Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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cAL En dAr
2 Eyes on the Prize Kimi Rikknen Q&A 4 Lady Luck Romain Grosjean Q&A 6 Brave? Inspired Eric Boullier Q&A 8 Firm Belief James Allison Q&A 10 Tech Talk Brilliance in Budapest An engineers guide to the Hungaroring 12 Team Spotlight Have a Break; Have a Shutdown 14 Inside Line Facts, figures, and all the latest from Enstone 16 Animators Angle Cirebox on the German Grand Prix
c o n T E n T S
AuSTrALIA mALAYSIA chInA BAhrAIn SPAIn monAco cAnAdA EuroPE grEAT BrITAIn gErmAnY hungArY BELgIum ITALY SIngAPorE JAPAn KorEA IndIA ABu dhABI unITEd STATES BrAzIL
mELBournE KuALA LumPur ShAnghAI SAKhIr BArcELonA monTE cArLo monTrEAL VALEncIA SILVErSTonE hocKEnhEIm BudAPEST SPA monzA SIngAPorE SuzuKA YEongAm nEw dELhI YAS mArInA AuSTIn SAo PAuLo
16 - 18 mArch 23 - 25 mArch 13 - 15 APrIL 20 - 22 APrIL 11 - 13 mAY 24 - 27 mAY 08 - 10 JunE 22 - 24 JunE 06 - 08 JuLY 20 - 22 JuLY 27 - 29 JuLY 31 AuguST - 02 SEPTEmBEr 07 - 09 SEPTEmBEr 21 - 23 SEPTEmBEr 05 - 07 ocToBEr 12 - 14 ocToBEr 26 - 28 ocToBEr 02 - 04 noVEmBEr 16 - 18 noVEmBEr 23 - 25 noVEmBEr
KImI
rA IKKonEn
Q&A
hocKEnhEIm wAS mY worST rAcE oF ThE SEASon. how ABouT ThE BEST In BudAPEST?
hungary was the location for romain grosjeans first pole position in the gP2 Series, so after a weekend in hockenheim hed really rather forget, our flying Frenchman is hoping for better things in Budapest.
whats the key to a good result this weekend in hungary? Its a familiar story; we need to achieve a good qualifying performance. We have a few updates coming which is good news and Im sure we are going to be better than we were last time out. In terms of conditions, it should be hot and hopefully sunny which will suit our car better than the cold weve seen recently, and certainly better than in the cold and wet! The Hungaroring is a circuit that I quite like and one where I have had good experiences in the past. Hopefully my past history at the track will help me to have a proper race weekend. Having all sessions in the dry, so we can work properly from beginning to end, will also be very helpful! what went wrong for you in hockenheim? It was a difficult weekend , especially in qualifying and in the race. We werent able to get any pace in qualifying and were still trying to understand why that was. My car was very difficult to drive when it was wet, and it was always raining hardest when I wanted to set a fast qualifying lap. On top of that I had a five place penalty on the grid due to my gearbox change. Then in the race, the first lap was a bit of a mess and I got hit by another car. Maybe it was bad luck, but either way I know I need to improve my first laps. I am working on that as it is a bit of a shame when you have a good car, but your race is effectively over after a couple of minutes. In Germany my front wing needed replacing and the punctured tyre damaged the floor. It was then very difficult to finish the race let alone to keep up any sort of good pace. There are races where nothing goes right and it was one of those. Lets hope the luck will turn around and everything will be much better in Budapest. had you driven a race lap with a punctured tyre before? No. That was the first time, so I can add that to my experience. Its difficult to know how fast you can go and you cant see how much damage is being done to the bodywork. Its not a nice experience. Its far better with a car that is healthy! You still had to push on in case there were any opportunities for points it must have been quite character building? It was very difficult. The car was not handling well, but this is normal with the damage we had. I hope I dont have that situation again. The car was unbalanced, unpredictable and inefficient. Everything you dont want from a car! 4 how is your past experience at the hungaroring? I scored my first GP2 Series pole position there in 2008. Last year I won and finished third, which was a pretty good weekend. Im heading to Hungary with a positive attitude. how does it feel to have completed half of the season? Its not been easy so far. Weve had some very good results and some very bad races. The last race was maybe one of the worst - so lets work, analyse and try to understand so I dont make mistakes any more. Stay out of trouble and qualify better, this is the key. And from that we can go forwards. what do you have planned for the August break after the hungarian grand Prix? Im going to have my honeymoon so its going to be a good month for me. Hopefully I can head off on holiday with the very nice present of a podium finish in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
positive attitude
Its clear that if we want to win the races we have to be top four or five on the grid
ErIc
BouLLIEr
we need to qualify on the first two rows of the grid. This is even more important
IF ThE FIrST TEn rAcES oF ThE YEAr ArE A guIdE ThEn wE wILL BE comPETITIVE In hungArY.
After creating significant interest during the first practice session at hockenheim with the latest aerodynamic developments on the E20, Lotus F1 Team is confident the car will go well in the heat of hungary, as Technical director James Allison explains.
how should the hungaroring suit the E20? If the first ten races of the year are a guide then we will be competitive in Hungary. It is a bit of a broken record, but for us to really live up to the promise we are sure exists in the team we need to qualify on the first two rows of the grid. This is even more important than normal on the twisty Hungaroring circuit. Traditionally, the circuit sees a lot of track evolution; how difficult does this make it to determine the tyre performance and strategy heading into the race, especially with the tyres being quite hard to read this season? It does cloud the picture for the engineers and strategists, but we have many years of experience racing here so it wont be too bad no worse than Monaco for example. can we expect to see any other appendages to the car and what did we learn from our evaluations in germany? We will continue to dial in the new device that we ran in Hockenheim with Kimi. Despite the difficult weather conditions, we did get a good feel of its performance potential from the free practice session and we aim to take it on a step at the Hungaroring. This is the last race before the summer break how many more developments are in store for the second half of the year? As the second half of the season kicks off the development race in the factory starts to cool down as teams are ramping up efforts on next years car. We also have to deliver a specialist low downforce package for Monza. Having said that, there is plenty in the pipeline for the E20; some of which is delivering on wind tunnel gains already made and other parts which form part of programmes that are still to run. Im confident that we can fight our corner well for the second half of the year. how do you rate the teams performance in hockeheim? It is a mark of how far the team has come this year that we can 8 feel disappointed after a strong fourth place from tenth on the grid. However, we hoped for better than that in Hockenheim and we are looking forward to an opportunity to redeem ourselves in Hungary. what was the impact on the car of the wet qualifying sessions in germany? we seemed to suffer more than others; is this something we could encounter again in the future? We have been pretty reasonable in the wet this year for instance our performance was commendable in the wet conditions of FP2 at Hockenheim - but for some reason the car was utterly lousy once the rain came in qualifying. This mystified us at the time and continues to do so. Trying to figure out what caused the E20 to lose its pace on Saturday in the wet is certainly on our job list.
1. rEAr wIng
Rear wing configuration will run to maximum downforce levels thanks to the relatively low speed nature of the circuit.
BudAPEST cIrcuIT
An EngInEErS VIEw: ALAn PErmAnE TrAcKSIdE oPErATIonS dIrEcTor
2. BrAKES
The lap begins with relatively heavy braking heading into turn one, which comes at the end of a comparatively long straight. By contrast, demands on the brakes from turn four to turn ten are very light. The drivers therefore need good confidence in their braking systems to be right on the mark when needed, as they are used heavily relatively seldom over the course of a lap.
APProAchIng Turn 1
heavy braking from almost 300km/h on the main straight to under 100km/h at the first turn creates the most likely overtaking opportunity on the circuit.
Turn 2
The track runs quite noticeably downhill into turn two. with high potential for drivers to out-brake themselves here, they will need to keep their wits about them.
BUD AP EST
Turn 5
moderate braking from c 240km/h to c 150km/h at turn five follows the slight kink of turn four; a tricky series of corners taken at medium / high speed.
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3. SuSPEnSIon
The layout of the Hungaroring circuit promotes understeer, with a strong front end required to prevent this. The drivers will also ride the kerbs a lot at throughout the course of a lap here, so a soft front end is useful in that respect.
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4. TYrES
The medium and soft Pirelli P-Zeros are allocated. The circuit surface and layout is relatively kind to the tyres however the high temperatures frequently experienced can cause the rubber other issues, such as blistering.
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TA LK TEch
5. FronT wIng
As with the rear, maximum downforce is required from the front wing in line with the circuit layout and also to help counter understeer. We will run a new specification of front wing to assist with this.
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TurnS 4 11
Turns four to eleven very much lead into each other so theres little braking here and no room for error, as a small mistake at any stage can have a big effect on overall lap time. The drivers need a well-balanced car with good change of direction capabilities through this section.
6. EngInE
Were looking for non-peaky power delivery here to facilitate traction out of the low-speed corners and provide good all round driveability. The engine needs to be mapped in such a way as to deliver sharp bursts of power rather than sustained application of throttle. Ambient temperatures are particularly high in Budapest, so the engine must perform efficiently through the lower rev range while offering efficient cooling solutions.
Turn 13
The second slowest corner on the circuit, turn thirteen is a tight left hander taken at around 100km/h before launching the car into the final turn
Turn 14
A good exit from the third gear turn fourteen is crucial, as it leads on to the circuitsonly straight and subsequently into turn one; the best overtaking opportunity around the lap.
10
Team Spotlight
we all get to see our families and have a rest, which is really important when you look at the shifts our guys put in over the course of a race weekend
thing that keeps us motivated it can also be quite draining! This year has been particularly busy with the success the team has had so far and the rate of development needed to maintain that level of performance. With positive results, the workload is actually raised and remains constant with no real drop off as we aim to push the car even further up the grid. Hopefully well have a chance to take advantage of the late summer were having this year and come back with a fresh determination. Once Enstone lights up again to welcome the five hundred odd members of the family back to base, theres still plenty to look forward to before the cars even turn a wheel. The race crew for example will be heading off to the Isle of Wight for a day; sailing around the coast on a treasure hunt as part of a team building programme. Of course, eventually its back to the grindstone for everyone. With a week to prepare for the Belgian Grand Prix, rebuilds on Kimi and Romains rides wont begin until the Wednesday after the break, giving the crew time to brush off the cobwebs and get back into the regular routine with pit stop practices and the like before the rollercoaster ride springs back into action in Spa. So; once the chequered flag drops in Budapest it will be eleven races down, nine left to go. There may be a time to relax coming up, but will the team be switching off their dedication and determination to reach the top? Not a chance
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Inside Line
Lotus F1 Team made its hungarian grand Prix debut in 1986 under the Benetton name, with Italian Teo Fabi and Austrian gerhard Berger at the wheel.
ENSTO NE
In its various guises the team has achieved two hungarian grand Prix victories to date; the first in 1994 (michael Schumacher, Benetton) and the most recent in 2003 (Fernando Alonso, renault). Including the two victories, the team has taken eight hungarian grand Prix podiums; the first in 1988 (Thierry Boutsen, Benetton) and the most recent in 2004 (Fernando Alonso, renault). The team has also claimed a total of three pole positions for the hungarian grand Prix; the first in 1994 (michael Schumacher, Benetton) and the most recent in 2009 (Fernando Alonso, renault). under its various banners, the team has set one fastest lap during hungarian grands Prix; michael Schumacher setting the best time as part of a dominant treble (win / pole / fastest lap) in 1994. Kimi has a good record at the hungarian grand Prix, having claimed one win (2005), five podiums (2003 / 2005 / 2007 / 2008 / 2009), one pole position (2006) and three fastest laps (2005 / 2007 / 2008) in his nine participations. romain will be making his hungarian grand Prix debut, but the hungaroring circuit is one he knows well, having taken a win and a third place in the 2011 gP2 Series here, also setting the fastest lap in the second race.
ou r hI STorY :
SToP! carry on
Last week at Enstone, one of the team was mysteriously called into an emergency meeting just as pit-stop practice was about to begin. we needed a hero, or should we say a heroine enter cnn presenter Amanda davies! over the course of the afternoon, Amanda donned the black and gold uniform and got stuck in for a crash course in Formula 1 tyre changing technique; taking the role of wheel man (or should we say wheel woman!) alongside the teams regular pit-stop pros. After a few trial runs, the challenge was to get as close as possible to the times set by the crew during a regular stop. click here to check out video footage from the day and see how Amanda got on
nEwS
London calling
Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Lotus F1 Team third driver Jrme DAmbrosio arrived in Mayfair for a night of celebrity and style courtesy of classic English tailor and Official Partner Lutwyche. Customers of the boutique store are well attuned to the customary charm, cheek and character dished out by Tony Lutwyche and his team, but this particular evening saw service of a different variety as Jrme dropped in for a made to measure Q&A session with Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham and invited guests. Dressed in a specially designed Lotus F1 Team suit, Jrme candidly took time to answer some probing yet in-jest questions from Natalie. Amongst other guests, English rugby star Tom Voyce was present at the event part of a twenty strong audience including sports personalities, customers and associates. To complement the event, the winners trophy from the 2006 British Grand Prix as clinched by former team driver Fernando Alonso featured in the Lutwyche store window for the evening, drawing in passers-by as part of a collection of team memorabilia including Kimi Rikknens race suit amongst other unique items. Since joining the team as an Official Partner in January this year, Lutwyche has fitted Kimi Rikknen, Romain Grosjean, Jrme DAmbrosio and members of senior management with their own tailored suits. Surely there are a few scraps left over to fashion an outfit for our resident Press Officer? No? Oh well, it was worth a try
h ungArIAn
In numBErS
BudAPEST
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Highest g-force experienced for 2.6 seconds at T11 % of the lap spent braking Total straight per lap (%) % of lap on full throttle Number of gear changes per lap Lowest apex speed (kmh) Highest apex speed (kmh) at T10 Top speed (kmh) Distance in metres from start line to first corner Longest full throttle burst (metres) on the start/finish straight 15
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cirebox
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Lotus F1 Team Whiteways Technical Centre Enstone Oxfordshire OX7 4EE, UK Telephone +44 (0) 1608 678 000 Facsimile +44 (0) 1608 678 609 Email pressoffice@lotusf1team.com Stephane Samson Head of Team Marketing and Communications stephane.samson@lotusf1team.com clarisse hoffmann Senior Press Officer +44 (0) 7747 468 273 clarisse.hoffmann@lotusf1team.com Andy Stobart Press Officer +44 (0) 7703 366 151 andy.stobart@lotusf1team.com Ben cowley Press Officer / Social Media Coordinator +44 (0) 7795 121 094 ben.cowley@lotusf1team.com nicolas Faure Digital Media Manager nicolas.faure@lotusf1team.com website www.lotusf1team.com Social network
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