28-Jan-09: Belgian GP Organisers Worried About ING

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 28th January 2009.

It’s all circuit news today, starting with speculation that the Belgian Grand Prix could be in trouble. Having made significant losses over the past two years, organisers at Spa are worried that the withdrawal of ING from sponsorship could be a problem. Apparently the bank were big on buying tickets, purchasing 3,000 corporate tickets last year. If they don’t do that this time, it will be a huge blow to the track.

The French Grand Prix, meanwhile, had some hope when the government agreed to allow a race at Yvelines. However, it looks as though strong opposition has caused the minister to reconsider, and other options will have to be looked at.

Finally, BMW have decided to test at Bahrain next month, switching from their original plan of joining the other teams in Jerez. They’ll be in good company, though, with Ferrari and Toyota, and presumably, this is down to the bad weather experienced last week in Portugal.

That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

Williams – Algarve Test, Day 4 of 4

Circuit: Autodromo do Algarve, Portugal. 4.686km
Objective: Initial systems, performance and reliability checks with the FW31.
Weather: Rain all day.
Average ambient temperature: 11°C
Times: No times recorded due to bad weather.

Sam Michael, Technical Director, Williams F1:
“Testing today in Portugal was a complete washout with heavy rain all day. As such we had no further running with the FW31. In fact, the majority of the test was disrupted by rain; our only opportunity for consistent running was with Nico Rosberg on Wednesday. The time we did get on track was productive though and allowed the team to work through our scheduled systems checks and aero and mechanical tests with the new car. We’re comfortable with the progress we made, but more track time would have been preferable. We will now return to the factory and prepare the test car for Jerez test in three weeks time.”

Nico Rosberg:
“Tuesday was almost too wet to get any valuable testing done, but my second day was on a dry track and it was very positive. I did the most kilometres ever recorded on one day with a Formula One car and that is really encouraging especially as it was with the new car. We didn’t have any problems that would have forced me to stop running so that’s a big compliment to the team. We worked through a good testing programme and have tried many fundamental set-up items as we try to learn more about the car. Performance-wise, this week was also encouraging, but it’s definitely too early to understand where we are relative to the other teams.”

Kazuki Nakajima:
“Because of the weather today, I only managed to do an installation lap. It was a real shame as I was really looking forward to testing the new car. I’ll now just have to wait until the next test in Jerez in February.”

Nico Hulkenberg:
“Straight away the new car felt okay and I felt comfortable in it. Of course everyone wants to know how it compares to the 2008 car and what the impact of the rule changes are from a driver’s point of view. In truth, I cannot say too much after just a few laps, because the track is 100% new to me, I have never run in Portimão and also it was pretty wet, so I have no baseline for comparison – if we were running at Jerez or Barcelona in the dry, I could be a little more specific. But the important thing this week was to simply make sure we ran through all the checks of the basic systems on the car and confirm everything is working as it should. That was the case this week and we can be happy.”

Renault – Algarve Testing, Day 4

The ING Renault F1 Team braved another day of torrential rain storms at the Algarve Motor Park today, forcing the team to take shelter in the garage for the entire session.

After a day of dry running yesterday, the team was greeted with an overcast sky this morning with heavy rain falling for much of the day. Due to the poor visibility and track conditions the track was closed by the circuit officials, which prevented Fernando Alonso from completing any laps in the R29.

With just one day of dry running this week, the team looks forward to better conditions in Jerez in the second week of February when the team resumes its testing programme.

Fernando Alonso: “A very wet day! It’s a shame we couldn’t get anything done today because at this stage of the season you need to maximise the track time available. Still, I was pleased to have a full day in the dry yesterday and we learnt a lot and have some valuable data. I will be in the car for the next test in Jerez where hopefully we can make some good progress with the performance of the car.”

Christian Silk, Chief Test Engineer: “Although it has been a wet week, overall it has been an encouraging first test with the new car. At the moment the main things we are concentrating on are reliability and safety and in those respects the car has been excellent. It’s disappointing how the weather has worked out this week as we couldn’t look at the performance and could only really put mileage on the car. We’re now looking forward to the Jerez test next month where we can hopefully get down to some proper performance work.”

ING Renault F1 Team announces new supplier agreement with Italian luggage producer Piquadro

The ING Renault F1 Team is pleased to announce the beginning of an Official Supplier Agreement with Italian travel and business luggage producer Piquadro.

“We are delighted to begin this relationship with Piquadro,” commented Managing Director Flavio Briatore. “Formula 1 involves a great deal of travelling and we were looking for a partner who could provide a high technology product in line with our image standards. Research and innovation are common values to both companies and we think that Piquadro is the best partner to accompany ING Renault F1 Team in all their travels around the world.”

“I am very pleased with the partnership with ING Renault F1 Team and by the fact we will supply our suitcases and travel bags to their entire Race Team”, explains Marco Palmieri, President and CEO of Piquadro. “ING Renault F1 Team is a prestigious partner and we share the relentless quest for high quality standards and the determination to reach our targets. And of course a great passion for racing.”

Bridgestone Motorsport Portimão Test Summary

Bridgestone Motorsport, the Official Tyre Supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship, has completed its first group test of 2009 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimão, Portugal, where two compounds of 2009 specification slick tyres were used as well as current specification wet and extreme wet tyres.

Five teams were present over four days of testing between 19-22 January. Despite the Algarve location of the circuit being famed for its good weather, the test was affected by wet and windy weather, with even hailstones falling on the track during the course of the four days. Whilst Bridgestone’s soft and super soft compound slick tyres were available for use, teams predominantly made use of the wet and extreme wet tyres.

Adding to the difficulty of the wet weather, the ambient temperature was also much cooler than is expected to be experienced at races this season, with meaningful data being hard to obtain. The circuit is relatively new, meaning that the surface was very slippery from the new surface itself as well as the rainfall.

Bridgestone’s Potenza Formula One tyres will next been seen in use in Jerez on February 10-13, where six teams are scheduled to test, and in Bahrain on the same dates, where three teams are scheduled to test.

Q&A with Tetsuro Kobayashi – Technical Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport:

What was learnt from this test?
“This was a difficult test because of the weather and we learnt that the Algarve does not always live up to its reputation of good conditions. The rain, and even hailstones, seriously hampered progress during the week. The conditions compounded the difficulty of running on a new track surface as the oils come out from the tarmac, making the surface very slippery, even when we did have dry running.”

With limited testing in 2009, how does this affect developments ahead of the season start?
“For Bridgestone we are confident that there will be sufficient testing for teams before the season starts to enable good, safe, racing. Of course, any test days lost means that teams have not been able to test their new cars and continue learning about our slick tyres, however we will see several more tests before we visit Albert Park in Australia for the first race of the season.”

What are your thoughts of the Portimão track?
“The Portimão track is certainly an impressive facility and a challenging circuit to learn for teams and drivers. The track surface is very smooth, just as you would expect of a new facility. At this test the rain did not help with the grip levels, so in terms of gaining data for us to evaluate, we were at a disadvantage.”

Toyota – Portimao Test – Day 4

Location: Algarve Motor Park, Portimao, Portugal
Driver: Timo Glock
Track length: 4.686km

CHOPPER STOPPER
Panasonic Toyota Racing completed its first test of 2009 with a fourth day of running at Algarve Motor Park in Portimao, Portugal. Timo Glock was once again behind the wheel for a planned programme of set-up and mechanical testing, however persistent rain throughout the day ruined those plans. Despite a soaking track he completed an installation lap at 9am and more running was planned an hour later, but when the medical helicopter could not take off, the red lights came on and halted the session. The teams waited for an improvement in conditions but that never came and it was decided to abandon the day’s testing at 4pm. Toyota’s next test starts at the Bahrain International Circuit on February 10.

Timo Glock - Chassis TF109-01
Best lap time: n/a
Position: n/a
Total laps: 1
“It’s a pity to end the test like this but there is nothing we can do about it; that’s just the way it is and it is the same for all the teams here. At least at our next test in Bahrain we can expect much better weather and many more laps, which is what we need to develop the new car.”

Pascal Vasselon, Senior General Manager Chassis
“Today we had no chance to do any testing at all because the helicopter could not take off, otherwise we would have done some work even in these difficult conditions. So we were stuck in the pits and it was not a very productive day. Overall our first pre-season test has been positive in that we have appeared competitive in the wet and dry conditions, although obviously it is far too early to make any predictions. It is just a pity we had so little dry track time this week.”

21-Jan-09: Buemi Leads Day Three of Portugal Test

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Today is the 21st January 2009, and you’re listening to F1 Minute.

Buemi topped the timesheets again today in Portugal, with Rosberg in second, heading up the 2009 cars. Although it started off damp, the teams finally got some relief from the weather and the track was dry by lunchtime. The day was incident packed, with Hamilton suffering an engine system shutdown, Alonso coming to a halt in the pit lane entrance, and Glock stopping proceedings for half an hour. His Toyota caught fire – but the team are quick to point out it was not as a result of KERS.

Over at Valencia, Kubica continued BMW’s test, struggling slightly with the wind, whilst at Mugello, Massa got behind the wheel of the F60 in very bad weather once again. The team haven’t managed to run slick tyres yet.

Still some drivers prefer the wet conditions, with Buemi thankful to have had some practice in adverse weather, whilst Trulli admits running in the wet is frustrating.

That’s it for today, I’ll be back again tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

Williams – Algarve Test, Day 3 of 4

Circuit: Autodromo do Algarve, Portugal. 4.686km
Objective: Initial systems, performance and reliability checks with the FW31.
Weather: Rain early morning, clearing mid-morning and dry for the rest of the day.
Average ambient temperature: 11°C

Pos	Driver	Team	Best Time	Best / Total Laps
1	S Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:24.987	128
2	N Rosberg	AT&T Williams	1:29.729	143
3	L Hamilton	McLaren Mercedes	1:30.242	81
4	T Glock	Toyota	1:30.878	65
5	F Alonso	Renault	1:31.743	86

Sam Michael, Technical Director, Williams F1:
“We had a wet track for the first couple of hours in Portimão today, but by late morning it had dried out enabling us to run slick tyres on the FW31 for the first time. It was a constructive day as we worked through a lot of the items on our job list, including systems checks, aerodynamic and mechanical performance tests. The FW31 reliably completed just over 670kms today on only its third day on track. Kazuki will take over from Nico for the last day of testing tomorrow and for his first run in the new car.”

Renault – Algarve Testing, Day 3

The ING Renault F1 Team continued its first test of the 2009 season today as Fernando Alonso drove the team’s new car, the R29, for the first time at the Algarve Motor Park in Portugal.

After two days of poor weather, conditions improved today with a blue sky and sunshine greeting the team for their third day of testing this week. Fernando took over the cockpit of the R29 from Nelson Piquet and completed 86 laps as he acclimatised to the new car and continued with the team’s development programme.

Although the track was damp to begin with, Fernando quickly switched to slick tyres and was able to complete some valuable work to give the team its first data from the R29 on a dry track. Fernando will remain in the car for a final day of work tomorrow.

Fernando Alonso: “It is very early days with the new car and so we keep discovering things and improving our understanding with every lap. There are so many things to learn in a short time and we need to maximise our time on track, so to do so many laps today was a good effort. The programme for tomorrow will be more of the same and hopefully the weather will remain dry.”

Christian Silk, Chief Test Engineer: “It was a better day today and the car ran very well. It was also a busy day as we tried to make up for the time lost to the poor weather earlier in the week and we managed to get a lot of items for the test ticked off. So we have a lot of good information which we will go through tonight and pick out the details from so we can make the most of the final day tomorrow.”

Toyota – Portimao Test – Day 3

Location: Algarve Motor Park, Portimao, Portugal
Driver: Timo Glock
Track length: 4.686km

THREE-SY DOES IT
Panasonic Toyota Racing enjoyed significantly better weather for day three of its test at Algarve Motor Park in Portugal. Following two rain-affected days, the clear skies on day three were a welcome relief and allowed Timo Glock his first chance to put the new TF109 through its paces. A damp track in the morning meant extreme wet Bridgestone Potenza tyres were required for the early running but by mid-morning Timo switched to standard wets. A busy start saw him comparing set-up options, while he also got important experience and information about the movable front wing which is new for 2009. However, at just after 11am his car stopped on track due to an oil pipe disconnection, which caused a small fire and necessitated lengthy repairs. He was back on track in the afternoon and will continue testing tomorrow for the final day in Portugal.

Timo Glock – Chassis TF109-01
Best lap time: 1min 30.878s
Position: 4th
Total laps: 64
“My first impression of the new car is good; I am happy with it. In the morning, on a wet track, I felt pretty comfortable and it was easy to drive; there were no real problems. Then we had the issue with the oil pipe which cost us some time but the guys worked really hard to repair the car and we got some laps at the end in dry conditions. Those first laps on a dry track felt pretty good and gave me a positive feeling but we didn’t have time to really set the car up properly. It would be nice to do a lot more laps tomorrow but the weather forecast isn’t very good.”

Pascal Vasselon, Senior General Manager Chassis
“We had no rain thankfully today but still this morning the track was wet and the temperatures were quite low. Due to the limited running we did on the first two days, we had a really busy programme planned for Timo, including set-up investigations, some brake work and preliminary tests on the movable front wing. We were making great progress in the first hours but unfortunately an oil pipe became disconnected and Timo had to stop on track with the car on fire. It took quite a bit of time to clean and repair the car but we managed to complete some laps later in the afternoon and got some interesting data.”

Williams – Algarve Test, Day 2 of 4

Circuit: Autodromo do Algarve, Portugal. 4.686km
Objective: Initial systems, performance and reliability checks with the FW31.
Weather: Rain for the majority of the day with one hailstorm.
Average ambient temperature: 11°C

Pos	Driver	Team	Best Time	Best / Total Laps
1	S Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:34.429	34 / 48
2	P de la Rosa	McLaren Mercedes	1:37.512	32 / 62
3	J Trulli	Toyota	1:42.399	26 / 30
4	N Piquet	Renault	1:45.860	4 / 9
5	N Rosberg	AT&T Williams	1:51.580	16 / 31

Sam Michael, Technical Director, Williams F1:
“We had another wet day in Portugal today. When we could get out on track, we continued working on systems checks and completed some medium runs. We experienced a couple of reliability issues with the 31 which forced us into the garage for a while, but they were nothing major. The team is looking forward to some dry weather tomorrow.”

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