Germany 2011 – GP Preview – Team Lotus Renault

Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: "Looking at the track, the Nurburgring is one of the typical modern F1 circuits, among the first of the modern era to introduce big run-off areas and, much like Spa, a track that is subject to huge variations in the weather conditions. It can be blisteringly hot, especially in July, but you can also have local showers building up with almost no notice so the weather always plays a big part over the whole weekend. When the track was constructed they attempted to make it a small version of the legendary Nordschleife, and while it has elevation changes and a couple of quick corners it obviously can’t replicate the fearsome challenge of the old track next door.”

"Having said that I think it will be a good race. Overtaking has not been too easy there over the years but we have already seen this season that DRS and the behaviour of the tyres has meant overtaking is now possible at a number of tracks where traditionally passing was only really possible in the pits. Pirelli are bringing a medium and a soft tyre as the choices in Germany, so the performance differential between the two compounds won’t be as pronounced as it was at Silverstone, but I think we will still have an interesting race right across the grid as degradation levels will need to be managed as the grip levels improve throughout the weekend."

Heikki Kovalainen - car 20, chassis T128-01: "Before the race weekend starts we’re doing some filming with Renault Sport F1 around the original Nordschleife. I’ve driven there a couple of times and it really is one of the best driving experiences in the world. It obviously has a huge amount of history and is rightly considered one of the greatest single laps in motor racing. Driving a modern F1 car around there would obviously be incredible but I don’t think it’s particularly likely… it doesn’t have the run-off areas that we need from a safety perspective and the track surface is pretty bumpy, so even though we’re not in something as quick as my current car I’m really looking forward to the afternoon we have working there.”

"From the old to the new. This is our first visit to the Nurburgring as Team Lotus as we were are Hockenheim last year, so I’m looking forward to taking the green and yellow to the new Nurburgring which, while it’s not the same as where we will have been filming, it still has a good mix of elevation changes and high and low speed sections. Finding the right downforce level takes a bit of work as you don’t want to compromise your speed on the straights, particularly from T11 to T13, but you also need to have as much grip as possible through the tight sections, especially into T1 and the chicane at T13 at the end of the lap where there you have the best chances of overtaking other cars. The weather is also usually a pretty big factor at the Nurburgring.”

“It’s almost exactly like Spa in the way it can be hot and sunny one minute and then heavy rain the next, and I personally love racing in those sorts of changeable conditions. Going from a dry track to a wet one on the same lap is the what racing drivers should have to deal with as much as possible, so, while it’s not great for the spectators sitting in the stands, I hope we have exactly that sort of mixed up weather!"