| NEWS | RenaultF1 | ||
| DRIVERS STANDING |
British GP,
Friday - 9 JUL 2004 A solid start for Renault at Silverstone, and a Friday Focus on on-going technical discussions. JT, R24-03 FA, R24-02 Spare, R24-01 Spare chassis, R24-04 JT FP 1: 1:21.792, 13 laps, P15 FP 2: 1:19.601, 21 laps, P8 FA FP 1: 1:22.003, 5 laps, P16 FP 2: 1:19.874, 30 laps, P12 The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team made a solid start to the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone. Underneath heavy skies and in cool conditions, the team conducted tyre evaluations and set-up work on the R24. Fernando Alonso experienced a throttle problem during the morning that saw his car stop out on circuit, but managed to make up the time lost during the afternoon. Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering "It will be quite difficult to decide on tyres this evening as we seemed to encounter a lot of traffic during our comparisons. Aside from this, though, it was a straightforward day. We improved the balance of both cars, but know in which areas we need to work this evening. Fernando's problem this morning did not penalise us significantly and we have given ourselves a solid base to work from tomorrow." Denis Chevrier, Head of Engine Operations "We suffered a throttle problem on Fernando's engine this morning, but were able to quickly identify and resolve its cause. Fortunately, he was able to make up for this with a slightly more substantial programme this afternoon. This incident aside, we completed our programme without |
|
|
| NEXT RACE |
|
||
| RESULTS | |||
| INTERACTIVE CIRCUIT |
|||
| 2004 CALENDAR | |||
| Forum | |||
| Contact us | |||
|
any problems. The times are extremely close, but we also need to remember
that the track conditions were evolving throughout the day. We remain
hopeful of competing strongly tomorrow." FRIDAY FOCUS - PROGRESS AT THE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP Wednesday saw the Technical Working Group meet at Silverstone to discuss proposals for speed reductions in 2005. Proposals are on the table both for chassis and engine developments, and the Renault F1 Team Technical Directors Bob Bell (Chassis) and Rob White (Engine) explained the current state of play. "A path of 1 engine for 2 week-ends from 2005, followed by a change to 2.4L V-8s from 2006 is feasible and is widely supported," explained White. "At the beginning, there will be a performance loss associated with the longer life 2-race engines. Of course we will all work hard to recover the deficit, but the rate of engine performance development will be reduced relative to the current engines, which is consistent with the FIA objectives" Looking to 2006, Rob reiterates the belief that a V8 engine is the most effective solution. "For the future, to achieve a step decrease in power, of the order of 200hp, a capacity reduction is needed. 2.4L V-8s will remain unique and spectacular engines. They will not be like F1 V-8s of the past or like other racing V-8s based on road car engines. F1 engines to this spec will still be high revving, ultra-high output, with no equal in other series." On the chassis side, Bob Bell believes the proposals thus far are positive. "A package aiming to reduce chassis performance was agreed on Wednesday, with changes to the diffuser geometry, in terms of its height and the trim in front of the rear wheels. This should reduce overall downforce by 20% to 25%. We are under an obligation to cut performance, there is a genuine need to do so, and I think this represents a sensible step. Furthermore, a corollary benefit will be that with less downforce, it should improve the possibility of overtaking." What, though, is the impact of these changes? "The primary effects will be to how we balance the car aerodynamically, but also the mechanical design in terms of the rear suspension. This is basically designed to fit around the diffuser, and any change in rear suspension design also has an impact on the gearbox as well. Next year's car has been underway since late last year, and gearbox design should realistically be finalised by the end of this month. Formula 1 is conscious of the imperative to reduce costs, but also to make the show possible on a smaller budget. However, it is to the advantage of the teams with the biggest budgets for these changes to be made as late as possible in order to minimise their rivals' capacity to respond effectively; in a period where cost reduction is a key issue, it would make little sense for development work and investment thus far to be compromised by unnecessarily late changes to the regulations. What we have discussed is still feasible now, but we are approaching the deadline by which proposals must become concrete reality." |
More
News
|
||
| Jarno Trulli won Monaco Grand Prix, 04 | |||
| . | |||
| Renault History Making Win 08-24-2003 | |||
|
©Copyright
1997 - 2002 formula1racing.com All rights reserved unofficialsite
|
|||
