Formula 1 News

Renault: 2008 French GP preview 

Q. Bob, the team was out of luck again in Canada. What will it take for the team’s luck to change? Bob Bell, Technical director: “I believe that you make your own luck; you can’t just sit back and hope that it will change. When you analyse the last two races for the team, what on the surface may appear to be bad luck inevitably turns out to be an error on somebody’s behalf. And, as is normal practice for this team, we need to look carefully at the race weekend: what we did; what we didn’t do; and what we could have done better. We will be very self-critical to understand what we need to do to make sure that we don’t experience anymore of those issues that rob us from fully exploiting our true potential.”

Q. Fernando and Nelson both delivered spirited drives in the race. How did you view their performances in Canada? Bob Bell: “Fernando was fantastic all weekend – he was right there and consistently at the front of the pack. He was happy with the car, even though he didn’t get as much running as he would have liked and did an outstanding job, especially in qualifying. Ultimately he did make a mistake and lost the chance of some points, but that does happen when you are pushing to the limit. Nelson’s qualifying position was a bit disappointing and his performance did not really reflect what we thought he would do based upon practice. But then in the race he turned it around again – he was pushing hard, driving aggressively, although ultimately he retired with brake trouble.”

Q. Despite coming away empty handed, the R28 looked competitive in low-downforce spec, just as it did at the higher end of the downforce scale. That must make you confident for the rest of the year? Bob Bell: “I think that is one of the real strengths that we draw from Canada. The car seems so be performing well on most circuits and that just reiterates that we’ve got a very strong platform now to go forward for the rest of the season. We’re under no illusion that we’re going to have to work very hard to keep that level of competitiveness up, but we have an aggressive development programme for the rest of the season, and we are confident that we have an adaptable baseline to work from.”

Q. How will the R28 cope with the technical demands of Magny-Cours? Bob Bell: “It’s a medium to high downforce circuit where you need a good change of direction in order to carry good speed through the high-speed chicanes. The driver needs to be able to use the curbs and feel comfortable in the car. It’s also circuit where you need to change the brake balance between several of the key corners, so it could be a little bit more challenging now that we’ve lost the engine braking systems. Overall, it should be a good test for the car, but we’ve gone well there in the past and so I think we can put on a strong showing this year.”

Q. What new developments can we expect in time for the French Grand Prix? Bob Bell: “We have quite a few developments that we evaluated at Barcelona last week for use in Magny-Cours. We’ve got some aerodynamic developments on the front wing, some aerodynamic parts at the rear of the car, and some developments to the suspension. It’s a good package of upgrades, which will hopefully help us take another step forward.”

Q. And finally, how is the mood in the team ahead of the team’s home race? Bob Bell: “I think there is obviously a degree of frustration that we haven’t been able to covert our competitiveness into points. But in the meantime, we take heart from the fact that the car seems competitive, we have a great driver in Fernando, and we just need to keep our focus and continue putting the developments on the car. The worst thing we can do is get spooked by it and start losing our attention to detail and commitment. We’ll keep our heads down and things will come right for us.”

Q. Nelson, looking back to Canada, it was developing into a promising race, but the team was out of luck again… Nelson Piquet jr.: “Yes, we could have scored points there, but we had some problems as so we couldn’t finish the race. Having said that, there are positives that I take from the race as I have gained some more experience, learnt a new track and my race was going well until I had to retire. We have seen that the car has the pace to be competitive and so we are focussing on that and will keep pushing hard for the next stage of the season.”

Q. How have your preparations gone for Magny-Cours and how do you expect the car to perform this weekend? Nelson Piquet jr.: “My approach to racing has not changed since the beginning of the season as I am remaining focussed and will head to Magny-Cours determined to do the best I can for the team. The car should work well there because it is a circuit where you need good aero, and our car was good in Barcelona and Istanbul, where aero is especially important. It’s a smooth track, but you need to be able to ride the curbs, so I need to work well in free practice to find a good set-up with my engineers to put me in good shape for qualifying.”

Q. It’s a home race for the team – does that add extra pressure to do well? Nelson Piquet jr.: “As a home race for the team I would love to do well, but I don’t think there is extra pressure because I always expect the most from myself at all the races and always push to the limit. After two street courses in Monaco and Montreal, it will be a change to get back to a more traditional style of circuit in Magny-Cours, especially as it is a circuit that I know well from my time in GP2.”

Q. What are your hopes for the French Grand Prix? Nelson Piquet jr.: “It’s an important race for the team and I would love to get my first points on Renault’s home ground, so that has to be my target. We had a good test last week in Barcelona and have some new things on the car which will help. I’m sure there will be a lot of support for the team and I will try and draw on that. I will need to qualify well as it’s a difficult track to overtake on, but if I can do that then I think we can have a strong race.”

Q. Fernando, a superb qualifying performance in Montreal allowed you to aim for the podium in the race. That must make it all the more frustrating not to finish the Grand Prix? Fernando Alonso: “It’s clear that we missed a great opportunity to score some big points in Montreal, but we must remain positive and keep moving forward. Our level of performance there showed the progress the team has made and we must now continue our efforts because we can see the rewards. I know that everybody in the team is doing their best to improve our performance, and that will pay off in the end.”

Q. You are preparing to compete in Renault’s home Grand Prix. Is it special to drive here in Magny-Cours? Fernando Alonso: “Yes, definitely. There are always lots of people associated with Renault watching the race and wearing the team’s colours, which is a big source of motivation. Also, it’s the French Grand Prix and the team is French, so I have enormous motivation to have a good weekend, and I will once again give my maximum.”

Q. In terms of the car set-up, what are the main challenges of the circuit? Fernando Alonso: “It’s a circuit where the car must perform well in all parts in order to do a good lap time. There are some quick corners and direction changes, the brakes are important and you need good acceleration. The temperature is usually quite high, so you have to find a set- up that allows you to make the most of the tyres and optimise the general balance of the car. I don’t have any specific concerns and we will work on these different points in free practice on Friday.”

Q. The team continued its development programme in Barcelona last week. What are your expectations for the eighth race of the season? Fernando Alonso: “Yes, we completed three days in Barcelona last week. It was a case of validating the latest developments on the car, especially the aerodynamic and mechanical components that we plan to use at the French Grand Prix and the coming races. That went well, the team got a lot of information and I hope that we will see more progress this weekend. That is important for the morale of the team because we still have a lot to do in order to catch up with the leaders. But I am happy and I know that whatever happens I will give my maximum to get the best from my car and to do well in the race.”

source: ING Renault