars, there is a huge amount of power for the grip that you have. We are talking about 450-500bhp on a tyre that is this (indicates small amount) wide. I think every car, or every steering wheel that you have in your hands – it doesn't matter if it's from 60 years or 30 years ago, it doesn't matter if it's more dangerous or less dangerous – you don't feel that. You just want to drive and to be flat out and enjoy driving. I perfectly understand the adrenaline, the emotion of that time and I'm sure that it's very similar to what we feel now. We are lucky now that safety has improved a lot.

Q: (Julien Febreau – L'Equipe) To all of you: how much do you think the change to the off-throttle regulations this weekend played a role in global performance of your own cars?
FA: For me, nothing. I don't think it's a big factor. We saw one McLaren fighting for the podium until the last moment. We saw Red Bull, Ferrari for the other positions on the podium and, as we saw 15 days ago in Valencia, I was second. I didn't see any Force India or any Sauber or anything fighting for victory because the rules changed. It was more or less the same.

SV: I think it's hard to measure for us, firstly from a data point of view and also from a feeling point of view, because this is a different track compared to the tracks we've been to previously. To really find out, you have to test one thing against another, so on-off. But I think, as Fernando said, it didn't make a massive difference in terms of driving, driving style. I didn't have to change anything so I think the influence wasn't huge. Sure you can see a little loss here and there but, as I said, it's not changing the driving.

Q: (Ian Parkes – Press Association) Mark, after last year's win here, you came out with a classic quote: Ônot bad for a number two driver.' I was wondering, after today's comment from the team: Ômaintain your position' on the last lap, do you feel like a number two driver again today?
MW: Not really. I just want to race to the end, so with four or five laps to the end, they started to chat to me about holding my position. Of course, they want the points, but I also need to try and get some more points as well.

Q: (Marco Degl'Innocenti – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Seb, what did you think at the moment when Mark tried to overtake you?
SV: What do I think? I tried to stay ahead. Obviously, we were racing each other. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Sure, from a team point of view, if you have the cars quite isolated in second and third, the first car is away, the fourth car is pretty far away as well, so from the team's point of view, there's no point in racing and trying to do something stupid because the points for the team are the same, the difference between second and third is not massive, but naturally we try to race. What can I say? I was trying to defend my position which I did. I was struggling, Mark was faster. And then there was the chequered flag.

Q: (Peter Windsor – Clarkesport) Fernando, where would you place the Ferrari now in terms of fast and slow speed performance, perhaps relative to Red Bull or indeed relative to where you were four races ago?
FA: Obviously it's difficult to say. We need to analyse the race a little bit better – sectors etc – but I think we were between one and 1.5s behind Red Bull, especially in qualifying four races ago. In Barcelona, I think I was 1.2s and Felipe 1.6s or something like that, so the average was there and here, with similar characteristics, high-speed corners, exactly the same tyres, the soft and the hard, we were much closer so definitely an improvement. Here, for whatever reason, we were quick in sector two all weekend which is the high-speed sector, so maybe that means we have recovered a lot in that part and now we need to concentrate a little bit more on our strongest point that it was the slow speed corners where we need to make improvements.

Q: (Byron Young – Daily Mirror) Seb, isn't this a sham? You're the World Champion, you're supposed to be best driver in the world and Red Bull are reduced to begging on the radio to make your team-mate slow down, so he doesn't overtake you, suggesting the results aren't really what we've seen. How do we know you're a worthy champion? SV: I finished second, I think. As I said earlier: Mark tried to pass me; I could stay ahead. Clearly you could see he was quicker at that stage. If I wasn't racing, I would just wave him past. Sure, the last thing you want is to do something bad for the team. If it would be the other way round, there's no point – of course, I would like to overtake Mark at that stage but there's no point trying to do something stupid, especially from a team point of view, so I don't see why there is a big fuss really.

Q: (Byron Young – Daily Mirror) But this is motor racing, it's about beating a guy on the track, not the team deciding who wins what.
SV: I think we were racing, it was not a scheduled ÔI move right, you move left, I move left, you move right, I brake here, you brake there.' As Mark said, he stayed flat out and tried to race me, as hard as he could, didn't find his way past. To me, at this stage it's quite amusing.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Fernando, if Hamilton didn't keep behind Sebastian and Mark, your race would be different and in a normal race, if you had to use the hard tyres, how would your Ferrari react?
FA: Yes, that's a good point. After the first couple of laps with the intermediates, we didn't need to use the hard tyres any more so we chose to do the whole dry race with the best performing tyre, which was the soft on this occasion, so there's a question mark how the car would have performed with the hard tyre. In FP3 and Q1, we were very, very competitive with the hard, so we approached the race with no problems and no doubts as we had in Barcelona. There was a big problem but here we were convinced that we were OK with hard tyres but obviously it was just a thought. And without Hamilton keeping Sebastian behind, obviously the race was a little bit different, for sure. We had to push more to open the gap. With Lewis there, the race was a little bit more comfortable for us and we could drop the revs a little bit and take a bit more care of the engine, the tyres and things like that.

Q: (Sean McGreevy – CSMA Magazine) Fernando, this is a great way to celebrate 60 years since Ferrari's first win, but what does today's win mean to you personally and the team?
SV: It obviously means a lot for all the guys, the people working for Ferrari who are the sons or daughters of the guys that were here 60 years ago. They are working in the factory, with the same mentality, with the same passion for racing that is in Ferrari's DNA – of all the workers there. For me, as I said to the team on the radio, I feel very proud of them, of this recovery, always fighting to win races. In spite of a difficult start to the year, (they) never give up, they keep working, they keep showing the Ferrari brand and the Italian flag on the rear wing everywhere we go, very proudly. So, for me, it's special to race for this team and to give them the maximum capacity and my maximum abilities to give them a good result. This is teamwork and I'm very happy for them.

Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Sebastian, you struggled in the end with your tyres; was it just because they had two more laps on them than Mark's tyres, or was it a set-up thing? Or was it something general because it was a similar story in Montreal when Jenson was catching you up?
SV: I think it depends firstly on when exactly do you stop. I don't know when the others stopped, so it's hard for me to say whether I was doing better or worse than the others. At the end of the race, I was racing against Mark. As he said, he was in a similar position with tyres, so it's not as if only I was struggling. And then, to be fair, it was quite difficult at the beginning in wet conditions, semi-wet, at least, and then moving on to the dry tyres with still some wet places, so really only the third stint was the first dry stint where I was stuck behind Lewis. To judge the car then is quite difficult. At the pit stop, at least, you can change front wing angle, which can be quite useful around here with these high-speed corners.

Obviously I didn't get a proper read because I was stuck behind another car, so in hindsight I think I would have done things differently for the last stint, but I didn't get the chance to read the car before and then, yeah, towards the end just tried to get the car to the chequered flag, because there was no chance of catching up 15 seconds in 15 laps. I was quite isolated at the end, then I lost quite a lot in the last two laps compared to Mark behind.

Q: (Joris Fioriti – Agence France Presse) Fernando, one year ago, you were in the middle of the team order crisis; are you enjoying now the fact that politics are involving Red Bull?
FA: I'm not happy with any politics, not to me and not to Red Bull. I don't think there are polemics. What you try to ask here to them, they answer very well, so there are no polemics but I'm sure tomorrow you will write something.

Q: (Joris Fioriti – Agence France Presse) Mark, you were one of the few drivers who actually defended Fernando Alonso last year, saying that it was normal that there were team orders. Have you changed your mind about that or was your track behaviour the answer to my question?
MW: No, I stick by what I said last year. Obviously, they had one guy trying to stay in the championship fight – Fernando. Felipe was not having the season that he's having this year. He's doing a bit better job.

Fernando was much, much quicker, it was in the middle of a grand prix and he (Massa) released him, so this is pretty straightforward stuff.

| Renault | FIA

New Force India F1... art car!

It is often said that a Formula One car is a work of art in itself. But in the case of Force India’s Art Car, those words have never been more true. The Silverstone-based squad has teamed up with renowned motorsport artist, Dexter Brown, to use one of its cars as the canvas for his latest creation. The end result is the first Formula One Art Car painted by hand, which will be auctioned off to raise funds for charity later this year.

The artist Dexter Brown has been a fixture of the automotive art scene for almost three decades. In recent years his work has evolved to focus on the abstract expression of racing images. Combining his artistic skills with the ultimate piece of Formula One memorabilia is sure to create a unique collector’s piece.



The Car
The chassis being transformed is the VJM01-05, the car that Giancarlo Fisichella drove in 16 races during the 2008 Formula One season. The painted car will be completed early this week and displayed at several high-profile events in the lead up to Sunday’s British Grand Prix. Guests of the F1 Ball at London’s Natural History Museum will get a sneak preview on Wednesday before the car moves to the Hurlingham Club for the Grand Prix Ball. The official presentation takes place at the team’s post-race party on Sunday.

The Auction
The Art Car will be auctioned later this year after the inaugural Indian Grand Prix in October. The funds raised will be split between Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and Force India’s Academy giving youngsters in India the chance to get involved in motorsport.

During the course of this week, Formula One drivers and motosport legends will be invited to sign the Art Car. Bernie Ecclestone will be the first to add his signature to the nosecone on Wednesday.

The Book
The Art Car project was the brainchild of Linda Balzanella and Erik Meijer, founders of Intentio Partners. Together they will write a limited edition book to be published by Opus, the official publishing partner of the project. The first edition will be presented at the Indian Grand Prix in October.

Dr. Vijay Mallya: “Seeing one of my Formula One cars transformed into a painting is a wonderful initiative that combines two of my greatest passions: cars and art. I wish to thank Dexter for producing this exquisite piece of work, which I am sure will be of great interest to art collectors around the world, and will raise valuable funds for charity.”

Dexter Brown: “When I was approached by Erik Meijer to paint an Art Car, I was immediately excited by the project. Of course, it’s not the first car I’ve painted, but it’s the first time I’ve had the chance to work with a modern Formula One car. The last car I painted was a BMW in Genoa in 1993, but the Formula One car was a different challenge because I had to work around the complex bodywork. It’s great to be involved in such a unique project and I look forward to seeing the reaction of the public.”

| Force India

Williams and Renault, Formula One partnership from 2012

Renault Sport F1, the F1 division of Renault, will supply AT&T Williams with its championship-winning V8 power units for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. In addition to the supply of its Formula One engines, the newly-formed alliance includes several other exciting business and marketing opportunities, with a view to continuing after the introduction of the new, energy efficient, turbocharged V6 engines in 2014.

The partnership is an exciting opportunity for both Renault Sport F1 and AT&T Williams. The original Anglo-French alliance enjoyed a hugely successful association between 1989 and 1997, yielding four Drivers’ and five Constructors’ titles and 63 race wins. It also produced some of the most evocative images of the 1990s, including Nigel Mansell’s British Grand Prix win in 1992; Alain Prost’s fourth world title and the classic duels between Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Michael Schumacher.


Renault Sport F1 president, Bernard Rey, commented, “Renault remains in Formula One to achieve success in a cost efficient way and the partnership with Williams has great potential to add to the results we have notched up over recent years with our other partner teams. Williams has recently taken several important steps, both commercially and technically, to update its operations and we feel that this partnership is another important step in its rigorous plan. It reiterates how determined the team is to achieve results, which matches perfectly with our own objectives.

From 2012 onwards the fact that we will have four partners puts us ahead of other engine manufacturers in terms of market share, but off track it will also enable us to further use Formula One as a marketing platform for our parent company, Renault, to try to bring a bit of this association to our fans and our customers worldwide.

Of course there’s also a great pride in reviving the Williams-Renault name. Together, we produced racing cars that are recognised for their technical innovation and it is still Renault’s most successful period in F1 to date. It’s a hugely exciting opportunity for both Renault and Williams.”

Frank Williams, Team Principal of AT&T Williams, added, “We are delighted and excited by our new partnership with Renault. This reunites the F1 team with a leading car manufacturer and complements our new relationship with Jaguar. At the same time, we are grateful to Cosworth: they have been a fair and reliable partner both on and off the track for the past two years and we look forward to working with them across our business in the future.

“Our previous relationship with Renault was one of the most successful in Williams’ history but we will not allow ourselves to dwell too much on the past. We must look to the future and continue to re-build our on-track reputation, which I am hopeful that today’s announcement will help us to do.”

Q&A WITH ADAM PARR, CHAIRMAN, WILLIAMS F1

Q. Williams F1 have confirmed a return to Renault engines. How many years is the initial partnership for and what can you tell us about the terms of the agreement?
AP: This partnership is for the long-term. It will see Renault provide Williams with its championship-winning RS27 V8 engines for 2012 and 2013. Meanwhile we are already working on an extension for the new engine formula which arrives in 2014.

Q. Why did Williams F1 choose Renault?
AP: Renault is serious about success and so are we. They compete in Formula One because it’s at the cutting edge of developing technologies and because it is the pinnacle of motorsport. This is also why we compete in the sport and together we believe we can return AT&T Williams to our former competitiveness.

Q. How did the deal with Renault come about and what does this mean for Williams F1 as a business?
AP: For Williams, it has been a strategic priority to align ourselves with world-class automotive companies. Just two months ago we announced our partnership with Jaguar to create the C-X75 supercar together – a project that we both expect will lead onto a more general collaboration on high-performance road vehicles. Today, we have announced a partnership with Renault: they are not only making a Championship-winning engine, but they are independent, totally committed to Formula One and, of course, there is a resonance and heritage to Williams-Renault that creates a real buzz for both of us. So, in a short period we have signed two critical partnerships which will (literally and figuratively) power us forwards in coming years.

Q. How will the Renault announcement affect the development of the FW34?
AP: Of course, changing engines requires extra work, but with relatively stable regulations for 2012, the change gives us an extra opportunity for development. We have a very capable Design Office led by Ed Wood and they will be working with Renault’s technicians, who are some of the finest in the world. Development of the FW34 is progressing well and the timing is not going to be an issue for the team. This announcement also coincides well with the recruitment of Mike Coughlan, Jason Somerville and Mark Gillan to the technical team. Together with Ed Wood, we believe we have now the right technical leadership and engine to help us take the next step.

Q. AT&T Williams will be the fourth team that Renault supplies engines to. Is this a problem?
AP: Not at all. Given the massive investment that Renault has made in its V8 and will make in the V6, they need a decent group of teams to supply – remember that they do not have their own team and so linking up with a number of successful chassis makers is essential. In addition, the number of engines now used each season is very small. From over 200 per team a decade ago we are now down to about a tenth of that. From 2014 it may well drop by half again. Also with limited, single-car testing four teams gives Renault much more data for reliability and whatever development will be allowed in the future. Renault has always shown total integrity in offering parity to its partners and that is another essential factor for all of us.

Q. This new partnership means you will be ending your relationship with Cosworth. How will this affect the relationship with Cosworth for the remainder of the 2011 season?
AP: We had an understanding with Cosworth that continuing beyond this year was dependent on the longer-term prospects with the new engine. So, this was foreseen. Having said that, Cosworth is an excellent engine partner. We are enormously grateful to them for all the hard work they have put into our partnership and we know that they will continue to work tirelessly for the remainder of this year. Whilst the end of the season will be the end of our on-track relationship with Cosworth, we are looking forward to working closely with them on our Jaguar project and continuing our partnership in this way.

Q. The last Williams-Renault partnership (1989 – 1997) was one of the most successful periods in the team’s history. Therefore there is a lot of expectation following its revival. Does this put more pressure on the team to improve its performance on the racetrack?
AP: We constantly put pressure on ourselves to improve our performance regardless of expectations. We’re not satisfied with just finishing races or picking up a few points, our aim is to win and we want to put ourselves back in a position to do so. Clearly our performance at the moment is not where would like it to be, but we are doing all we can to rectify that and this partnership is another step in that process. This partnership is about the future. In a sense, it is about earning the right to inherit the past.

Q. Williams F1 has projects with Porsche, Jaguar Land Rover and now has a deal with Renault. Are there any plans to make a road car with Renault?
AP: Today’s announcement is about a Formula One engine partnership. Our venture with Jaguar is to produce a supercar but it does not preclude us from entering into arrangements that do not compete with the C-X75. Let’s see…

Q. Will this deal benefit the team sponsorship-wise?
AP: Absolutely. It will bring technical and commercial benefits for Williams and for those interested in being part of this amazing project. Who would not want to be part of it?

| Renault | Williams

mclaren showcase at sonoma historic motorsports festival 2011 - us automobile mclaren

mclaren showcase at sonoma historic motorsports festival - us automobile mclaren - Historic Motorsports - Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival Notes: "It never rains in California..."

And, yes, it pours. Saturday's official opening day of the Second Annual Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival dawned with rain showers dampening the 2.52-mile Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, but not the spirits of the 400 participants, as many took to the wet course for practice and qualifying for Sunday's 13 group races. Fine wine, fine food and vintage and historic race cars are highlighting the weekend activities for race fans and foodies in the heart of Northern California's wine country. Sunday's weather predictions show clear skies.

McLaren Showcase

Of the six historic McLaren race cars displayed, alongside the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C high-performance sports car, at the McLaren Automotive display during the Sonoma Motorsports Historic Festival, two are especially significant. McLaren is the featured marque at this event.

The 1972 McLaren M20 that Denny Hulme took to second place in the Can-Am championship that year, after which the team retired from the series for good, ending the era, is owned by the National Automobile Museum, the Harrah Collection, in Reno, Nev. "(Event organizer) Steve Earle will come to us and tell us that his event is featuring a certain marque, and if we have a car that fits, then we'll try to figure out a way to get it to the event so people can see it and enjoy it," said Ranson Webster, chairman of the board of trustees of the Museum, and a competitor at this event. "And it's good publicity for the museum.

"We have roughly 240 cars in the museum, everything from an 1892 Phiion (one of the first cars built) to Mr. Harrah's 1976 Wagoneer with a Ferrari engine.

"We also have a tremendous collection of pre-1916 brass cars, cars from the '30s, and a whole race selection. The carM20 is one of four featured cars because of its history."

Webster is competing in a 1960 Abarth Carrera and a 1976 Kremer K3 Porsche 935 this weekend.

"Senna" film previewed by more than 225 in Sonoma

The second significant McLaren on display is Ranson Webster's 1985 McLaren MP4/2B, the Marlboro-sponsored Formula 1 car raced by Alain Prost and Niki Lauda. It is featured in the new "Senna" film, a documentary of Ayrton Senna's years as an intense competitor on the F1 circuit and a fierce rival to Prost, his one-time McLaren teammate.

More than 225 invited guests had the chance to preview the film at the Sebastiani Theater in Sonoma on Thursday evening, June 2, and it was well received.

"Having seen the preview of the Senna film, which will be released in August, and to have the MP4/2B here that Alain Prost drove in 1985 that was featured in the film, is exciting," said event organizer Steve Earle. "It provides something special to the fans and participants who've seen the film to come out here and see a car that was prominent in the film in the McLaren Automotive display."

As for Earle's review of the film, "I thought the film was very good as a documentary and it certainly showed a side that people would never see of Formula 1," he said. "It shows the improvements and the changes that have been made to F1 racing since that time and, while it doesn't seem like a long time ago, it is actually 25 years ago. You can see how the FIA worked together with the teams and drivers to make it what it is today, and how good that is.

"It's an enthusiast's film, for sure, the in-car camera work is terrific, and you see a side of Senna, or any driver during that era, that you would never see. And seeing the change in Senna at his last race was really dramatic (he lost his life in a racing accident at the 1994 San Marino G.P.). His concern was very evident, and realizing what was going through his mind is something few of us, if any, have ever experienced."

mclaren, porsche, marlboro, motorsports, 2011, automobile, usa, california, sonoma, sonoma historic motorsports festival, f1, san marino g.p., fia, formula 1, M20,

Previo: Gran Premio de España de Fórmula 1 para Force India

The Spanish Grand Prix is always a significant moment in the season. It marks the return to Europe and it's the moment when the Formula 1 development race really begins. At Force India we have some upgrades to bring to the car in the coming races and I'm excited to see how things will unfold.

We started evaluating those changes at the last race in Turkey by running a new front wing during free practice. It was a shame that it was wet because it limited our test programme and we chose not to run those new parts for the race. We are now analysing what we learned and hopefully we can add this new package to the car either in Barcelona or Monaco, depending how things go. When our new aerodynamic developments are in place, I'm confident we can take a step forward in terms of performance.



As for the racing so far, I think the new rules have certainly achieved their objective. The races have been very exciting and the new Pirelli tyres and DRS have helped to add more unpredictability. I believe this close racing is great for fans of our sport, who can look forward to more of the same this weekend. Hopefully both Force Indias will be in the hunt and challenging for points.
Dr. Vijay Mallya

A chat with Adrian
Describe the Barcelona circuit in three words...
Fast, challenging and well known.

Which part of the lap is most challenging?
The first three corners are quite difficult. It's a quick complex and it's important to get turn one right to have the correct line through the next couple of corners. In qualifying trim, turn three could be taken flat.

What's the secret to setting a quick laptime?
The first and second sectors are high-speed and you need to have the right aero balance. But the final part of the lap is quite slow and the mechanical set-up is more important. The difficult thing is to find the golden middle.

Overtaking has always been difficult at Barcelona - will that change this year?
Yes, I think we should see some overtaking. There is a long straight and tyre degradation will be high. I'm sure the race will be a bit different to what we have seen in previous years.

How do you spend a free evening in Barcelona?
I like to go to the city centre, but that's a bit far away from the circuit. So normally I just have dinner with my friends at the hotel or in a nice local restaurant.


Paul's notes on Barcelona
Paul jots down his thoughts ahead of race number five.
I'm really looking forward to this weekend because I probably know Barcelona better than any other track on the calendar. We did two tests there in the winter and I had four days in the car so I already feel quite well prepared. In fact, it's a track that all the drivers know like the back of their hand and the teams have so much data already.

It's usually a race where all the teams bring upgrades so we will need to take a step forward if we want to stay in the mix. We evaluated a new front wing in Istanbul and we hope to have more steps coming through in the near future. The team has been working hard on this new concept and everybody is quite upbeat about its race introduction, so that's something to look forward to.

The aim for the weekend is to hopefully get back in the points. We've been pretty close to the top ten in all the races so far this season, so hopefully we can stay in the hunt.

My favourite things
Nico lists five things he enjoys about Barcelona.

1) It's a nice city: there's a lot to see and a lot to do away from the circuit in the city centre.
2) Beautiful weather: it's usually very warm and sunny in Spain at this time of year.
3) Great restaurants: I always enjoy trying the Spanish food such as paella.
4) Crowded grandstands: there are always loads of fans, which creates a good atmosphere.
5) First 'real' European race: it's always a special feeling when the European season kicks off.

The Hunt begins
The Force India F1 Team Academy burst into action last month as karting trials got underway across India in search of the country's next driving superstar - quite literally a hunt for one from a billion. 100 of the regional finalists will advance to the National Finals in Goa this September before the ten most promising candidates will come over to Silverstone for the grand finale in October. The winners will be announced at the Indian Grand Prix and will enjoy the support of the team as they embark on a professional career in motorsport. For more details about the Hunt, please visit www.onefromabillion.com

Whyte and Mackay City Guide
Your survival guide for a weekend in Barcelona

Where to visit?
Barcelona has some stunning architecture that is worth a look, mainly in the form of Gaudi's inspiring and colourful creations that are scattered around the city. One of his most famous works is the Sagrada Familla Church, which Gaudi started in 1883 and became a lifelong obsession for him. Sadly, due to his untimely death, he was never able to complete the project.

For those who like sport, a visit to the Nou Camp or the former Olympic site is a must. If shopping is more your thing, then pay a visit to The Ramblas, with the best shops the city has to offer.

Where to drink?
Banker's Bar at the Mandarin Oriental is situated in the heart of some of Gaudi's most architectural showstoppers. It's a contemporary hotel which previously housed a bank. Great location if you are looking for a chic and luxurious drinking place.

For something a bit more authentic try Boadas cocktail bar. Situated close to the Ramblas, this bar is one of the oldest in the capital. It's small and cramped but it's a favourite with tourists and locals alike.

Where to eat?
The Ramblas area of the city has a host of restaurants and cafes. For some traditional tapas visit Taller de Tapas on Sant Josep Ond.

Venture to the outskirts of the city to the chic ABaC Hotel and you'll find a two Michelin starred avante garde dining experience. This hotel was built around its restaurant and offers up delicious food and stunning architecture. A little further afield you'll find one of Raymond Blanc's favourite restaurants, Can Fabes, which serves up seasonal rustic Italian produce.

How it feels to…
F1 explained by the people in the thick of the action…
Ever wondered how it feels to be involved in an F1 pit stop? Facing an F1 car charging at you at 100 km/h. It's something Chris Smith faces every other weekend when he operates the front jack during pit stops. And this year he's busier than ever as the pit crew have clocked up an average of 5.5 stops per race. Here, in his own words, is how it feels to be at the centre of the action…

"You always feel a bit nervous before a pit stop, especially the first one of the day. When you see the car approaching, you think to yourself: 'he's never going to stop', but the drivers usually hit their marks perfectly. Even so, I always stay light on my toes, just in case! As soon as the car arrives, I lift up the front end and my eyes are constantly going from right to left looking for two green gloves to go up. This means the gun men have finished fitting the wheels. When I see those hands, I drop the car and get out of the way as soon as possible."

Force Fact
Force India clocked up 635 laps at Barcelona during winter testing - that's almost 3000 km or ten race distances.

| Force India

Gran Premio de Turquía de Fórmula 1 para Williams: previo

Former Williams F1 driver David Coulthard refers to Istanbul Park as “a modern day classic”. The track undulates and it has several fast corners, which require aerodynamic performance from the cars and commitment from the drivers.

The most challenging corner on the lap is the quadruple-apex Turn 8, through which the drivers pull 5G for nearly seven seconds. The entry to the corner is blind and there’s a bump mid-corner that tries to throw the cars off-line.Being the first of only five anti-clockwise circuits on the calendar, it’s a physical track for the drivers because the left side of the neck takes a pounding. “As long as you put the necessary work in beforehand, you’re okay,” says AT&T Williams driver RubensBarrichello. “However fit you are, though, you’ll begin to feel your neck by the end of this race. It’s tough.”



Sam Michael, Technical Director: We're bringing a number of upgrades to the FW33 over the next few races, starting with Istanbul. The package for Turkey will include new brake ducts, revised front wing and rear wings, plus some other secondary items. Combined, these components should give the FW33 a decent step-up in performance. Our objective is to get the car into the points as soon as possible.

Istanbul Park has a great layout for the drivers to get their teeth into. In particular, it boasts an excellent natural overtaking spot at the end of the back straight. Turkey has the notorious Turn 8, a left-hander which places considerable loads on the car’s aerodynamics. A car that can handle those pressures, combined with one capable of some significant kerb riding through the last sequence of corners, is critical at this track.

Rubens Barrichello: I want to have a more competitive weekend with the team than we have had so far this season. We have new parts coming for Turkey which will hopefully work in our favour. I love Istanbul Park. It is one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar and we will aim to be flat out there. Everyone says Turn 8 is a highlight, and it is, but I also find the circuit nice from a set-up point of view with qualifying also a good challenge. I like the track as a whole.

Pastor Maldonado: I’ve been to Istanbul Park four or five times and I think it is a good circuit to race on. Last year I had one of my best races of the season in Istanbul racing in GP2. If we can get the car performing as we want to this weekend, it will be a good event for us. Turn 8 is my favourite part of the circuit as it is an amazing, very long and fast corner. It is also quite a technical circuit. We are improving and I hope we can jump forward with the upgrades we have here and be more competitive.

From Cosworth’s perspective: Istanbul Park is one of the most complicated circuits on the Formula One calendar with a varied mix of high, medium and low-speed sections which puts engines through a tough workout. The vagaries of the track require effective power delivery from the bottom end of the rev range right up to peak power output. The multi-apex Turn 8 remains a stiff challenge for drivers and demands a consistent response from the engine at high-speed. Good traction is critical upon the exit of Turn 12 to negotiate the slow final section of the lap. The track’s location at 125m above sea level and with almost 46m of elevation change over the lap exacerbates the demands placed on the engine.

From Pirelli’s perspective: Turkey is a very exciting track, and from Pirelli's perspective it is almost our second home race: the Izmit factory, where all the Formula One tyres are made, is only half an hour away from the circuit. Istanbul Park is a very demanding track for tyres as we normally see high temperatures on top of some very challenging corners. Like everyone, we were pleased to see Williams get both cars to the finish in China and with the depth of experience that is clear to anyone who has worked with the team, we're sure it's not going to be long before the team is hitting all of its targets.

TURKISH GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
When: Friday 6 to Sunday 8 May, 2011
Where: Istanbul Park, Turkey
Round: 4 of 19


Williams F1 Announces Technical Department Restructure
Williams F1 today announced that Technical Director, Sam Michael, and Chief Aerodynamicist, Jon Tomlinson, have resigned from their positions within the company, to take effect at the end of 2011.

Frank Williams, Team Principal, said: “Both Sam and Jon are talented and driven people who have worked hard for Williams over 10 and five years respectively. Nonetheless, they have recognised that the team’s performance is not at the level that it needs to be and have resigned in order to give the team the opportunity to regroup and undertake the changes necessary to get back to the front of the grid. Both will continue to work in their present positions through until the end of the year to ensure that the team maintains focus and momentum during the 2011 season. We are very grateful to Sam and to Jon for their professional approach.”


Mike Coughlan Appointed as Chief Engineer

Williams F1 today announced that Mike Coughlan will join the team in June 2011 in the role of Chief Engineer.

Mike Coughlan undertook his training and education at Rolls Royce and Brunel University. He began his Formula One career at Lotus where he worked his way up to Chief Designer. He subsequently worked for Tyrell, Ferrari and Arrows before joining McLaren in 2002 as Chief Designer. Mike left Formula One in 2007 as a result of his role in the ‘Spygate’ affair. Since then, Mike has applied his skills principally as Chief Engineer in the development of the Ocelot Light Protected Patrol Vehicle. He joins Williams F1 from NASCAR competitor, Michael Waltrip Racing.

Frank Williams, Team Principal, said: “Mike Coughlan is a fine engineer with extensive experience across Formula One and both civil and defence engineering. He left Formula One in 2007 because of conduct which he acknowledges was wrong and which he profoundly regrets. His two year ban from the sport expired some time ago and Mike is now determined to prove himself again. Williams is delighted to be able to give him the opportunity to do this and we are very pleased to have one of the most talented and competitive engineers in the sport helping us to return to the front of the grid. This is the first step in re-building and strengthening our technical group. We will announce the next steps as they develop.”

Mike Coughlan commented, “I am grateful to Williams for giving me this opportunity. My experience in 2007 was life-changing. Since then, I have endeavoured to put my skills to good use in the design of the Ocelot vehicle whose purpose is to transport soldiers in safety. I have also enjoyed my time with Michael Waltrip Racing: they are an excellent race team and I wish them well for the future. Now, I am looking forward to returning to a sport which I love and to joining a team that I have admired for many years. I will dedicate myself to the team and to ensuring that we return to competitiveness while respecting the ethical standards with which Williams has always been synonymous.”

| Williams F1

Previo del Gran Premio de Turquía de Fórmula 1 para ForceIndia

After three action-packed races, the FIA Formula One World Championship heads to Istanbul Park for the Turkish Grand Prix this weekend. Already a firm favourite with the drivers, the circuit includes the high-speed challenge of turn eight and genuine overtaking opportunities into turn 12 at the end of the back straight. While Adrian knows the track well having raced there four times, it's a new challenge for Paul who gets his first taste of Istanbul Park this weekend.



Dr Vijay Mallya, Chairman and Team Principal
I think that overall we can be pleased with our start to the season. To have points on the board and a car that is capable of qualifying in the top ten means we are well placed to build on our competitiveness as we begin the European season. I'm very proud of both our drivers, too. Paul has driven superbly and has adapted very quickly to Formula One. Combined with Adrian's speed and experience, I see no reason why we cannot challenge for points at every race this year. Plus, we have some promising aerodynamic upgrades in the pipeline, which should make a significant difference to the performance of the car in the coming races.

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM04/04)
It feels like ages since the last race, but it was good to have a short break to think about our start to the season, to analyse all the data and to relax a bit. In many ways the first three races were better than expected: we scored points and were always quite close to the top ten. As a team I think we did a good job and we've shown we have pretty solid reliability. The task now is developing the car and the updates we have coming look interesting so I'm excited to see how it goes.

For this weekend, I'm looking forward to racing in Istanbul and I enjoy going there. It's a nice circuit: up and down, long straights and you can overtake. Turn eight is very special - a fantastic corner to experience in an F1 car because of the high g-forces. I think we will be quite competitive and once again the goal is to score points.

Paul Di Resta (car 15, VJM04/02)
I think the season so far has gone pretty well - very positive in terms of our performance from a team point of view. We know that we have work to do in terms of outright speed, but we've definitely maximised our strengths. We understand the car better now and that's where we have made big gains from winter testing.

It was nice to have a break after China and I've been able to recharge my batteries before the European season starts. Racing at Istanbul will be a new experience for me because I didn't take part in Friday practice last year and I've never driven the track. All I have to go on is the simulator work I've carried out in preparation for the event. Turn eight will be difficult, but the other corners are equally important for a good laptime. For learning a new track the simulation work helps and the team also provide me with as much information as possible. But I need to get an impression first before I think too much about it.

Nico Hülkenberg, test and reserve driver
I like the layout of the track because you can find a good rhythm and there are some interesting, fast corners, so it's one of my favourite circuits. Turn eight is the most exciting part: it's a super-quick triple left corner, which means not only a big challenge, but also a lot of fun. And the back straight with turn 11, as well as the entire third sector, is very tricky and challenging. As a city, I think Istanbul is a beautiful place and I am really looking forward to the weekend.

Fast Fact
Through turn eight, the drivers experience a maximum lateral force of more than 5g, and average lateral force of 4.2g for over three seconds.

What's new this weekend?
The team will be evaluating a new front wing design during practice as part of the VJM04's aero development programme with a view to racing it later in the season.

| Forceindia