Formula 1 News

Williams: 2008 French GP preview 

Sam Michael, Technical Director: “We will be bringing various aerodynamic and mechanical upgrades to the FW30 for the French Grand Prix to further improve the cars’ performance. All the parts were tested at the Barcelona test last week and all were successfully signed-off. The Circuit de Nevers has a good mix of corners which create a great challenge for the drivers and engineers. Aerodynamic efficiency and a good balance in the long, high speed corner before the back straight is essential for a strong time in sector one. The circuit then transforms to one made up of slow speed corners and chicanes for the remainder of the lap. Strategy is always interesting in France because the time that is lost in the pitlane is relatively minimal, which allows for a three, or even a four stop strategy, both of which have been used in the past. Bridgestone are taking the medium and soft tyre compounds to this race which will also play a part in the outcome of the race.”

Kazuki Nakajima: “I have some experience of Magny-Cours because I raced there last year in GP2. It’s a nice track to drive, so I feel quite confident going into the weekend. We showed good pace at the past two races in Monaco and Canada and we need to carry that with us to France and make up for the recent drought in points. As for the place itself, it’s really in the middle of nowhere and so a bit quiet, very different to Montreal, but I quite like that and am looking forward to getting there.”

Nico Rosberg: “I really like the Circuit de Nevers. I’ve had some great races there in the past, and it’s a return to Europe as well, which is good. Magny-Cours hasn’t been one of our strongest tracks in recent years, so we’ll need to push hard. Unfortunately, it’s going to be harder than usual as I have the ten-place grid penalty from the pit lane incident in Montreal to contend with as well. We had a three day test in Barcelona last week, during which we did some set-up work for this race and tested some new parts, all of which will hopefully help us this weekend to achieve a good result.”

source: AT&T Williams