Giancarlo Fisichella: "A good opportunity for a competitive race"

Giancarlo, you would have been hoping for more from your home race last weekend…To be honest, after I was held up in qualifying, I knew I was in for a tough weekend. 15th isn't the place to start from if you want a good result on Sunday, but I still pushed hard all the way through the race. I finished 12th and there's no doubt that I had wanted a better result on home ground in Italy. But there are still four races left, and we will be aiming to put in a strong performance at each one.

Spa-Francorchamps is a circuit that drivers usually enjoy… are you one of them?It is an exceptional circuit, and without a doubt the best for the drivers. Eau Rouge is a fabulous corner, and really impressive from the cockpit even though it is not quite as demanding with the V8 engines, as it once was. But this is a circuit where the driver can really make the difference.

Do you think the R27 is capable of a strong performance at Spa, given the nature of the circuit? We have already seen this season that our car is quite competitive in low downforce configuration, notwithstanding the performance last week in Monza. We run higher downforce than in Italy, but this we still have relatively little wing in order to get good top speeds, and I think this is a good opportunity for us to be competitive. As always, we will be doing the maximum to ensure this is the case.

Rain is often a factor to contend with in Belgium. Are you worried about this?Not at all. At this time of year in Belgium, we all expect to have to run in the rain, or in changing track conditions. That's not a problem for me, as I enjoy driving in the wet. It would simply add another layer of excitement to the race.

Heikki Kovalainen: "Spa is a real driver's circuit"

Heikki, you finished the Italian Grand Prix in the same place as you started it, in seventh position… We were a bit disappointed not to finish higher, and not to have taken advantage of Massa's retirement to score more points. But we made no mistakes during the race, so I have to admit we finished where we probably deserved to. Even so, it was good to finish the race and maintain my 100% record, and to score points for the fifth race in a row. Now, we need to focus on the weekend ahead.

This will be your first Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. Are you excited?Yes, very excited! Spa is a fantastic circuit, and I have very good memories from my races in GP2. The track layout is very nice, with lots of elevation changes and some really good sequences of corners which put the drivers and the engineers to the test. It is certainly one of the best races of the year, and a fantastic challenge for the drivers – especially through the famous section of Eau Rouge.

You tested at this circuit in July. Was it important to do so? It is always an advantage when you can test at a circuit before racing there, and especially because the team didn't race here last year – and we had never run the V8 engine at this circuit. It allowed us to establish the baseline set-up in terms of downforce levels, suspension settings, brake bias and so on… I think we found some good answers, and we will have a good starting point to work from throughout the weekend in order to have a competitive car in qualifying and the race.

Why do you think drivers enjoy the challenges of Spa so much?This is what I would call an old-style circuit. Not in terms of the facilities, which have been improved a lot this year, but in terms of the track design. There are many demanding, high-speed corners and this is a real driver's circuit, where we can make a big difference at the wheel. Even if the car does not have the perfect set-up, or if it is not the fastest on the grid, a very brave driver can go into the corners faster, accelerate earlier or not lift where others do. This is a circuit where you can really see who the good drivers are.

Belgian GP Tech File

Spa-Francorchamps is the most complete test of a Formula 1 car on the current calendar. It combines 320 kph straights with 70 kph hairpins, with several sixth-gear sweepers thrown in for good measure – and, of course, the unique challenge of Eau Rouge. While this section of the circuit and the fast left-hander at Blanchimont may no longer be as testing as they once were, corners such as Pouhon, taken blind in sixth gear, still allow the drivers to make the difference. And all of that is before you factor in the notoriously unpredictable weather in the Ardennes, which can see the circuit soaked at one end – and bone dry at the other.

Chassis

Spa is a severe test for a modern F1 car. The average lap speed is high, aerodynamic loadings are both elevated and prolonged, and every aspect of the vehicle's handling is tested to the limit.

The circuit features a high number of "aero corners" (only 6 of the 19 turns are taken at less than 150 kph), and this would normally push the teams towards relative high levels of downforce in order to maximise grip in the corners, as is the case at a circuit like Silverstone for example. However, Spa imposes a very different trade-off, because the two long flat-out "straights" on the circuit both provide genuine overtaking opportunities. This means that top-speed is a critical factor in order to protect position, and downforce levels must be determined accordingly. As a result, the teams run a similar aerodynamic configuration to that used in the North American races, achieving end of straight speeds of around 320 kph with the V8 engines (compared to 340 kph when we last raced at this circuit in 2005 with the V10). Aerodynamic efficiency (generating maximum downforce for minimum drag) is the key to success at this circuit.

In terms of suspension settings, the overall compromise is relatively stiff in order to ensure good aerodynamic performance in the quicker corners, and a good change of direction in the quick chicanes. However, good traction is also critical on the exit of the final chicane and La Source hairpin, as poor performance in either part of the circuit can leave a driver vulnerable to overtaking under braking for the next corner. Spa is the most demanding circuit of the season for the tyres, and it is no surprise that Bridgestone will bring the two hardest compounds from its 2007 range for this race.

Our ride heights are limited by the high forces encountered through the compression in Eau Rouge. From the bottom to the top of the hill, the car's ride height can vary by as much as 25 mm and if the car bottoms out too much, the drivers can lose control. With the V8 engines and the current aerodynamic regulations, Eau Rouge is now taken easily flat out at around 300 kph. The drivers will scrub off around 10 kph through the sequence, but it is important to conserve as much speed as possible in order to maintain position along the long straight before Les Combes.

Almost the only part of the car which has a relatively easy time is the braking system. The circuit features just three very heavy braking events, before turns 1, 5 and 18. Overall, though, this is one of the easiest circuits for the brakes owing to the numerous high speed corners.

Engine

Along with Monza, Spa is the most demanding circuit of the season for the new V8 engines, which have never been raced here. The test session earlier this year was an important one in order to verify the engine's operation around the long lap.

The duty cycle is particularly severe, with 73% of the lap spent at full throttle (only Monza exceeds this figure, with 77% of the lap). Furthermore, this includes two prolonged full throttle periods of over 20 seconds. The most challenging of these is undoubtedly the run of approximately 23 seconds from La Source to Les Combes, which includes Eau Rouge. This sequence exposes the engine and its ancillaries to extreme positive and negative vertical ‘g' forces through the compression and over the crest that follows. This is a factor we take into account when designing our lubrication systems, in order to avoid problems with oil feed under the extreme loadings.

Spa is also the longest lap of the season, and the circuit has a very high fuel mass penalty. Under the current qualifying regulations, this means that an engine with good fuel consumption can be a particular advantage.

Magic Moments: 30 Years of Renault in F1

Renault at the Belgian Grand Prix

Renault power has participated in 22 Belgian Grands Prix, beginning with the 1978 race held at Zolder (the June date of the 1977 event preceded the competition debut of the RS01, one month later). In that time, it has taken 7 pole positions and 16 podium finishes, of which 5 were race wins (for Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill twice and Michael Schumacher). In the modern era of the Renault F1 Team, the team has scored one pole position (2004) and one podium finish (second place in 2005 for Fernando Alonso).

Although Renault first took part in the Belgian Grand Prix in 1978, the team's first finish did not come until 1980, when René Arnoux claimed P4 in the race at Zolder. The Régie's cars locked out the front row in 1982, but retired from a race that was overshadowed by the death of Gilles Villeneuve in qualifying.

For 1983, Formula 1 returned to Spa-Francorchamps for the first time since 1970, racing on the remodelled Ardennes circuit for the first time. Prost followed up his Zolder pole the previous year by claiming top spot in qualifying once again, and this time followed it up with the race win, Renault's first at this event. He was joined on the podium by third-place team-mate Eddie Cheever, scoring the second of his four podiums for the French team.

The event returned to Zolder In 1984, where Derek Warwick finished in second position (thereby scoring the second of the team's five podium finishes during that season) before returning definitively to Francorchamps in 1985. This saw Ayrton Senna's first visit to the circuit, and the Brazilian took his Lotus-Renault to the first of his five wins at Spa, after starting from second position. He followed this up a year later with a second place finish behind Nigel Mansell's Williams.

The V10 era did not bring any success until 1992, when Williams team-mates Mansell and Patrese finished behind Schumacher's Benetton. This performance was followed by a double podium for Hill (P1) and Prost (P3) in 1993, a win for Hill the following year (following Schumacher's disqualification), and then a dramatic victory for Michael Schumacher from P16 on the grid in 1995, with Damon Hill following him home in second place. That was to be the last win for Renault power in the Ardennes: while Jacques Villeneuve's Williams-Renault took pole in both 1996 and 1997, he could manage no better than P2 in 1996 behind Schumacher's Ferrari.

When Renault returned to the sport in 2001, Spa marked its first success of note, when Giancarlo Fisichella took the wide-angle V10 engine's first podium finish after a resilient drive from eighth on the grid. Since then, the team has competed at Spa just three times (2002, 2004, 2005) and scored points on just one occasion, with Fernando Alonso in 2005. Drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella will be aiming to improve that record this weekend, as Formula 1 returns to the Ardennes for the first time in two years.

Over at Red Bull Racing… with Fabrice Lom

Fabrice, it was a low-key weekend for the team in Monza… Yes, we were disappointed that we weren't on the same pace as our direct rivals, and that just one of our cars made it to the finish. Mark finished just outside the points, which is even more frustrating, but we are already focusing firmly on the weekend ahead in Spa. It's another importance race for all the engine teams.

There was a lot of discussion about the Monza-Spa pairing, and the demands it places on the engine. What is the main challenge at the Belgian circuit?Spa includes some very long straights, which means a high proportion of the lap is spent at full throttle. There is also a high number of gearchanges, and a lot of high lateral and even vertical ‘g' loadings. But in my opinion, the main difficulty is with the lubrication system and specifically the oil feed through the Raidillon. This is something that the engine was designed to cope with, as we knew Spa would be on the calendar and that we would have to face this unique challenge. We tested at Spa in July, and we have no particular worries in this area.

At this time of year in Belgium, rain can often disrupt the proceedings… Is this another difficulty for you to cope with? When you not among the teams that can win races in normal conditions, rain spices up a race and brings with it much more uncertainty. That means you can always hope to take advantage and come away with a strong finish. For the engine team, we have to protect the engine to ensure it operates normally in wet conditions. But this is something we are used to, and we will be ready should it rain this weekend!