Barcelona is one of the best-known tracks for all the teams and drivers because of the testing miles we do there over the winter. The racing is never brilliant because it’s so hard to overtake, but it’s still a fun Grand Prix with a good atmosphere and enthusiastic Spanish fans.
The track layout is quite interesting with a few high-speed sections, as well as a very slow final sector. This means that you have to find a set-up compromise to cope with the range of corners. In the past, I preferred to go for a balance that suited the low-speed corners and I would live with the car in the high-speed sections. I always felt it was better to have low-speed traction and a stable car under braking, especially if the weather is hot and you have a lot of tyre degradation.
The start of the lap is really nice to drive in an F1 car. The first corner requires heavy braking and you build up speed quickly through the next sequence leading into turn three, which is a really challenging corner, especially with heavy fuel. You have to judge where the limit is and the line you take will depend on how your car is behaving. Some cars prefer to take a wide exit from turn two and a tight entrance to three, while others will do the opposite and sacrifice speed on the exit of two for a wide entry into three.
Turn nine is an exciting and unusual corner because it’s over a crest and you can’t see the exit. It’s one of those corners where you hope you don’t lose the car because if you do it’s going to be a big shunt. It’s usually taken in fifth gear, with just light braking, before you’re back on the power for the approach to turn 10.
Turn 10 is tricky and the cars usually struggle with braking stability because there are some small bumps in the braking zone. If you’re suffering with tyre wear it becomes even more difficult, especially getting good traction on the exit. Then you’re straight into turn 11, which last year wasn’t really a corner because you could really attack the low kerb and take it flat out. But this year, on heavy fuel loads, it should be more challenging.
The end of the lap is now very low-speed and not as challenging for the drivers as the old layout. The final chicane [turns 14 and 15] is particularly slow so it’s important to have good traction for a clean exit because it affects your speed into the last corner and onto the main straight.
Getting to grips with the steering wheel
The main straight in Barcelona is one of the longest of the season, measuring just shy of a kilometre. An F1 car can cover that distance in 11.5 seconds – a lifetime by F1 standards. And when the driver hits the straight, he’s already in fifth gear, so there’s very little to do apart from keeping his foot flat on the throttle. As Robert Kubica admits, it’s the perfect chance to take a breather and prepare for the lap ahead: “In the car it feels like the main straight never ends, so it’s a good time to make adjustments on the steering wheel or talk to your engineer on the radio.”
But what sort of adjustments can the drivers make, and what do all those colourful buttons and lights on the steering wheel actually do?
“The most important things the driver can control from the cockpit are the differential settings, the brake balance and the front wing angle,” explains Chief Race Engineer, Alan Permane. “As the fuel load comes down and the tyres lose performance, the driver can change all these parameters to improve the balance and handling of the car. Both Robert and Vitaly have a pretty good feel for how these settings will affect the car, but we also offer advice over the radio based on what we see in the telemetry.”
On average drivers will probably make tweaks to the differential every five laps or so, but there are some buttons that are used from corner to corner. In Shanghai, for example, Vitaly was changing the multimap setting on every lap to ensure optimum engine braking for turn 14, the tricky hairpin at the end of the main straight. It has also become routine for drivers to adjust the brake balance from one corner to the next.
The wing button, introduced at the start of 2009, is also used regularly. At the press of a button, it allows the driver to manually adjust the angle of the front wing flap by up to 6° while the car is out on track. It’s a function that’s especially useful during practice sessions, as Vitaly’s race engineer, Mark Slade, explains: “The wing button is a quick and easy way to assess set-up options without having to bring the car back to the pits. We often send the car out with a base set-up and ask Vitaly if the car feels better with more or less wing.”
While the drivers are familiar with the key functions of the wheel, there are some things they will only change if given the call over the radio. Buttons controlling the revs, for example, can be used to conserve the engine and will lower the revs at which the engine changes gear. Similarly the ‘mix’ button adjusts the engine configuration if it’s necessary to save fuel.
The steering wheel is also the ideal place to display critical information relating to the race, especially lap times. “We can put pretty much whatever information we want on the steering wheel display,” explains Mark. “But we try not to overload the driver with issues relating to the health of the car, such as temperatures and pressures. The most critical information they want is their lap times so we store their fastest time and the readout gives them a continuous update of their current lap relative to their best.”
Jérôme and Ho-Pin: Gearing up for round one in Barcelona
The Renault F1 Team’s Third Driver, Ho-Pin Tung, and Reserve Driver, Jérôme D’Ambrosio, will also be in action in Barcelona this weekend competing in the opening round of the GP2 Series.
Racing for the DAMS team, their cars will carry the distinctive colours of the Renault F1 Team, with both men determined to get their seasons off to a strong start.
The GP2 series season gets underway this weekend. Are you looking forward to it? Jérôme D’Ambrosio: Absolutely! Especially after all the hard work we’ve put in during winter testing. I’ve know the guys at DAMS for few years now, but there are a few new engineers this season who I’ve had to get to know. We’ve taken the time to build our working relationship over the winter and gone back to basics in the way we set the car up. This approach has already paid off because we set the fastest time at the final pre-season test.
Ho-Pin Tung: I’m really looking forward to coming back to a series as competitive as GP2. Like any driver, I’m here to win, but I know that I’m competing against the best young drivers in the world who are all dreaming of reaching F1, and that’s a hugely motivating situation to be in.
What are your ambitions this season? JDA: I want to aim for the title and I think the set-up at DAMS this year makes this an achievable target. So the title has to be our common goal. To achieve that we need to make sure we are as consistent as possible across the year and avoid errors. In GP2, a bad qualifying session or a DNF in the first race can cost you a lot of potential points.
HPT: Racing for DAMS and having a teammate like Jérôme means that everything is in place for me to have a competitive season. During the final GP2 test in Spain, I had a recurring mechanical problem with my car, but the team has now identified the issue and found a solution back at the factory. So I already know that I will be much quicker than the times I posted three weeks ago during testing.
Your cars will carry the colours of the Renault F1 Team. Does that add extra pressure? HPT: No, quite the opposite in fact. It’s more a source of motivation. For any driver, it’s a real honour to be able to wear the yellow and black overalls. The Renault name is closely associated with motorsport and to race in their colours and have their support in GP2 feels great. I’m certainly not feeling any extra pressure.
JDA : I agree with Ho-Pin. Also, we will be racing in front of the F1 team this year and can count on their support. And of course we’re determined to show Renault that they’ve made the right decision by supporting us.
Finally, as members of the Renault F1 Team, what’s you view on the team’s performance in this first part of the season? HPT: I’ve been impressed by the team’s ability to make the right decisions at the right times, especially in the changeable weather conditions. Seeing how the team reacted has taught me a lot and I’m sure it will help me in GP2. The team is in a good position after four races and the performance of the car is continuing to improve, which is encouraging for the rest of the year. It’s very special to be part of the team and to experience things from the inside.
JDA: The Renault F1 Team has had a great start of the season. There is a very positive atmosphere in the garage and everybody wants to do well and is giving 100% to get the team back to the front. Ho-Pin and I are also trying our best to contribute to this target. The return to Europe feels like a second start to the championship because a lot of the teams, including Renault, will bring new upgrades to their cars. This weekend should be fascinating, in GP2 and F1.
