Belgium 2018 - GP Preview - Renault F1

Cyril Abiteboul

It’s good to get back to track action after a well-needed rest for many during the summer shutdown. The break provided us with the opportunity to recharge the batteries, reflect on the first part of the season, and prepare for the many challenges ahead of us until Abu Dhabi, in order to defend our current position in the Constructors’ Championship and allow Nico and Carlos to strengthen their places in the standings.

Most of our resources are now focused in preparing for 2019, which is another important step in the team’s progress. Before that, we have to keep bringing developments to this year’s package to find gains wherever possible. We are pushing on with aero developments, and will bring some concepts at upcoming races onto the R.S.18 that are ultimately destined for next year’s car. We’ve been offensive and decisive in the driver market and now we have to do the same on both chassis and engine development.

Spa-Francorchamps is a challenging circuit, as is Monza where we’ll heading right after, meaning we’ll have a realistic approach given our competitiveness on these types of tracks. But we must be ready to seize any opportunity which might arise from the many unforeseen challenges we have seen in the past in the history of this legendary Grand Prix.

Nick Chester

With the summer shutdown drawing to a close, the team have their game faces back on with Spa-Francorchamps next up on the calendar. Chassis Technical Director Nick Chester explains the challenges of the legendary race circuit located deep in the Ardennes.

What are the main characteristics of Spa-Francorchamps?

Spa is a very interesting race track. It’s power sensitive, especially nowadays with corners like Eau Rouge and Pouhon taken flat or close to flat out. Spa has always been a power sensitive track, but that has been increased in recent years, with around 20 seconds of full throttle between La Source and Les Combes. The weather can play a huge role too and you can have anything from being hot and dry to heavy rain. There are good overtaking opportunities into Les Combes after the Kemmel Straight if you get a good drag up the hill and also into the bus-stop chicane.

How tricky is it to strike the right balance between straight-line speed and downforce in the corners around Spa?

It can be a tricky place to set-up for as you want to take drag off the car because the straights are long, but you have an area where you need quite a bit of downforce from the top of the hill heading down. Setting the wing level is a difficult choice as you push towards the medium downforce settings and we’ll be looking at the scans to pick the right rear wing. We want to be quick enough on the straight and still have downforce on the car. You’re trying to set the car up for the best lap time, while also competing against other cars who are quicker on the straight and therefore have to take more wing off than you like. We’ll be weighing all that up to get a decent starting set-up and then also see what everyone else is doing.

Are we hoping for some surprises with the weather?

We don’t usually go to a track hoping it’ll be wet, but we know from Hungary the car works well when it rains. We won’t be worried if it does rain. Nico and Carlos are good in those conditions and our car works well in the wet, so it wouldn’t be a problem.

How’s the team feeling ahead of the next phase of the season?

We’re feeling refreshed after the summer break. Everyone has had a pretty tough first-half of the year, so they feel miles better after the shutdown. We’re in a super tight battle in the midfield. We have to put more performance on the car to have a good fight until the end of the year, but our target is to retain fourth place. We’re being pushed quite hard and we have a lot of work to do. We can do it, we have a 16-point gap, but one good race can wipe that out, as we saw in Austria.

What’s required to stay on top in the midfield fight?

We have two good drivers, we operate well and, while our car pace isn’t quite where we want it at the moment, we’re working hard to improve that. The goal is to out-qualify our rivals as that makes things easier, but if we don’t, and if we’re close, we tend to race well. The objective is to find raw car pace but, as long as we’re close, we’re confident we can out-race our rivals.

What’s in the upgrade cupboard to be unleashed in Spa?

We have a new floor for Spa and some other bodywork parts to go with that, which should be helpful.

Nico Hülkenberg

Nico Hülkenberg is feeling refreshed, recharged and determined after the summer break, as he targets a bright outing at Spa-Francorchamps, to kick off the next part of the season.

What do you like about Spa-Francorchamps?

Spa is up there as one of my favourite tracks in Formula 1 and one I always seem to go well at. The track is located within some nice natural scenery in the middle of the forest, which can throw up some surprises, especially with the weather. Spa is notorious for its elevation changes and fast, sweeping corners. Driving at Spa is special, especially in a modern Formula 1 car, as it sticks to these flat-out corners at high-speed, it’s so unique and gives you a thrill. Eau Rouge is of course the corner that everyone talks about, but Pouhon and Blanchimont are also exciting and taken at very high-speed. Spa is really suited to my style of driving.

What’s it like to wrestle a Formula 1 car around the 7km circuit?

It’s the longest lap on the calendar with lots of corner combinations to tackle. Striking car balance can be difficult as you need high-downforce for some of the corners in the mid-section, while also shaving downforce to get the top-speed on the straights. It’s very important to get that right. You have to be on top in every corner around Spa, and string the sectors together. The middle part of the lap flows well, it’s quite busy, but it makes or breaks a lap-time. We’ll see what the weather will bring. It can be strange in Spa, one part of the circuit might be dry, while on another it could be torrential rain. Anything can happen and we’ll ensure to be in a position to capitalise on these chances.

What did The Hulk get up to over the summer break?

It was nice to kick back a bit and relax. June and July were very busy with a lot of races and hard work, so it was nice to have a short break to recover some energy. I restored some balance and harmony in the sun and kept to a good workout routine. I’m ready.

How are you feeling ahead of the second-half of the season?

We know we have to get back to it and set the tone straight away if we are to stay ahead of our midfield rivals. We’re well aware we have a battle on our hands, but I know the team are motivated to keep developing the car to find performance. They can be sure that I’ll be putting the effort in behind the wheel to deliver the results, there’s a lot of hard work ahead of us, beginning in Belgium.

Carlos Sainz

After a chilled summer break, Carlos Sainz is eager to get back behind the wheel of the Renault R.S.18, as he looks forward to taking on the legendary Spa-Francorchamps.

What’s there to say about Spa-Francorchamps?

Spa is very enjoyable as it has everything: fast corners, long straights, overtaking opportunities, elevation changes and random weather! I like racing in Spa, it’s one of the special Grands Prix in Formula 1, and one all drivers look forward to racing. I enjoy sector two, as it’s quite busy and has a nice flow to it. It’s tough to find that perfect car balance between setting up for the flowing corners, which require high downforce, while being careful not to take off too much straight-line speed, which you need for the Kemmel Straight and before the bus-stop chicane.

Do you have a favourite corner there?

Of course Eau Rouge is the most famous corner at Spa, but I quite like Pouhon, the long left-hander in the middle sector. It’s quite a difficult corner to get right, as you head down the hill and pray for grip with the car taking the corner at over 260kph in seventh gear. You get such a buzz through there!

What did you do over the summer break?

It’s been an intense summer due to the movements in the driver market. However, I spent my summer break with my family and friends and had a good chance to rest and pick up some energy before this second part of the season. Training and nutrition were still present during the break, but I did have a couple of extra ice creams!

What’s the plan of action for the rest of the season?

There are still a lot of races to go this year and I’m determined to leave Renault having driven the R.S.18 at its very best. While it’s nice to have a little break, I’m a driver and I love to race, so the sooner I get in the car, the happier I will be! We have a lot of hard work to come throughout this next phase of the season. Staying fourth in the championship will not be easy, but we’re up for the challenge, and I’ll be giving it my all to deliver the results on track. It’s good that I’ll still have the link to Renault next season, but my focus is definitely on the races this year.