Category Archives: F1 News

Renault’s Deputy Managing Director (Technical) Rob White has been a man under pressure this week, and to their credit Renault’s PR folk tonight issued this Q&A, allowing Rob to address the problems seen in Jerez.

We have seen very little running from the Renault-engined teams this week. What have the issues been?

“We have not run enough laps, and when we have they have not been run at an acceptable performance level. The underlying causes are not straightforward: there isn’t a single component or system that has caused particular trouble. A number of related things have been troublesome, principally concerning the control and operation of the various sub-systems of the Power Unit within the car. For example on the first run day, we had problems with a sub-system within the Energy Store that did not directly concern either the battery nor the operation of the battery – it is an electronic part that was in the same housing as the Energy Store. We subsequently had problems with turbocharger and boost control systems with knock-on effects on the associated engine management systems, subsequently provoking mechanical failures.”

What fixes did you implement in Jerez?

“Between days 1 and 2 with the help of Red Bull, we implemented a later level of hardware for the rest of the test to address the problem within the Energy Store. This ran for the remaining days. In parallel to running in Jerez, the team at Viry has run dyno test programs to investigate the trackside problems and to propose solutions. We identified the probable root cause of our main turbo control issues, implemented some workarounds that were first seen at the end of day 3 and deployed in the three cars for day 4. This established a very minimalist baseline from which we could build.”

Why were these issues not flagged up on the dyno?

“We believed our initial configuration was a robust start point for track use but it has not proved to be the case. We have done substantial dyno running in a similar configuration with few issues. We now know that the differences between dyno and car are bigger than we expected, with the consequence that our initial impressions were incomplete and imperfect. Our intention was to run the car; we are very frustrated to face this litany of issues that we should have ironed out on the dyno and which have deprived us of a precious learning opportunity.”

Have you learned from the limited running?

“Absolutely, and at this stage every kilometre is hugely valuable. We recognize that when the cars have run, they are not running at an acceptable level. We are a long way from the type of operation we had planned and prepared for – largely as a result of the workarounds we have implemented – but all the information is useful. In dealing with the issues we have moved further away from the configuration we were comfortable with, which has resulted in the relatively slow times, but the running has given us a vastly greater understanding of the issues we face. We absolutely expect to have a more definitive solution in place for the next session in Bahrain.”

Has every team experienced the same issues?

“Several problems are common to all, as the power unit is the same specification in all the cars except for relatively minor installations differences. Some problems are particular to one installation environment, but it is our responsibility to deal with all of them. In general, the individual issues are understood; we have worked with all three teams running this week and despite appearances, have made some useful progress. We have not uncovered any big new fundamental problem, although we must recognize that our limited running makes it impossible to be certain.”

What is the road map from now until the second test in Bahrain?

“Of course we now have a large job list for Bahrain as a lot of the items we wanted to test in Jerez we have not been able to cover. The next stage is to identify the root causes for the problems we experienced, to develop the solutions to strengthen our validation process so we can be more confident to tackle Bahrain in a more normal way.”

Are you concerned by the fact that engine specifications are frozen pre-season?

“The homologation deadline is the end of February and is fundamental to regulations. Beyond that time, changes are permitted only with prior approval from the FIA. Change is not forbidden, but subject to the sporting regulations and we should not get so hung up on this date.”

In view of this test, are you still in favour of the new regulations?

“Yes absolutely. The powertrain regulations are a massive challenge but also an opportunity, and are hugely important in placing F1 back at the vanguard of technology. We have the necessary tools and determination to succeed. The step we must take to reach an acceptable level of in-car performance is bigger than we would have liked. It is unacceptable that we have not been able to mitigate the problems sufficiently to allow our partners to run at any length. We are working hard to correct this in time for Bahrain and aim to make amends there.”

Red Bull’s woes continued in Jerez today as Daniel Ricciardo ran only seven laps before the team was forced to pack up for the day.

The team has logged a total of just 21 laps over the four days, and very few were other than trips straight back to the pits.

The initial problems related both to hardware provided by Renault and the tight packaging in the car specified by Adrian Newey. The car ran today with a hastily fabricated cooling vent protuding from the sidepod.

“It’s been a very difficult test,” said Christian Horner. “We have had numerous Renault issues as well as chassis cooling issues, which have affected our progress. However, despite the lack of mileage, what we have managed to learn shows that the problems should be solvable for the next test in Bahrain. Part of the purpose of this early test was to learn about any issues ahead of the start of the season and there will now be a lot of focus on the dyno over the next few weeks.”

Race Engineering Co-ordinator Andy Damerum said: “We did seven laps and every time Daniel went out we made improvements to the control of the engine. We were also making fixes to the issues that have arisen from our side and we have made progress there.

“However, we then discovered a mechanical issue with the car and after investigation it became clear we would not be able to fix this in time to run in the afternoon, so the decision was taken to retire early, take the data we have amassed and work towards the next test in Bahrain. Two weeks is a long time in Formula One and we and I’m sure Renault will work flat out now to solve the problems we’ve been having.”

Lewis Hamilton completed his Jerez running on Thursday sounding very satisfied with progress at Mercedes as the W05 continued to log laps.

Hamilton also made some interesting observations on what it’s like to drive the current cars.

“The tyres are a little bit better, more durable,” said Hamilton. “You can do perhaps maybe 30 laps, and you have a lot less wear on them. They still overheat like any other tyre, so you still have that kind of issue. With the car we’ve lost obviously the rear lower element of the rear wing, we don’t have the blown diffuser any more, so that’s a huge amount of downforce that we lose.

“So when we get on power the rear is much, much weaker than what we experienced in the last couple of years. So you have a lot more wheelspin, generally. Otherwise it’s an F1 car still. You have a lot of power, and when you’ve got new tyres the power is pretty impressive.

“Regarding the torque he said: “In the past we’ve used first and second gear through corners, now we’re using fourth and fifth.”

Hamilton said he was impressed by the job done by Mercedes this week.

“We were the first ones out on the first day, obviously I had the issues with the front wing, but we fixed that and we’re working on that for the future. But watching the other teams who haven’t been out hardly at all, for example Red Bull – you would imagine Red Bull would be doing easily as many laps as us with their track record, but obviously they’ve had some issues as well. It shows you how technical it is and how difficult it is for every team, and how challenging it is.

“This is going to be a seriously challenging year for every team. Everything is different – the braking is different, we have this new braking system, which is brake-by-wire, which at the moment is not the best thing to use. That makes it trickier, and we’re trying to fine tune that. We have new dashboards on our steering wheels, and we’re trying to fine tune those.

“You’ve got a turbo, you’ve got KERS. All these new things are so complex, far, far beyond what we’ve had before. As a driver we have more multifunction switches on the steering wheel than we’ve ever had before, so it’s a big challenge.”

Mark Blundell’s company MB Partners is to manage the commercial rights of Kimi Raikkonen, in effect helping the Finn to generate more cash from personal sponsors and so on.

MB Partners will be working in “collaboration with his management and advisors,” Blundell having been a long time friend and some time on-track competitor of Steve Robertson.

Blundell said: “I have known Kimi’s management and advisors for a very long time and as such, we are working closely together on behalf of Kimi. He is without a doubt one of the best F1 drivers on the grid and combined with Ferrari are a powerful commercial proposition.”

Red Bull endured another disastrous day in Jerez as Daniel Ricciardo ran only three laps, and he failed to record a time before the team confirmed that it would not run again today.

On his first outing this morning he stopped on track with smoke rising from the rear of the car. The team is continuing to work with Renault to address packaging issues.

Adrian Newey and Christian Horner were spotted leaving the track.

Race Engineering Co-ordinator Andy Damerum said: “We worked hard yesterday to make the changes it was felt were necessary to overcome the problems we identified and we were hopeful of a more successful day today. Unfortunately, the measures we took only partially solved the issue and, as with yesterday, it’s more sensible to stop and dig deeper into finding a solution.

“It’s obviously not where we want to be and naturally the whole team is frustrated by these issues. However, we’re pretty good at bouncing back from this type of thing. This is where the whole team pulls together and I’m sure we will get these problems fixed.”

Max Chilton heads out in the Marussia. Photo: AC

Max Chilton has given the Marussia MR03 its first lap of Jerez after the team was forced to miss the first two days of running.

Team boss John Booth said: “As we saw in the step from 2012 to 2013, we have young but experienced and extremely talented technical and engineering groups within the Marussia F1 Team, who have contributed enormously to our rate of progression over the past couple of years. To have designed a car that is true to the concept first conceived in early 2012, despite the integration of an entirely new powertrain and whilst pushing hard to attain our 2013 Constructors’ Championship objective, is a testament to the extent to which we have matured as a technical organisation.

“We have nothing but good things to say about our new relationship with Scuderia Ferrari. They are extremely professional and have been entirely supportive from the beginning. There is excellent co-operation between our two technical groups in all areas of the new relationship and this has made the considerable challenge of integrating a new powertrain a great deal easier.”

“Through the course of 2012, we analysed every single element of the car,” said chief designer John McQuilliam. “From the tip of the nose to the trailing edge of the rear wing – knowing just how radically different the MR03 would be under such sweeping Technical Regulations. We have benefitted enormously from the stability of our design teams, with the same personnel beginning – and now concluding – the process over a 24 month period. I think we can feel justifiably proud of the way we have responded to such a significant challenge and the quality of car we have arrived at with the MR03.

“The car has been manufactured and finished to a very high standard, whilst achieving our most significant weight-saving targets to date and, importantly, with a crucial eye towards maintaining our excellent record of reliability. Without doubt, the greatest design challenge has been in terms of cooling, yet this is one of a few areas where we are not only very pleased with the design response, but also the degree of innovation we have achieved with our solution.

“All-new front and rear suspension layouts are a product of the new aerodynamic regulations placing greater emphasis on mechanical performance, with the mechanical systems now having far greater real road relevance.”