Great-Britain 2016 - GP Preview - Renault F1

Cyril Abiteboul, managing director

We come to the British Grand Prix after a fantastic weekend of success. The double race wins for Nico Prost were spectacular in themselves, and secured the FIA Formula E title for Renault e.dams in style. Sébastian Buemi had a tougher time to take the Formula E drivers’ crown, but showed grit, determination and sheer speed to win. These wins came thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in Renault e.dams and it is a showcase of what is possible from Renault Sport Racing.

Renault Sport Formula One Team is still at a very early stage in its development, but we aim to emulate the success seen in Battersea Park in Formula E in the new few years. Our results at Grands Prix are currently not headline-worthy, but behind the scenes we are making good progress.

Our power unit operation at Viry has been better able to translate the hard work put in over the past years thanks to the strategic changes. It’s already paying dividends, with Red Bull’s second place at the power sensitive Spielberg track demonstrating, yet again, the steps forward taken so far and the potential for the future.

My focus is now more on making further alignment between Viry and Enstone as well as driving improvements and enhancements to the Enstone operation, which means I will be spending more time in the United Kingdom. What better way to start that than with the always popular British Grand Prix.

Fred Vasseur

Heading from Enstone to Silverstone is just a 45 minute drive so Fred Vasseur is hoping to be able to enjoy some home cheer at the British Grand Prix.

What’s the outlook for the British Grand Prix?

In terms of the team it’s a circuit we all know very well. The layout should suit our car better than the street courses which caused us so much trouble earlier in the year, especially after we were able to make solid progress over the weekend in Austria.

What will you be looking at for a good result?

Both our drivers were happier with the way their cars were working for them last time out which is a good sign. We were able to see that over the weekend they were able to deliver very similar performances in the sessions and the race. We should have achieved a better result were it not for the unknown factor of the safety car’s appearance which was exactly what our strategy didn’t need at that time! For Silverstone if we can make good progress over the sessions then a little bit of chance going our way in the race we could be quite well placed to deliver.

What’s the importance of your new job title?

Personally, it doesn’t affect how I approach the work at hand, however I have been given the title of Team Principal of Renault Sport Formula One Team to clarify and strengthen my role. It simply means that I am the one responsible for the performance and results of the team. I continue attending all races in this role and I will have a greater role in the day to day management of the activities in Viry-Chatillon to ensure everything that side of the equation is working as it should.

Kevin Magnussen

Given the amount of times he’s driven at Silverstone, Kevin Magnussen regards the British Grand Prix as taking place almost at home…

What do you think of Silverstone and the British Grand Prix?

It’s one I look forward to. There’s a great atmosphere with all the fans who are always so enthusiastic for the race and you feel all the excitement when you drive in each morning. Unfortunately, there’s no Danish Grand Prix so I do look on this one as being almost a home Grand Prix for me. So many Formula 1 teams are based within an hour of Silverstone that many other teams and drivers look on it in a similar way so this does give it a special feeling.

What is it about the circuit?

The high speed corners are great, particularly Maggots and Becketts and you really feel like you’re driving a Formula 1 car the way it’s meant to be driven. It has a great flow to it and there’s usually a full crowd cheering you on. There are good opportunities to overtake and you never know what surprise the British weather might produce.

What are your best Silverstone memories?

I’ve raced there many times but in particular I had pole, fastest lap and the race win in British Formula 3 in 2011 and then a podium and a win in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2012 so those are good memories. I scored points there in Formula 1 in 2014 so to repeat that this season would make me and the team happy.

What’s the approach to this race?

We always head to a race wanting the best result possible. Austria showed that the car isn’t as bad as it has looked in the last few street races where it’s no secret that we struggled. The safety car timing didn’t help us and I wasn’t able to push at the end of that race but in general I think we’re quite well placed looking to Silverstone.

Jolyon Palmer

Nevermind the various ball-based sports or political machinations rumbling on; Jolyon Palmer is a man on a mission for his first ever home Grand Prix.

How are you looking forward to Silverstone?

I can’t wait to race in front of my home crowd. I love the track and it’s always a special weekend at Silverstone. The crowd is huge and so passionate even if you’re not British but for a British driver it takes on an extra level.

What is it about the circuit for you?

It’s certainly the Formula 1 track that I know the best so I’m hoping that gives me an extra boost along with all the home fan support. There are lots of high speed corners which I really like to drive and a lap has a really good flow to it. I had my first race at Silverstone when I was fifteen so I know the place pretty well! I’ve been on the podium in every category I’ve raced in there and I’ve won there too. It’s certainly been a good track for me till now so I hope that continues. I’ve got great memories so far; I’m hoping to create the most memorable memory with a terrific drive into the points there in 2016!

You seem to be pretty focused for a home result?

I’m always focused for any result! It’s true I’m feeling more and more confident from the last few races. I’ve been improving myself but also getting the car more as I want it. If we can find just a little bit more from the car then we can get into Q2 and from there you’re nearer to points potential in the race.

It’s quite an intense schedule of back-to-back races; does this have any bearing on you?

Bring it on! I like the back to backs. I was frustrated to be just shy of the points in Austria so there’s an extra motivation as the target is very close. If the safety car had played out differently in Spielberg we could have been in the top ten, but nevertheless I was pleased with my performance, with how the car was feeling and how the team was working. We’re all moving in the right direction.

You and Kev were dicing a reasonable amount in Spielberg?

We’re both in the same car and we’re both pushing hard so it’s natural we will be fighting for the same piece of track. I got a great start off the line, but it’s a crowded circuit and naturally Kev fought back. We were battling at other times during the race and we did have a joke about it afterwards. We’re both here to race and do the best job possible for the team.

Any time to present Top Gear?

My Formula 1 activities keep me far too busy to consider that, however I wouldn’t mind having a go at the rallycross course…

Nick Chester

An incident-free Austrian race for our boys before coming ‘home’ to one of the best-known track on the calendar, Nick Chester previews the British Grand Prix.

It was a fairly uneventful weekend for us in Austria, what did we learn from it?

We worked extensively on securing a good baseline through our Friday set-up work which resulted in both drivers being happy with the balance for the rest of the weekend. Austria is a really smooth track and more ‘normal’ compared to the three street tracks we experienced recently so it was good to feel that we had our car back to a decent baseline. We were unlucky in both qualifying and the race; Kev had the pace to get into Q2 but we lost out due to the timing of Kvyat’s shunt, which was unfortunate. Then both drivers had a reasonable race come Sunday but we could have finished further up without the safety car. We were on a two-stopper and had already made our first pitstop when it was deployed.

Moving on to the British Grand Prix, how are we approaching Silverstone?

We have a few small updates for the Grand Prix as it’s back-to-back with Austria which doesn’t leave much time. However there is more coming for the test, where we actually have time to evaluate things properly. Silverstone is a track we know very well and we will be working towards having a nice stable car in the high-speed corners, avoiding too much understeer – which can be tricky at Silverstone – and catering for some of the bumpier areas of the circuit.

You mentioned testing, what do we have planned for our two days at Silverstone?

We have a variety of work planned, from a substantial programme on the aero package with new parts to be tested and confirming some of the work we have already done, to suspension work which will include new parts for both the front and rear suspension. It’s quite a busy programme.

We will have Jolyon Palmer and Sergey Sirotkin in the car for testing, what do we expect from Sergey?

Sergey has done a great job in GP2 so far and we expect him to do the same for us. He drove our car during free practice in Sochi of course, and we know he is a pretty sensible driver. There will be a good testing programme for him to get through while he is with us.

How is the 2017 programme coming along?

The majority of our work is now focused on 2017. We are at the stage where we are defining the chassis, looking at cooling and suspension layouts and developing bodywork in the wind tunnel. The programme has shifted heavily towards 2017 and we are working through it completely with our power unit colleagues as one team. There is a lot of work on packaging between both sites which is really interesting as there are a lot of opportunities on how we install the power unit in the chassis and how we get the best of both to make a good car.