Interview with Nicolas Prost, Lotus Development Driver

In terms of laps in the E22, Lotus F1 Team Reserve and Development Driver Nicolas Prost has done more than anyone, if you count those in the increasingly important world of the simulator.

What’s in store for you in 2014?

Most of the work with the team will be based around the simulator this year, which is really interesting and plays a big part in the development of the car, especially when there is so much new for this season. It’s actually very rewarding work, and very important for the car too. We have a very good working atmosphere in the simulator as we know each other well after working together for a long time. Hopefully we’ve done quite a lot of good homework in terms of getting the E22 on track, it has certainly been a big challenge.

What exactly happens during a simulator session?

You run exactly as you run on the track and the relationship with the Engineer is the same - you drive in exactly the same way as you do on track and do exactly the same things required during sessions or race distances. In this way it’s just replacing testing. We try to get the simulator as close as possible to reality so we can learn as much as we can about it. We’ve done a lot of work on the E22 and I’ve been driving it and working on it from a very early time, since March 2013 in fact.

What should all this hard work achieve?

Hopefully we saved some time on the development of the car and I think during the season it will now be quite intense as everyone will be on a very steep learning curve. We have to keep up the development, so the simulator will be even more important as the year progresses.

What are the big differences between this year’s car and the previous V8 powered cars?

This year’s car is heavier and the grip is a bit different from an aero point of view. Having no more blown diffusers makes quite a difference, and also the engine characteristics are very different with a big amount of torque, so you have to drive very smoothly and very cleanly to be fast. It’s a very different driving style, you have to push a bit less to control a bit more. We did a lot of work also on fuel saving in races, and it will be a big challenge for the drivers.

How satisfying is it to see the results of your hard work when the car rolls out on track?

It’s quite special as I’ve been in Enstone since 2010, so it’s my fifth year already! It’s quite nice as it feels like a family when you go there. It’s got a very good working atmosphere; everyone is motivated, everyone is a racer, and everyone wants to see the car racing competitively. I hope when we put this car on track it will be very fast, and it will show that all the hard work that everyone has put into the team from last year is turning into a reality. For me it is natural that when you watch the Grands Prix you’re happy to see the black and gold car up front.

Do you hope to get out on track in the real thing?

I don’t know and I don’t think anyone knows just yet. We are all waiting in terms of reliability and once we see how the car is it will tell us how much the race drivers can drive - for sure it would be nice at some point to get a run in the E22 to also see exactly how it is in comparison to the simulator. Last year I was lucky - I got to drive the simulator, and the next day I was testing in Silverstone during the rookie days, so we could do a lot of correlation work. It would be good to do the same this year, but it’s too early to tell at this point in terms of reliability and running.