11/03/2013
NEWS STORY
Eric Boullier and James Allison give the low-down on the feeling within Lotus looking ahead to the first race in Australia and why the Frenchman sometimes has stressful moments on the pit wall with Kimi and Romain.
How is Lotus F1 Team placed ahead of the opening race of the season?
Eric Boullier: We can take quite a bit of confidence following pre-season testing. We didn't complete as many laps as we wanted and we did experience a few glitches both technical and physical, but despite this we were able to work through most of the items in our itinerary. We are confident that we have made a step forward compared to last year.
How do you view the continuity with Kimi and Romain going into 2013?
EB: That for me is one of the key points for this year and it's clearly going to be one of the assets of our team's performance. To keep both these drivers, who are very complimentary, is the best situation for the team. Both now know the team well and it is their second consecutive year together in Formula 1. With this you can build up a nice momentum for the start of the season, compared to last year where we had to spend time nurturing that relationship.
When you look around at your rivals, how intense is the competition likely to be this season?
EB: I think it's going to be as competitive as ever. You can see at least five teams having the potential to win races and it's getting very tight. It's going to be interesting to see how the teams can perform on a single lap, but also how they can perform during long stints and on track. More so than last year, it will be important to fight from the front with a good qualifying position and the race pace of our drivers will be important.
Last year there was a lot of talk about the Pirelli tyres and this year we have new constructions and new compounds; how do you think we'll get on with them?
EB: The most important thing is we want to keep the strength we had from last year in that we managed the tyres well. This is one of the key points we could see during testing, but I think it's going to be another challenge to understand these tyres. The key is the Pirelli philosophy; we understand the tyres, however wear is higher than last year so you may expect more pit stops during some of the races. We still have to try these tyres in hot conditions; we've only run in cold weather so far and they have been specifically designed for higher temperatures, so we may have some surprises.
Going into 2013, where do you think our main strengths on track lie?
EB: I believe we have kept the main strength of the car from last year, which was very conservative on tyre wear and degradation, and we've proved our capability to deliver one lap pace which is important for qualifying.
The team has been pushing to be at the front; how does 2013 fit into this plan and where do you see the team going?
EB: There is a long term plan and a clear road map to the front of the grid. Last year we showed some peaks of good performance and were nearly always at or near the front. I feel that this year we will be even more so and the key element will be to maintain that performance and pace to fight for regular points and podiums. At the same time, we'll be preparing in Enstone for the new era of Formula 1 in 2014 with new engines and big regulation changes.
We haven't started 2013, yet the team is probably looking at the massive regulation changes for 2014 already...
EB: Yes, you're right. As we keep saying, these changes will be a revolution in the Formula 1 world. Our design office started work on the next generation of cars quite a few months ago, but asking engineers to work in advance is not going to be enough if we want to be competitive in 2014. To achieve this, we'll need to establish a new way of operating which will allow us to be much more efficient. Our view is that, in order to be competitive in the future, Formula 1 teams should forget about the way they've been operating for years and should re-invent themselves.
Technical Director James Allison gives his feedback from winter testing, why he's optimistic about the season ahead and where he sees the competition.
Looking ahead to a brand new season, how are you feeling and what's the vibe with the E21?
James Allison: Right after three tests in a row you feel quite tired as it's almost like three consecutive Grands Prix. We're a little frustrated about the amount of time we lost out on track, but we're also excited, optimistic and looking forward to taking the car to Melbourne and seeing what we can do with it.
What have you learned about the E21 this winter and what do you think it can achieve?
JA: I think that from right back in Jerez it was clear that there are a number of quick teams out there. I think it was also clear from the first test that we have the potential to be one of them and the evidence of our running so far hasn't done anything to dispel that. We'll be in the hunt for podiums and very much looking for race wins.
How big a challenge are the latest Pirelli tyres?
JA: We've seen some headlines about the challenge they present, but it's good to remember that the tyres are the same challenge for everybody and that they're designed for the racing season, and not the testing season. We've also been using them so far in temperature conditions that are not really ideal so it's foolhardy to make any conclusions based solely on what we've seen so far. I expect they'll be less dramatic once the season kicks off, but nevertheless I think we can expect them to play a full part in the opening races of this year.
There has been a lot of talk of very big degradation. Is this an issue?
JA: You need to put this talk in context of where and when we test. Of all the tracks we visit, Barcelona is one of the more aggressive and Jerez is about the most aggressive. Using tyres which are designed for summer, in the winter, on a track which is one of the most aggressive means that you won't see the tyres at their best. Even with track and weather conditions far from ideal, we've still completed a satisfactory race simulation so we're not too concerned as a team. When we see the tyres at less aggressive circuits in better weather conditions they will perform better. Yes, they're going to degrade, but it's not going to be as much of a story as some people are predicting. And it will make the races exciting too.
How beneficial for the team is the continuity with drivers?
JA: It's definitely beneficial as we don't have to fret about any of the issues that we would have to with new drivers, such as seat fits and brakes; that's all long behind us. Our drivers are absolutely match fit and ready to go.
Can the E21 bring a title back to Enstone?
JA: It's not beyond the realms of possibility. It looks like we're entering an exceedingly close season from the evidence we've seen so far. Our car doesn't look bad against the opposition from what we can deduce, and we have a good team and good drivers behind it. It's certainly closer than last year, but we expected this going into a second season of relatively stable regulations.
Will we see the DDRS 'Device' out in action?
JA: We're a step closer to making it happen, but it's something which is still in protracted birth pangs. It's a very difficult concept to get right. It's a passive device so the strength on the fluid switch isn't very large. The difficulty is making the switch clean, repeatable, strong enough to trip the wing, but for the wing to be sufficiently robust. It's a very delicate see-saw to ride. Hopefully, everyone will be well aware when it's on the car and working at full strength.
There seemed to be something of a pre-season storm in a tea-cup about engine mapping?
JA: As any good team we were pushing the limits to see what is possible and what is not. You have a set of rules, you want to find out where the boundaries are, you do this by asking questions. We were asking questions to the FIA about what's possible whilst simultaneously testing what we were asking about on the track. By the time the FIA had looked at it and said 'no you can't do that' we'd also found out we didn't much like it in any case!
What would comprise a good outing at Albert Park in your mind?
JA: A good Albert Park would be a first row grid place from qualifying and a podium in the race. It's certainly possible.