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Junkie Jabber - The Latest Formula 1 News From F1 Junkie
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Tuesday, 14 April 2009 |
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WILLIAMS F1 CHINESE GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
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At a Glance
When Friday
April 17 to Sunday April 19, 2009
Where Shanghai
International Circuit, China
Round 3
of 17
Standings N
Rosberg 3.5 pts (7th), K Nakajima 0 (15th), AT&T Williams 3.5pts (5th)
China Hot Topics
Judgement day for the diffuser: Tuesday 14th at the ICA in Paris
Will Williams convert competitiveness into some decent points?
Will Brawn retain their dominance in Shanghai?
Race Data
Practice 1: 10:00 - 11:30
Friday
Practice 2: 14:00 -15:30
Practice 3: 11:00 - 12:00
Saturday
Qualifying: 14:00 - 15:00
Sunday Race:
15:00
Lap Distance 5.451km
Laps 56
Distance 305.066km/h
Shanghai International Circuit in a nutshell
A standard two-stop race, although Timo Glock proved last season
that a one-stop strategy can be converted into
a points finish. Long stints demand a great deal of finesse
because certain parts of the track, notably turn two
which doubles back on itself, place tremendous lateral loads on
the left-hand tyres. The race traditionally takes
place during the European autumn but unfamiliar weather might be
a factor this year because it has been brought
forward to April.
Talking Technical
Car dynamics
Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s
corners expressed in degrees. The higher the
average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit’s
configuration and the greater propensity for
understeer to compromise lap time. At Shanghai, the average turn
angle is 133.690,
against a season average of
1100 ,
ranking it as the circuit with the second
highest average turn
angle across the Championship. As a
consequence of the circuit’s physical layout, an understeering
car balance will have a high
punitive effect on lap
time.
The end of straight (EOS) speed at Shanghai was 306kp/h
in 2008. Shanghai ranks
as having the 7th fastest
EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the
wing level typically selected to optimise the
downforce/drag ratio. As the average speed around Shanghai is
the 13th fastest
of any of the tracks, a
compromise is required.
Pitlane & refuelling strategy
The pitlane length and profile (i.e. corners in the pitlane
entry) contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel
strategy. The pitlane loss at Shanghai is approximately 23
seconds, the 6th
most penalising pitlane
in the
Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around
the Shanghai circuit requires 2.55kg
of fuel
against an average of 2.42kg
per 5km across all
circuits this season, making the circuit the 4th
least demanding
track of the year in terms of fuel consumption.
Safety car
Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is
the likelihood of safety car deployments, which
are influenced by weather considerations, the availability of
clear run-off areas that allow racing to continue while
recovery takes place and the circuit profile, especially the
character of the entry and exit into turn one at the start
of the race. Since the race debuted on the calendar in 2004,
there have been 2 safety
car deployments in China,
both in 2005, making it statistically unlikely that the circuit’s
character will induce safety car periods. The first two
races of this season have already seen 3
safety car periods,
however, so anything is possible!
Temperature, pressure & humidity
It is a long observed tradition that drivers arriving at
Interlagos complain about a lack of grip and an absence of
engine power. Having become acquainted with a baseline of engine
and aerodynamic performance during the
season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the
final races can, courtesy of the reduction in air
density, rob a Formula One car of engine power, aerodynamic
performance and cooling. The losses can come
close to double digit percentages and thus have a very real
impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of
the prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most
significantly by season, air pressure which is closely linked
to altitude and, to a much smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if
races are run at the same time each year, the
factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density is
elevation. Like half the
races on the calendar,
Shanghai is close to sea level, just 10m
above, and has an average
pressure (1,014 mbar),
so engine power will
be good. A change for 2009 is that the race has been moved from
October to April. Ambient temperatures are
therefore expected to be cooler which will have an influence on
the tyres.
What the Drivers Say
Standing back from Sepang – Reflections from a rain-drenched
Malaysia
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Nico “We may not have finished where we would’ve like, but
it was another strong weekend for us. We
qualified well and then taking the lead at the start was great.
It was just a shame circumstances didn't go our
way as I was looking good for another podium.”
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Kazuki “Even though I qualified out of the top ten, I was
looking to make some progress through the field as I
was on a good strategy. Unfortunately, the rain completely
compromised that. Starting the race lower down the
grid, I was alongside a lot of the KERS car who are able to make
better starts so my aim is to improve my
qualifying position in China.”
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On the Shanghai track
Kazuki “Shanghai is definitely a challenging circuit, but at
least I’ve now had some experience of it so it’s not
new for me anymore. Last year, we struggled on tracks like
China, but now our car is looking quite strong. It’s
well balanced in the high and low speed corners so I’m hoping
we’ll go much better there this year and I can
score my first points of the season.”
Nico “Shanghai’s a driver’s track. There’s a great mix
of corners and then there are those two long straights
so plenty of overtaking opportunities around the lap which will
be good for the racing. Sepang showed that the
team seem to have fixed the problem we had last year on these
types of circuits so it’s now looking like we have
consistency. I’m confident that we’ll have another
competitive weekend in China. Top eight for sure.”
On China
Nico “I enjoy visiting Shanghai. Experiencing a different
culture is always very interesting and there are some
great places to go, like the malls for shopping or the
restaurants and bars in the evenings. The fans are also very
enthusiastic which is nice!”
Kazuki “Like Nico, I like this part of the world and for me it’s
close to home so I get to enjoy something similar
to my own culture for a little longer.”
On the break between Sepang and Shanghai
Kazuki “First I have a PR day at Suzuka for Toyota. I love
Suzuka. It’s such an iconic track so to go back is
special for me. I won’t get to drive it though. If I want to
go round it, it will have to be on foot! I haven’t been home
for four months now so I’m then going to my parents’ to
spend a week with my family before flying to China.”
Nico “I went to Bali last year and loved it so I’m heading
back there with my girlfriend and trainer. I’m lucky in
that this job allows me to do things like that. I’ll obviously
be keeping up my training, but we will be spending time
in the mountains so it’ll be a cultural trip too. My camera
will be making the trip and I hope to add to my portfolio
with some shots of the locals, the rice fields and the great
views! Among other things, I will be mountain-biking
near the top of one of the volcanoes which will be cool!”
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The historical perspective from China – Nico Rosberg becomes
the first F1 driver to drive in China
“An interesting side note ahead of next weekend’s Chinese
Grand Prix in Shanghai is that in 2006 I became the
first person ever to drive a Formula One car through the centre
of a Chinese city. The streets were closed off in
the Pearl River Newtown area of the city and I was able to do
some pretty impressive speeds in my FW28 race
car……Read the full story at www.attwilliams.com
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 14 April 2009 )
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Thursday, 02 April 2009 |
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2008 World Champion Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified
from the Australian GP.
Hamilton, who finished the race in fourth place and had been awarded third
place based on an incident involving the third place finisher, Yarno Trulli.
Trulli was penalized 25 seconds for passing Hamilton during the safety car
period, thus dropping Trulli from 3rd to 12th place. As it turns out, the
stewards penalized Trulli, who claimed he thought Hamilton had slowed down due
to a mechanical problem, thus making the pass legally. This was
contradicted by McLaren who told the Stewards that they did not intentionally
let Jarno pass them. It has come out that McLaren team radio clearly tells
Hamilton to let Trulli pass. Due to this new information, Mclaren and Hamilton
have been dq'd from the race.
Here is the official statement from McLaren Mercedes about the Hamilton
Aussie GP Situation:
"The FIA Stewards have reviewed their decision of Sunday 29th March 2009, and have excluded Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton from the results of the 2009 Australian Grand Prix.
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes understands that the Stewards made their decision on the basis of reviewing radio transmissions between the driver and the Team.
The Team mistakenly believed that the radio transmissions had been reviewed by the FIA on Sunday 29th March 2009, and consequently did not believe it was necessary to discuss them with the Stewards on that date.
Nonetheless, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team now regrets that it did not do so, accepts the Stewards' decision and will not appeal."
In my humble opinion, It appears tthat McLaren always gets the short end of
the stick. I also don't understand why the STEWARDS rely on driver
interviews when the VIDEO of the event clearly shows what JARNO TRULLI did was
not illegal. F1 needs to have internal discussion and investigations prior
to going public on anything. This entire situation was avoidable. I
am happy for Jarno, he deserves third.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 03 April 2009 )
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Thursday, 02 April 2009 |
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MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Erratum :
It was incorrectly stated in the team’s Australian GP Review (30 03 2009)
that Nico Rosberg “… crossed
the line in P6. He was later promoted to P5.”
This should of course read that Nico finished in P7
and was later promoted to P6 .
At a Glance
When Friday
April 3 to Sunday April 5, 2009
Where Sepang
Circuit, Kula Lumpur, Malaysia
Round 2
of 17
Standings N
Rosberg 3 pts (6th), K Nakajima -, AT&T Williams 3pts (5th)
Malaysia Hot Topics
Will the Melbourne form guide translate to Malaysia?
Will the step between the tyre options be so profound?
Will the late session times in Sepang mean track action in the
rain?
Race Data
Practice 1: 10:00 - 11:30
Friday
Practice 2: 14:00 – 15:30
Practice 3: 14:00 - 15:00
Saturday
Qualifying: 17:00 – 18:00
Sunday Race:
17:00
Lap Distance 5.543km
Laps 56
Distance 310.408km/h
Sepang circuit in a nutshell
At many Grands Prix, drivers who qualify towards the front
favour two-stop strategies – a lighter fuel load equates
to speed, rather than stealth – while some farther back gamble
on a single pit stop, in the hope that circumstance
might shuffle them into the reckoning. In the gruelling heat of
Malaysia, significant tyre wear might dissuade
anybody from taking such a gamble. The track often remains
slippery, too, because fierce overnight storms wash
away rubber laid down the previous day. Note that this year’s
race is scheduled for late afternoon, when tropical
rain is a possibility…
Talking Technical
Car dynamics
Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s
corners expressed in degrees. The higher the
average turn angle, the more acute corners in the circuit
configuration and hence the greater propensity for
understeer to compromise lap time. At Sepang, the average turn
angle is 1390,
against a season average of
1100 ,
ranking as the circuit with the highest
average turn angle across
the Championship. As a consequence of
the circuit’s physical layout, an understeering car balance
will have a high punitive
effect on lap time.
The end of straight (EOS) speed at Sepang was 301kp/h
in 2008. Sepang ranks as
the 12th fastest
EOS speed
in the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing
level typically selected to optimise the downforce/drag
ratio.
Pitlane & refuelling strategy
The pitlane length and profile (i.e. corners in the pitlane
entry) contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel
strategy. The pitlane loss at Sepang is approximately 22
seconds, the 5th
most penalising pitlane
in the
Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around
the Sepang circuit requires 2.38kg
of fuel
against an average of 2.42kg
per 5km across all
circuits this season, making the circuit the 5th
least demanding
track of the year in terms of fuel consumption.
Safety car
Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is
the likelihood of safety car deployments, which
are influenced by weather considerations, the availability of
clear run-off areas that allow racing to continue while
recovery takes place and the circuit profile, especially the
character of the entry and exit into turn one at the start
of the race. Since 2002, there have been no
safety car deployments in
Sepang, making it statistically unlikely that
the circuit character, based on historic data, will induce
safety car periods.
Temperature, pressure & humidity
It is a long observed tradition that drivers arriving at
Interlagos complain about a lack of grip and an absence of
engine power. Having become acquainted with a baseline of engine
and aerodynamic performance during the
season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the
final races can, courtesy of the reduction in air
density, rob a Formula One car of engine power, aerodynamic
performance and cooling. The losses can come
close to double digit percentages and thus have a very real
impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of
the prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most
significantly by season, air pressure which is closely linked
to altitude and, to a much smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if
races are run at the same time each year, the
factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density is
elevation. Sepang is 4 0m above
sea level and has
an average pressure (1004.41 mbar) when compared to other races
venue in the 2009 Championship. As a
consequence, the circuit’s ambient characteristics will be average
for engine performance
across all tracks
visited during the season.
What the Drivers Say
On Sepang circuit
Kazuki “For me, Sepang is one of the most exciting tracks we
visit during the year. That doesn’t mean it is an
easy track, far from it, as it has some complex and technical
corner sequences and some that demand special
attention such as turns 11 and 14 where your braking and turn-in
sequence is different to say the least.”
Nico “Just like Kazuki, I really like the Sepang circuit, it
is fast and flowing and has a nice variation of corners
that makes it really exciting to drive.”
On Malaysia (the climate, the people, the food..)
Kazuki “Well, Malaysia is closer to my home country than many
of the places we visit, so I find it more familiar
in terms of the culture, the food etc. I raced at Sepang in
Japanese GT, so I am also a bit better acquainted with
the place, but of course the heat and the humidity are quite
exceptional.”
Nico “The climate makes the racing very demanding for driver
and machine. The heat and humidity means
that it is physically exhausting and this is one track where the
fitness training over the winter really pays off. I
love the country, there is a nice warmth about the people too
and like almost everywhere in Asia, I like the food,
so it is a good place to visit every year.”
Standing back from Albert Park – Reflections of the first race
Nico “Of course we would have liked to have achieved more in
Melbourne, but three solid points was a good
start. More encouraging was our pace as we were right there with
the quickest, which makes me hopeful for a
good season.”
Kazuki “I was running as high as P4 and this would have
improved to P3 when Rubens pitted, so I can’t deny
the sense of disappointment in how the race turned out, but I
have shut this out of my mind already and I am
only taking the positives of the potential we showed with me to
Malaysia.”
On the late start times for the first two races
Kazuki “It was difficult with the low sunlight in Australia,
especially as the light flickered and changed under the
tree cover. We won’t have this type of shadow at Sepang, but
there is a different issue which is the possibility of
reduced light conditions mixed with the likelihood of rain, so
for sure these late race start times will have a
bearing on my approach to qualifying and the race.”
Nico “In Melbourne I found this a big concern as towards the
end of the race the visibility was very poor,
which increased the danger in my view as it was more likely that
you could make a mistake. I’d rather the race
changed back to its original start time or became a proper night
race - that would improve matters a lot. ”
Sam Michael’s Sepang Jottings
The historical perspective from Patrick Head – Sepang 2002
“AT&T Williams has good memories of racing in Malaysia
because we’ve achieved some good results at Sepang.
Our best race at the track was in 2002, when we finished first
and second with Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo
Montoya, and I have to say that our success was predominantly
down to a good tyre from Michelin. It certainly
suited the circuit, but the drivers both did good jobs as well..”….. Read
the full story at www.attwilliams.com
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