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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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