Resta: A tailored approach to each race

For all the well known reasons, the Monaco Grand Prix is a unique event, usually described in far from unique clichés. But if you are a Formula 1 engineer, the idiosyncrasies of running a car on this street circuit mean this weekend is almost a hiatus on the calendar.

“The demands of this race are different to that of all the others,” confirms Scuderia Ferrari’s Deputy Chief Designer, Simone Resta.

“Therefore it stands apart from our overall development programme which sees a tailored approach to each race. For the races that follow Monaco, Canada, Austria, UK and so on, in Maranello we are currently working very hard to introduce a lot of updates to move forward on the F14 T’s performance level to close the gap to the quickest cars.”

In other words, the streets of the Principality are a one-off from a technical viewpoint.

“In Monaco, we need to do some specific set-up work related to vertical stiffness and the degree of roll of the car, so that the driver can get as much grip as possible despite the bumpy nature of the track,” continues Resta. “In order to give the cars as much mechanical grip as possible, Pirelli supplies the Soft and Supersoft tyres here and this choice also helps during the traction and braking phases. These softer compounds also warm up more easily, which is particularly useful in Qualifying.”

The F14 Ts that Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen will use this week are actually built up differently for Monaco.

“Particular attention is paid to the steering, specifically for the hairpin, the tightest and slowest corner on the whole F1 calendar and the suspension, which is uprated to deal with the fact that, here in Monaco, it is normal for the cars to touch the barriers,” reveals Resta. “The lack of long straights means that ensuring adequate cooling is very important, especially for the brakes and engine, while the gearbox is given a stern test as the drivers change gear more often here than in any other race.”

Whatever is done to the cars, it’s the drivers who make the real difference in Monaco. “It is important for the driver to grow in confidence over the course of the weekend, finding the limit corner by corner,” concludes Resta.

Kimi Raikkonen sums it up in his laconic fashion: “you can’t make any mistakes, because if you do, it’s usually the end of the story!”