The ING Renault F1 Team prepares for round fifteen of the 2008 Formula 1
World Championship: the Singapore Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso: "Singapore is an interesting challenge for all the
teams"
Fernando, in Monza you finished fourth once again and scored five
important points for the team's battle in the constructors' championship.
Were you happy with that?
Yes, it was a great race in difficult conditions and we managed to pull
off a surprise. It was far from expected because we knew that Monza would
be the most difficult race of the year for us. We came away with five
points and closed the gap on Toyota so it's a positive result. It's a
little frustrating to just miss out on a podium once again, but we still
have four races left to go.
Singapore is a new circuit and the first ever night race. Are you looking
forward to it?
Definitely, but I'm curious to see what it's like when we get there; what
the circuit layout is like; what the level of lighting will be and the
visibility. It's a very unusual weekend from a sporting perspective and
also in terms of the management of the Grand Prix weekend and I'm really
curious to see what it will be like.
How are you approaching this race?
In terms of physical preparation, I have to admit that I have done
nothing special for this race. I have prepared just as I would for any
other race. On the other hand, I have worked with my physiotherapist and
other members of the team to decide the best way to manage the race
weekend, especially in terms of sleep. In the end I've decided not to
adjust to the local time zone and to remain on a European schedule, which
will be best for my energy levels. Getting this right is an important
element for the race, both for the drivers and members of the team.
In the final two European races we saw the rain help make some exciting
races. Do you think the fact that the Grand Prix will take place at night
will also make the race more interesting?
From the spectators' point of view it certainly will and that is why we
are having a night race. In terms of the drivers, we will have to see
what the conditions are like when we get there. We have not been able to
practice in these conditions and there will certainly be a lot of
adapting to do. I'm not convinced that it will be the future of motor
racing, but I am still curious to see what it's like. From a technical
standpoint, our programme will be very similar to that which we would
normally run on a new circuit, but in many other ways the Singapore Grand
Prix is a real unknown and an interesting challenge for all the teams.
Nelson Piquet: "I'm eager to see what Singapore is like in race
configuration"
Nelson, you had a great fight through the pack in Monza, but finished
outside the points. What do you take from this race, which was difficult
for all the drivers?
I made good progress in the race and I had good pace, especially
considering the fuel load that I started the race with, and so I'm happy
about that. But I finished outside the points, which is disappointing
especially when the battle for fourth place in the constructors'
championship is so close. Once again, my race was decided after
qualifying and I'm determined to improve on that this weekend in
Singapore.
It's a new circuit, and we will see the first ever night race. Are you
worried about that or looking forward to the challenge?
I'm definitely looking forward to it. I have had to learn lots of
circuits this year so it's not something that worries me, and like
Valencia the track in Singapore will be a new challenge for all the
drivers and won't be such a disadvantage for a rookie. I'm not worried
about driving at night as I know that the organisers have made great
efforts to ensure the level of visibility will be as good as if we were
racing in the day. So I'm really eager to see what it's like when we get
there and see Singapore in race configuration.
Have you prepared for this race in a special way?
I have done some planning with my physiotherapist to make sure that my
body clock does not adjust to Singapore time. So I will have clearly
defined hours of sleep, some techniques aimed at reducing the impact of
daylight on my body, and a different meal regime with a large breakfast
followed by several light meals. These are some of the things that I will
be doing to be in the best shape possible.
What are your aims for this race?
Considering that we haven't driven the track, it's difficult for me to
say if it's a track that is likely to suit me. So to say what I can aim
for is difficult. However, I certainly want to have a better qualifying
session because I know this is essential for having a successful Grand
Prix, especially on a street circuit.
Pat Symonds: "We know we are going to have a tough fight on our hands
until the end of the season"
Pat, another fourth place for the team in Monza. You must be happy with
this result after such an unpredictable weekend...
We hadn't had a great test at Monza so we didn't think it was going to be
a great circuit for us and we arrived there knowing that we still had a
lot of set-up work to do. Therefore, the poor weather was a mixed
blessing because although we couldn't continue exploring alternative
set-up options, it probably equalised things a little bit and allowed us
to punch above our weight. Overall, I was extremely happy with the result
and having halved the gap to Toyota in Spa, we are now on equal terms,
which is our main objective at the moment.
The team played the strategy perfectly with Fernando. Was it a gamble to
switch to wets so early?
I've said before, particularly after Nelson's result at Hockenheim, that
sometimes you make your own luck, and I think Monza was a case in point.
Having made it through to Q3 with Fernando, we didn't raise our
expectations too much because we could see that we were very likely to be
dealing with changeable weather conditions on Sunday. That meant we
needed to keep an open strategy with a very wide pit-stop window and so
we fuelled both drivers pretty heavily. Even so, it was still an
incredibly difficult call when Fernando made his stop and we had to
decide which tyres to go with because although the track was drying, the
radar was showing more rain on the way. Fitting the standard wet was
therefore a gamble, but with both Toyotas in front of us on extreme wet
tyres, we knew that fitting wets was the only decision that might allow
us to beat them and get a result.
Ten points in two races and you've closed Toyota's lead. Fourth place has
never been closer...
You can't get any closer than equality! Obviously, as the number of races
decreases, even a constant gap becomes more difficult to deal with and so
it's nice to have made up the ground we needed to so quickly. I do
believe that on balance our car is better than the Toyota; it's very
close and there are certainly days when they might be stronger than us
and days when we are stronger than them. We beat them in Monza by out
racing them as a team, but it's far from over and we know we are going to
have a tough fight on our hands through to the end of the season.
Nelson had a strong drive, rising through the field. Tell us about his
race...
It was a strong drive and by the end of the race he had made up seven
positions, which was as strong a performance as pretty much anyone. But
he certainly found those early laps extremely difficult due to the poor
visibility and he told me after the race that he had to look upwards at
the trees to get his reference points, which is incredibly scary. Again
we opened the opportunities for him by running a very long strategy, but
he used it properly and it positioned him very favourably for the switch
to the standard wet tyre. So it was a good race for him and he's
continued his education in Formula 1 and will be stronger for it.
This weekend's race is at another new venue in Singapore with lots of
unknowns. What can the team achieve there?
Singapore is going to be very different to Monza. It's a very slow, high
downforce track and looks like it will have the second lowest average
speed after Monaco. In terms of the unknowns of night racing, it's not
something that particularly concerns me and I don't think we will even
recognise that it's dark because the facilities will be that good. We
will face all the challenges of a new track, just like we did in Valencia
last month, but we are used to that and go there well prepared.
Will it feel strange to be going to work late in the afternoon?
I think it will have an impact on us and perhaps the biggest challenge
will be managing the human performance of the team. We've been working
with our medical guys to make sure we are all prepared for it because
travelling to the Far East is always quite hard and taxing on our bodies.
The fact that we will be more or less operating on a European time zone
will add a further dimension and confuse our body clocks even more. It's
not something I'm worried about, but we need to keep it in mind as we're
well aware that it's asking a lot of our mechanics and engineers. When we
look back on Singapore, I think we will be talking mainly about how we
coped with the logistical challenge.
Will the team have updates to the R28 for Singapore?
We will have the final updates for the R28 in Singapore, including a new
front wing. In previous years when we have been working on the new car in
the wind tunnel, we have always hoped to see developments that we can use
on the current car, but it's not the case this year because the
aerodynamics for next season are so different. So this really is the end
of the updates, other than any changes that may be made for reliability.
Singapore: A unique atmosphere
F1's visit to Singapore really is a weekend of firsts: the first F1 race
in Singapore; the first F1 night race; and the first F1 street race in
Asia. It promises to be a spectacular event with the 5km route seeing the
cars blast through the heart of Singapore's marina bay district, taking
in iconic landmarks such as Raffles Boulevard and the Anderson Bridge.
Racing at night is perhaps the biggest novelty factor of the race, adding
another dimension of excitement to the sport. The beauty of racing at
night means the race fits well with both Asian and European television
audiences, while the city location will help create a unique atmosphere
that accompanies all street races.
Singapore: Over at Red Bull Racing
Fabrice Lom, the man who looks after Renault's V8s at Red Bull Racing,
looks ahead to Singapore.
Fabrice, we are visiting another new track in Singapore. How have you
prepared for it?
As for Valencia, which was another circuit that we didn't know, we
obtained the maps of the Singapore track and the GPS data so that we
could work out the ideal racing line. The result is that we have started
our simulations as usual. The chassis team have worked out their basic
set-up and the engine team have also carried out their preparation:
mapping, gear ratios etc...
What information have you learnt from these simulations?
There are still lots of unknowns, of course, but we do know is that the
circuit has lots of slow corners: more than ten that are taken in second
gear. Singapore is essentially about braking and acceleration, and so it
should not be too difficult a test for the V8s as these are the usual
characteristics of street circuits.
You talk of the unknowns, what are they?
Formula 1 will race for the first time at night. The drivers must get
used to this new environment, just as the technicians and the engineers
will have to as we will arrive at the circuit about 17:00 and leave at
about 6:00 in the morning. Our entire working schedule will be different
and that could have some consequences.
In terms of engines, where are you in the engine cycles for Mark Webber
and David Coulthard?
In Monza, we took a strategic decision and played our joker by changing
Mark's V8, and so he will race in Singapore with the engine he used in
Monza. In terms of the characteristics of Singapore, this should not be a
big disadvantage, especially as the race in Italy took place in the rain.
David will have a fresh engine. We are not particularly worried about our
reliability, but it's something that you can never take for granted.
ING Renault F1 Team in numbers
7 tonnes of equipment are sent by sea freight to each of the fly-away
races on the calendar.
-credit: renault
