31/05/2013
NEWS STORY
Team Principal Eric Boullier tackles the topics on everyone's mind after a rather busy week in the world of Formula 1...
Monaco wasn't a great weekend...
Eric Boullier: Yes, we don't want another sporting weekend like that. Despite the negatives of the result however, there are positives. Once more our car was competitive at a very different venue and we have now shown we can compete on all types of circuit. We have also maintained a good rate of development with the E21 relative to our opposition which bodes well for the rest of the season. As a weekend it was very frustrating, yes, but Monaco is often like that.
How would you rate the driver's performances in Monte Carlo?
EB: Kimi had a strong drive on Sunday and was in an easy fifth position until the incident with Sergio [Perez]. Although we were better in terms of race pace than those ahead, it's almost impossible to overtake in Monaco and there were no mistakes or issues from the cars in front, so he became stuck in a train for most of the race. When forced to make a final pit stop towards the end, he was able to show some of the potential in the car; passing others at ease. I think this demonstrates just how talented he is - to have made up those places around Monaco without any drama - and perhaps also a little bit of how angry he was at losing fifth place and the points he would have otherwise scored.
Romain had great pace all weekend, but got frustrated in the race as he wasn't able to fight for the kind of positions he ought to have after getting caught out behind a slower driver in the drying qualifying session and ending up thirteenth on the grid. He drove strongly to finish on the podium in Bahrain and should - according to our simulations - have finished in third position before his suspension failed in Barcelona, but Monaco was a frustrating weekend for him. Despite this, we're sure he'll be able to press the reset button and go to Montréal ready to focus on getting another good result.
Montreal was a good weekend for the team last year; does that help with the mindset?
EB: Yes we did well there last year and yes it's good in terms of the memories, but that doesn't mean we'll necessarily do well there this year. What we do know is that this year's car is strong and has performed well on all different types of track layout, so it's reasonable to expect a good weekend in Canada. I don't think it will be an easy weekend, but we'll be disappointed if both cars aren't close to - or on - the podium.
Tyres are a hot topic once again; for many reasons?
EB: To have one team running this season's car in a private test with the sport's sole tyre supplier is unusual to say the least; especially if no-one is told about it in advance, or even afterwards. Had we been offered the same opportunity in a legitimate and transparent fashion - where all teams agreed - we would have welcomed it. Certainly what has happened appears to be against the Sporting Regulations and the teams' testing agreement, so it will be interesting to hear the outcome of the on-going activity regarding this matter.
The team has slipped a little in both Championships after Monaco; can we fight back?
EB: As long as Monaco was just a minor blip - and there's nothing to suggest that it wasn't - there's no evidence to suggest we can't return to consistently strong performances and be back in the reckoning for big points. One bad race in nineteen doesn't define your Championship; we just need to ensure that we don't have another weekend like Monaco.
The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve was the setting for Lotus F1 Team's fourth podium of last season, and there's no reason why that shouldn't be the objective again in 2013, explains Trackside Operations Director Alan Permane.
Now we've had some time to digest, what's the feeling after Monaco?
Alan Permane: Kimi qualified and raced where we expected him to at a circuit where it is virtually impossible to overtake, although some drivers were a little bit - shall we say - ambitious in their passing attempts. He would have finished fifth were it not for Sergio [Perez] being too aggressive. Romain had a weekend he'd rather forget, but now heads to a circuit where he performed excellently last year with his second place. There's no reason why he shouldn't put in another excellent performance this year, albeit with the added challenge of his ten place grid penalty.
What are the considerations for Montreal?
AP: It's the first circuit we run at with a medium downforce level. Monaco is super high and everywhere else we've visited so far is high, so it will be interesting to validate our performance with lower downforce levels on the car. There are similarities to Monaco; no real high speed corners, with most turns taken in first or second gear and the kerbs used for the majority of them. As most of the corners are chicanes, you have a set-up trade-off between sufficient roll stiffness to allow the driver to have a sharp car for change of direction, but with suspension soft enough to ride over the kerbs. The track used to be very bumpy - especially under braking - but recent resurfacing has improved this enormously.
Talking of brakes, they're used rather a lot around Montreal?
AP: It's the highest brake energy circuit of the year, but this won't pose any significant problems. In years gone by we would have spent a lot of the weekend focusing on brake wear and ensuring we weren't running too hot. Brake disc development over the past five years means this isn't an issue or concern anymore. Our focus will be ensuring the brake temperatures are in the optimal range for operation and ensuring the brakes are matched at both front and rear for stability.
Let's talk about tyres...
AP: Traditionally this circuit is fairly easy on tyres thanks to a smooth track surface. We'll use Pirelli's super soft and medium compounds to the original, non-revised 2013 constructions for the race. In the practice sessions we will have an opportunity to sample some development tyres; two sets per driver with a new rear construction.
What about race strategy?
AP: Last year was a mixture of one and two stop strategies and it's reasonable to expect a similar approach this year; depending on the conditions experienced in the race of course. For Romain we will be looking at all the options and seeing if there's anything different we can do to help vault him up the order, as he will be starting out of position thanks to his penalty. We went well with both cars last year and there's nothing to suggest we shouldn't go well this year.
It's fair to say the weather can sometimes throw a curve ball in Canada?
AP: The weather can be pretty variable and it's not unlike Melbourne in this regard; it can be really hot one day, then freezing cold the next day. Average temperatures would be in the mid 20s, but you can have 15°C or 30°C.
What about the groundhogs?
AP: Fortunately we don't see too much wildlife on track, but it is a circuit where we tend to pick up a lot of debris - whether from the long straights or the park location - and this is something we factor in when setting cooling levels, as car temperatures will increase during the race through radiator blockage from rubber, leaves and other assorted debris.
Anything new to bolt on the car?
AP: We have a revised aero package, with track specific front and rear wings as well as an update to the floor. There aren't too many changes for this race, but looking ahead to the subsequent Grand Prix we have a revised bodywork package for Silverstone.