Renault F1 Team announces MOV’IT partnership

The Renault F1 Team today announced that its R30 race cars will feature branding from MOV´IT, beginning at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. MOV´IT branding will be prominent on the nose cone of the R30.

Based in Germany, MOV´IT develops high-performance brake systems for sports, racing and security vehicles, as well as for manufacturers of super-sportscars. MOV´IT brake systems employ a unique construction of carbon-ceramic rotor that offers important advantages over its competitors, especially in terms of weight, strength and durability.

Over the last fifteen years, MOV´IT has already sealed close partnerships with major players within the automotive industry. The appearance of MOV´IT branding on the Renault F1 Team race cars represents a step forward to grow the visibility of this high-tech brand among a technologically aware global audience.

“One of the primary motivations for our investment in Renault F1 Team was to use the sport as a powerful business-to-business platform and create synergies between different companies within our partner network,” commented Renault F1 Team chairman Gérard Lopez.

“The fit between the core business of MOV´IT and the F1 audience is a perfect example of how we can use F1 as an enabler for companies within our partner network. Furthermore, it couldn’t be more appropriate for us to carry this branding in Bahrain, which is among the most demanding circuits on the F1 calendar for brake performance.”

“We are delighted to be part of the Renault F1 Team partner network,” commented Frank Scherer, CEO of MOV´IT. “It is a hard task to stop F1 cars on a dime. Our high demands on material quality, intense research and perfect craftsmanship combine well with Formula 1. This braking expertise is available in every MOV´IT braking system.”

01-Oct-09: German Grand Prix Secure Until 2018

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 1st October 2009.

We’ve heard reports in the past that the future of the German Grand Prix could be a bit shaky, but it seems as though that might not be the case. A statement from the Hockenheim organisers suggest a new deal has been done with Bernie Ecclestone to keep the event on the calendar until 2018. It looks as though the timeshare with Nurburgring will still continue though.

Elsewhere, the paddock has been reacting to Alonso’s Ferrari move, with the Spaniard saying he wants to end his career at Ferrari, and emulate some of Michael Schumacher’s success. Team boss Luca di Montezemolo believes Alonso will be a better fit with the team personality wise, whilst Raikkonen isn’t sure if he will stay in F1 next year. He has thought about rallying instead and said: “Yes, there’s a chance to do that, but there’s as much of a chance that I continue in Formula 1.” He said he wouldn’t go to any of the small teams though, only ones capable of winning the championship.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

Interview with Adrian Sutil : ‘It’s a good thing that we have a summer break’

After his great drive in Germany Adrian Sutil had a frustrating weekend in Hungary that ended with an early retirement. However he now has a long wait to make amends, because there is a three-week break until Valencia, which gives everyone a chance to recharge their batteries. We asked Adrian for his thoughts on Hungary, the summer break, and the upcoming European GP.

Q: You had a very short race in Hungary. What happened?

The first problem was my crash on Saturday morning. The guys needed some time to repair the car, which affected my qualifying in the end. They did a fantastic job to get it out again, but as I could only do two flying laps we were always going to be on the back foot. Then something went wrong straight away in the race. We had no issue in qualifying with temperatures at all, and then suddenly when I was exiting the pitlane to go the grid we had a massive problem. It seems there was something with the cooling system, and the water temperature was sky-high. It was really unlucky that something went wrong just before the race and we didn’t have a chance to fix it.

Q: How disappointing was that?

It was really frustrating, because you always have hopes, particularly for this race as we had had such a good one in Germany, and you go through the weekend thinking this is going to be it. When you’re on the grid and your engineer is telling you ‘sorry but I think you we have a problem’ it is like expecting presents for Christmas, and when you look under the tree, there is nothing!

Q: How do you feel about having a long break in the middle of the summer?

It’s a long season and it’s very hard, and by the last few races everybody’s tired because there is so much travelling. So I think it’s a good thing that we have a summer break in F1, as nearly everyone else does. I think it’s important to refresh your mind and be fresh for the last few races.

Q: What are your plans for the next three weeks?

The first week I’m a home in Switzerland, and then I go to Bali with my family. I’m looking forward to that, because it’s one of my favourite destinations for a holiday, I’ve been there so many times and I know the place very well. It’s a good place to relax. And then I come back for the last week before Valencia and stay a few days at home.

Q: Has it felt different this year with no testing?

It feels a little bit different, but not too much. You have one and a half weeks between the races, but normally there’s a lot to do. You go to the races and you travel around. I have been so busy this year, even busier than last year when we were testing, so I didn’t really feel the difference. However we haven’t had a disadvantage from not testing as all the parts we’ve developed this year have worked well when we’ve put them on the car.

Q: How do you feel about the race in Valencia?

It’s fair to say it’s not one of my favourites. Last year I was really looking forward to the weekend, because I like street circuits and I have good memories of Monaco and Macau. These are real street circuits, but Valencia was disappointing because it was so flat and wide, and there are no real corners.It’s not very difficult, very easy to drive, just straight on and braking for some hairpins. It’s not that challenging, but physically it can be tough as it’s very hot.

Q: Nevertheless are you confident that you can do well this year?

Last year the race pace was not so bad, but in qualifying I was struggling with the tyres. In the race I lost the car in Turn One about two thirds through the race, so it was not the best weekend! This time for us it should be quite good because we’ll get our new update package on the car, which should help us quite a lot performance wise.

The Focus of Attention

Jaime Alguersuari prepares for his first weekend as an official F1 driver in Hungary. The driver is taking the place of Sebastien Bourdais who was asked to leave following poor performances up to and including the German Grand Prix.

Credit: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

21-Jul-09: Force India Say Points Not Far Off

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 21st July 2009.

Vijay Mallya has been talking about his team’s improvements again, and he reckons the German Grand Prix will not be an isolated performance for Force India. He says: “I am confident that Germany was not just a one-hit wonder for us. Over the course of the season so far we’ve calculated we’ve improved by something like 1.7 seconds, which I don’t think any other team has done.” He also added: “We’re so close to points we can almost touch them. It has to be soon.” Which is all well and good, but I’m pretty sure we’ve been saying this for two season’s now.

Meanwhile, looking forward to 2010, Cosworth have said they will be able to provide competitive engines. Apparently they were initially going to be allowed to run higher revs as they are less developed than the current engine suppliers, but have agreed to the regular 18,000 rpm limit, and they say there will be no compromise in performance for doing so.

That’ll do it for now, please join me tomorrow for more from F1 Minute.

A Blast Through the Scenery

Nelson Piquet races through the trees at the Nurburgring during the German Grand Prix. Renault confirmed that Piquet would be driving for them at Hungary, after speculation emerged that the Brazilian had fallen under the performance clauses in his contract.

Credit: Lorenzo Bellanca/LAT Photographic

14-Jul-09: Piquet’s Future the Next Called into Doubt

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Today is the 14th July 2009 and this is F1 Minute.

After the news that Bourdais will most likely be leaving Toro Rosso by the time we get to the next race, the attention has now turned to Nelson Piquet. Flavio Briatore hasn’t helped matters by neither confirming nor denying whether Piquet would be in the second car in Hungary. However, Piquet seems to think he will be there, as he says he’s been promised the same car as Alonso.

Elsewhere, the 2010 season is losing races by the minute, as the German Grand Prix could be a no go. Hockenheim officials have already confirmed they are struggling to find the funds to host the event, and today the Nurburgring has said they wouldn’t want to hold the race every year, rather they prefer the alternate years deal that they currently have. However, the managing director of the circuit did say the only way it could happen was if Bernie reduced the fee and quote: “I cannot imagine that he is willing to accept my wish.” Me neither.

That’s it for now, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

Williams – German Grand Prix Review

The AT&T Williams team maintained a high level of car development and brought a detailed aero upgrade to the Nürburgring, comprising a new front wing as well as diffuser and engine cover modifications. The upgrade was validated during Friday’s practice sessions and remained on the car for the remainder of the weekend. A change in direction on Friday and Saturday morning, intended to help the team prepare for Q3, meant that the team didn’t expect to run at the top of the timesheets in practice. The team also introduced a wheel modification to assist in the pitstops and this design change was validated on one car and will be raced on both FW31s in Hungary.

Both Friday and Saturday’s running was dominated by gusty wind conditions and low track temperatures, making tyre warm-up difficult. In Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session, both Nico and Kazuki progressed cleanly through Q1. Starting Q2 on option tyres, the team adopted a similar programme to many of its competitors and quickly aborted its first run on both cars as the rain fell, boxing for intermediate tyres. Finding sufficient pace on intermediates for both drivers proved problematic, a situation that wasn’t improved when there was a brief window for slicks which Nico managed to take advantage of, but found himself unable to repeat the good pace he had found in Q1. As a consequence, the qualifying performance was disappointing and the team took the decision to fuel the cars for a long first stint and start Sunday’s race on prime tyres, required given the penalty of carrying additional fuel.

Starting Sunday’s race on primes, despite the change in climatic conditions and many other teams electing to start the race on options, might have made Nico and Kazuki’s starts somewhat compromised. In the event, Nico had a very strong opening lap, passing cars on the outside of turn one and by the close of the lap had climbed six places from his start position. Kazuki’s start was however compromised by an accident that pushed him back down the field to P19, from which position he could only improve to P12. Towards the end of the first stint, fuel pressure drop-outs on Nico’s car meant that first stop was called a handful of laps early and he was obliged to carry additional fuel for the remainder of the race to compensate for the problem, without the penalty of which he may have had a good opportunity to challenge for P3.

Q&A WITH SAM MICHAEL, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Q. Were you pleased with the progress of the team at the Nürburgring?
We’re improving the performance levels of the FW31 every race, and that’s translating into greater competitiveness across a variety of tracks. All the teams are bringing upgrades to each race, so it’s encouraging to see that our development plan is working.

Q. How did the cool conditions affect tyre performance?
Quite a lot. It was difficult to get the tyres up to their correct operating conditions and then to keep them there. It was clear as early as Friday morning that it was going to be an issue and remain so throughout the weekend. When that happens there is also a high risk of graining, which is why we opted to run the harder prime tyre for the majority of the race.

Q. Please explain the rationale behind the team’s tyre choices during Q2.
Like the rest of the field, we did one lap on slick tyres but abandoned it when it started to rain and switched to intermediates. While on the Inters, Kazuki radioed in to say that the track was ready to go back on slicks, but it would be prudent to do another lap on the Inters. That almost paid off for him. By the time he went back out on the slicks, it had rained again and we’d missed the window. Nico was on a similar strategy. He was out on track at the right time with the slicks, but his car balance wasn’t right. There was some luck going on with the choices we made, but it was the same for everyone and we just didn’t do as good a job as the other teams.

Q. What caused the fuel system problem on Nico’s car in the race, and what were the ramifications?
Five laps before Nico’s first pit-stop we started to see issues with the fuel rail high pressure which forced us into pitting earlier than we had fuel for. We also added a large amount of extra fuel to give us the margin we needed at the second stop. This meant Nico had to carry the extra margin for the remainder of the race which slowed him down. We have now analysed the data and parts, understood the problem and put in place revisions to the system for Budapest GP.

Q. Do you think this was Nico’s best race in F1?
That’s fairly subjective but, if you judge him by his progression through the field and his recent first lap performances, it’s clear Nico is driving really well at the moment. His first lap at the Nürburgring reminded me of his performance in Istanbul where he also made significant gains in the opening lap.

Q. How would you sum up Kazuki’s performance at the Nürburgring?
Again, Kazuki was quick throughout qualifying and the race, demonstrated when he set the fifth fastest race lap time. Unfortunately, though, he spent the race in traffic so wasn’t able to show what he was capable of.

Q. Looking ahead, how do you expect the FW31 to perform in Hungary?
We should be competitive there too. We will be taking more upgrades to Budapest, but all the teams need to be bringing 0.2 seconds to every race just to stay where they are. It’s so close out there that you can’t afford not to bring new parts to every race.

Toyota – German Grand Prix Debrief – Q+A with Jarno Trulli

How was the German Grand Prix weekend for you?
Cold! The weather was more like a winter test, with very low track temperatures and some rain, which didn’t help us. Our car works best in warmer conditions so when we saw the weather forecast for the weekend we knew it wouldn’t be ideal for us, and that’s how it turned out.

Practice seemed to go well, so what were your expectations going into qualifying?
I was quite happy with our performance in practice and we were in the top six in both Friday sessions which gave me confidence. Of course, it’s difficult to know exactly where you stand after Friday because you don’t know what programmes the other guys are running but I was quite hopeful. Apart from Monaco I have always been in Q3 this year and fighting for the top six, so that was the target again.

What happened?
In the end the conditions were very unfortunate for us and a few minutes of rain ruined qualifying for me. There was no problem getting through Q1 but the weather in Q2 was really changeable and in those conditions it is always a risk when it comes to tyre choice. There was a very small window towards the end of Q2 when it wasn’t raining and the track was in reasonable condition but we were just a little bit too late going on to the option tyres and it started raining again.

What were your thoughts going into the race?
First of all we needed to understand what the weather would do. On Saturday it looked like we would have a wet race but the rain came on Sunday morning and the conditions for the race were okay, even though it was still quite cold. From 14th it is hard to have high expectations but we know our car is fundamentally competitive so I was determined to fight as hard as possible and try to make up some places. We were confident in our strategy and we never give up.

Can you explain what happened on the first lap?
As usual at the Nürburgring the first few corners were really tight and there was a lot of fighting for position. When you start in the middle of the field it is always pretty hectic but everything was fine until another car flew past me and bounced over my front wing. I could feel there was something wrong with my wing, even though I couldn’t actually see the damaged part, so we had to pit for a new one.

How was your race after that?
Obviously it is extremely difficult to get anything from a race when you have to make an extra pit stop. Immediately after the pit stop I was quite quick and if you look at the lap times, mine were actually as fast as, or faster than, several of the cars in the top six so I caught up with the back of the field really quickly. But then I was stuck in traffic for the whole race which gave me no chance to get a decent result.

How do you assess the ultimate pace of the TF109 in the race?
It’s hard to compare properly with the top cars because I was stuck in traffic for so long but I did have a few clear laps towards the end of the race, when I was on the medium tyres, and I put in some quick times. In the end I recorded the second fastest lap of the race which suggests we could have had a much better result if circumstances had worked out differently. But there is no point looking back on things; I always look forward and my focus now is to get a much more representative result in Hungary.

So what are your thoughts ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix?
Well, we can expect the temperatures to be a lot better than the Nürburgring, that’s for sure. That should suit us well because generally our car is more competitive in warm weather. In the past we have done well in Hungary but every year is different so I don’t know exactly what to expect. We are certainly pushing as hard as we can and the car has a lot more potential than the results in Nürburgring showed.

Williams – German Grand Prix Race

A season-best race result for the AT&T Williams team came courtesy of a strong drive from Nico Rosberg today, driving from 15th on the grid to a valuable fourth placed finish and in turn consolidating the team’s position in the championship. His race was launched from a great opening lap, on which he climbed six places. His achievement was all the more impressive considering that he was managing a technical problem from the first round of stops to the flag. Team-mate Kazuki Nakajima showed some equally quick turns of speed and recorded the fifth fastest lap of the race, but a tangle on the opening lap dropped him to the back of the field in the first stint, from which point it was difficult to recover his race. He finished in 12th position. All the team congratulates Mark Webber on a very popular race win today.

Nico Rosberg:
It was a fantastic result for us today. As I started 15th, I honestly wasn’t expecting too much but I took a few chances on the opening lap and finished it in 9th place! Although I had more fuel than anyone else, I kept pushing hard and that, together with a little luck that Heikki Kovalanien had created a bit of traffic jam behind him, helped for sure. I was also carrying a problem with the fuel system, so it was quite eventful and makes the race outcome even better. We are continually progressing with our car, our development is looking good and because of this our pace is right up there. I am looking forward to Hungary now, because I think it will be another race where we can have a good result.

Kazuki Nakajima:
My race was really defined by my first lap. I was hit by Jarno and almost went off, but in the process I dropped right to the back of the field. It was a shame because my race was ruined from there. However I think our pace was good today, certainly a pace that would have got us close to the points. Our strategy would have worked well too, but all of this is unimportant now.

Sam Michael, Technical Director:
It was a good day for the team today, the best result so far this year. Nico had a great first lap and did what he needed to do to make his race work. We had a fuel system problem on his car which meant that he had to come in early for both stops and carry 15 kilos of extra fuel from the first stop to the end of the race, which is worth half a second a lap. However, fourth is a great result and what we deserved for our efforts today. Kazuki was quick today too, but just wasn’t in the right place at the right time with the traffic. Having started in 13th and 15th, it is good to have finished fourth and consolidate our place in the championship. Well done to Mark and it was great to hear the Australian national anthem in the paddock.

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