Renault F1 Techical Chief Demands Major Changes

Renault’s chief technician Bob Wells has said that he wants major changes to the Renault formula 1 racing car.  His aim is to bring the Renault R28 in line with other competitors by the end of the season, he wants major improvements on the car to give Renault back the competitive edge it enjoyed three season ago with Fernando Alonso.

“I think just needing to improve is a bit of an understatement,” Bell said. “We need a tidal wave of change to move us back where we want to be, but that’s what we’re here to do.”

“Our biggest issue is the car’s aerodynamics, but there are also mechanical improvements we can make,” he added.

Renault are addressing the aerodynamics issue with a new aero package for Barcelona, they will be testing the new package over the next two weeks that could give the car .5 of a second extra. This will be the first step in improving the R28, Bell added Renault that the aero package is only the first stage of improvements and promised more will follow after Barcelona.

BMW Interview With Mario Theissen

Interview with BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen

“Taking a bold concept leap has paid off”

How do you review the situation after the first two races of the season?

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen: “Naturally we’re extremely pleased with the way the season has started off for us. Two second places by Nick and Robert in Melbourne and Sepang, Robert on the front row of the grid in Australia, Nick claiming the fastest race lap in Malaysia, plus 11 points in one race and 19 in the championship – that’s an outstanding achievement and a strong basis for the coming races. It demonstrates we have been making steady progress since the roll-out in mid-January. I wasn’t just gratified by our good results, but above all by the performance and pace we managed in both races.”

The BMW Sauber F1.08 didn’t come up to expectations in the first tests. How did the engineers deal with that?
Theissen: “It was the first real acid test for our young team. Since the first outing in Valencia the day after the launch, we refused to be diverted at any stage and systematically continued along our planned path. Measured data and driver feedback were compared, causes analysed and a whole package of measures adopted – with success. In the weeks following the launch of the F1.08, we not only brought the car up to speed but also learnt a great deal in the process. In retrospect these were extremely productive and motivating weeks. Willy Rampf and the entire team deserve a huge compliment for never once losing sight of the goal even under extreme pressure.”
 
You mentioned a package of measures. What precise modifications have been made to the car?
Theissen: “During the first tests we very quickly established that the F1.08 is a far more complex car than its predecessor. It wasn’t a case of an individual component in the car not working. The key factor was that, in the first tests, individual elements weren’t interacting with each other perfectly. We rectified that step by step. It was a matter of fine-tuning the overall package, which we managed to improve through dozens of minor alterations. On the aero front we optimised the interplay of the front wing, deflectors and underbody, and in terms of mechanics, for example, we modified the front suspension slightly. These are all changes you can’t see but which all add up to a significant improvement in performance. And, of course, with each test we were able to gather new data that now enables us to find the right set-up for varying conditions.”
So will you be pitching your season target higher now?
Theissen: “There’s no call for that really. Our goal is to close the gap to the leaders and win our first race. That’s a fairly ambitious goal and we’re sticking to it. In the first two races we managed to open up the two-way battle. We were faster than one of the two top teams on each occasion. But one shouldn’t draw any premature conclusions. We’re still not on a par with Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes. However, the latest results are certainly a great incentive for everyone. The clear message to the workforce is: we can make it.”

How much potential remains inside the BMW Sauber F1.08?
Theissen: “We’ve still got several arrows in our quiver and certainly haven’t exhausted our entire potential yet. The next major step is planned for the European curtain-raiser in Barcelona. For us one thing is clear: risking a major concept leap in the winter has paid off. Now it’s up to us to systematically continue along the path we’ve embarked on.”

How do you rate the performance of your two drivers?
Theissen: “Both of them have delivered what we expect of them. Not just in the two races, but prior to that during the important testing work over the winter. Both of them have prepared single-mindedly for the new season. And both of them have got what it takes to claim the first win for our team. They also know that it takes more than just a few fast laps. The drivers are leaders within the team and have a huge impact on the team spirit and the ongoing development of the car. Both of them are bringing this awareness into play, and I am very happy with the results so far.”

How did you fare with the standard electronics in the first two races of the season?
Theissen: “There was the occasional hiccup, but that was down to the fact that the application had not yet been perfected and was unrelated to the basic software. There were no malfunctions that might have threatened to end the race or compromise driver safety.”

Michael Schumacher to Test Slicks In Barcelona

Michael Schumacher is set to return next week to test slick tyres on the Ferrari F2008 at Catalunya.  The German driver was invited to test the returning Bridgestone slicks next week on the Barcelona racing circuit.

A Ferrari representative said “Michael Schumacher will be testing with our team on Wednesday. He will mainly focus on the development of slick tyres - the tyres that will be used in 2009. Felipe Massa will be testing on Monday and Tuesday while Kimi Raikkonen will be in the car on Thursday.”

Ferrari have already used Schumacher for testing during pre season and I feel it is good that they have not forgotten the skills that he has, they can obviously see the benefit of having a racing veteran on the team.

Your Thoughts On Max Mosley

We have had lots of emails about the reports on Max Mosley and we thought we would open the floor to hear your opinions. Please remember that we only want your opinion and this is a family site.

I have read and viewed a great deal about Max Mosley this week and am amazed that he has not stepped down yet, if a head of any other corporation had been caught out like this then they would have been booted out of the door days ago. Any way what do you think?

Felipe Massa Podium 2008 Bahrain Winner Photograph

Felipe Massa had an awful start to the 2008 formula 1 racing season.  His first win of the 2008 season has finally come at the Bahrain racing circuit.  Felipe dominated the race and lead from the front for the entire grand prix.  Here is a photo that illustrates his elation on the podium at Bahrain.

Best Of The Rest Is Dead! BMW Out Class Mclaren At Bahrain

At the start of the season (even the start of the weekend) many people were talking about two teams contending for podiums and the title. Now it seems that there is no longer only two teams contending but in fact three. BMW have had an excellent weekend with Robert Kubica gaining another Podium and Nick Heidfeld driving solidly to finish in fourth.

The entire weekend sore BMW beat the Mclaren boys for pace and all important traction which shows Mclaren are not that far ahead of BMW at all.  This has led me to the question ‘is the best of the rest category dead?’  Time will most definetly tell but one thing that is sure is the championship will be a more exciting place from now on.

One aspect that we must not forget is that Heiki Kovalainen set the fastest lap of the race. This shows that with a few tweaks before Barcelona they should be right back on track.

Bahrain Finishes With A Ferrari 1 And 2 | See Results Here

Felipe Massa gained a much needed 10 points by recording his first win (and finish) of the 2008 formula 1 racing season. Felipe stormed off the line to overtake Robert Kubica and lead from the front for the entire race - this really was his race.

BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica lost second place to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen in the third lap.  He also had an excellent race and finished in third place behind Raikkonen.

The start of the race did not go well for Lewis Hamilton who had a slow start off of the line and lost seven places on the run up to the first corner.  Things went from bad to worse when Hamilton collided into the back of rival Fernando Alonso’s Renault causing major damage to his front wing.  When Hamilton emerged from the pits he was in 17 th place and after a hard fought race finished out of the points in 13 th place.

Alonso finished in 10th place after a hard fought battle with Rubens Barrichello who finished in 11th. Here are the full results from today’s race:

1  Felipe Massa
    
2  Kimi Räikkönen
    
3  Robert Kubica
    
4  Nick Heidfeld
    
5  Heikki Kovalainen
    
6  Jarno Trulli
    
7  Mark Webber
    
8  Nico Rosberg
    
9  Timo Glock
    
10  Fernando Alonso
    
11  Rubens Barrichello
    
12  Giancarlo Fisichella
    
13  Lewis Hamilton
    
14  Kazuki Nakajima
    
15  Sebastien Bourdais
    
16  Anthony Davidson
    
17  Takuma Sato
    
18  David Coulthard
    
19  Adrian Sutil
    
Ret  Nelsinho Piquet
    
Ret  Jenson Button
    
Ret  Sebastian Vettel
    

Lewis Hamilton Has A Nightmare In Bahrain

Lewis Hamilton will be glad that today’s race is over after a nightmare race that resulted in him gaining zero points.  The race started badly with Lewis getting an extremely slow start off of the line, drivers overtook and swerved to avoid Hamilton which resulted in him dropping to tenth place behind arch rival Fernando Alonso.

Hamilton fought frantically to try and regain places and pushed hard until he crashed into the back of an unusually slow Fernando Alonso.  The crash resulted in Lewis losing his front wing which meant he had to nurse his Mclaren back to the pits for a new one.  Unfortunately by the time he had rejoined the race he was in 17 th place.

To make matters worse Hamilton’s car seemed to have taken on damage as he fought to control a slow Mclaren for the remainder of the race. Hamilton eventually finished in 13th place which is a far cry from the podium he was hoping for.  Mclaren will be working hard with Hamilton and his car to make sure he is right back on form for Barcelona in three weeks time.

One question that many people are asking is: Did Alonso break or slow down to cause the accident in lap 2?  We will keep you posted on that!

Felipe Massa Wins At Bahrain Grand Prix

Felipe Massa has answered his critics by recording his first win of the 2008 formula 1 racing season in a race that never looked in any doubt.  Felipe started in second place on the grid behind Robert Kubica but got a good start off the line and charged ahead by the time he had reached the first corner.  After that he dominated the race and lead from the front chased by team mate Kimi Raikkonen and BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica who also had a great weekend gaining his second podium finish in as many races.

There has been huge speculation surrounding Felipe Massa over the last two weeks after his failure to finish in the first two races of 2008.  The media has criticised Massa and has hinted he may be on his way out of Ferrari at the end of this season to make way for rival Fernando Alonso who has also made suggestions that he would be joining Ferrari at some stage. Today’s victory has certainly answered the critics and will hopefully see Felipe challenging more during future races.

Spanish Grand Prix Circuit At Catalunya

Spanish Grand Prix News

The Spanish Formula 1 racing event is the fourth grand prix of 2008 and this year it is a Catalunya.

Fast facts:

Race Date: 27th  April 2008
Number of Laps: 66
Circuit Length: 4.655 km (2.892 Miles)
Race Distance: 307.104 km (190.825 Miles)
Lap Record: 1:22.680 - Felipe Massa (2007)

View an aerial photograph of the Spanish Grand Prix Circuit

Catalunya Race Circuit Diagram

Pictured: Spanish F1 Race Circuit.

Spanish Grand Prix Hotels and tickets

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