Germany 2019 - GP preview - Renault F1

Cyril Abiteboul, Team Principal, Renault F1 Team

We can be reasonably satisfied to have put both cars into the points in Silverstone after yet another difficult Austrian Grand Prix, an event that has not suited us year on year. We showed some good form throughout the weekend in Britain, with Daniel and Nico in Q3 and ultimately an unpredictable race in which we could have and should have scored even more points.

On the whole, we showed our potential at a track which has, under recent regulations, become a real temple for engine power. However, we recognise there are still areas where we need to improve and we are concentrating on these weaker points. Hockenheim and the Hungaroring should suit our package better although the extreme temperatures we expect to encounter may present challenges for the engine or tyres – a little like in Austria – however we will do our best to achieve the best results possible.

Nick Chester

After a frenetic Silverstone Sunday where both cars finished in the points, focus turns to Hockenheim for the German Grand Prix as Chassis Technical Director Nick Chester explains what we can expect at the legendary raceway.

What are the main challenges of Hockenheim?

Hockenheim has quite a mix of corners. Turn 1 is very fast and then there’s a bit of slow speed especially at Turns 2, 6 and a chicane round the back of the circuit. There are also some straights so you also have the drag-downforce balance to bear in mind. Overall, you need a car to work right across the speed range there.

It’s often really hot at this time of year in central Europe as we experienced in France and Austria. If you have balance problems, heat makes it worse as you lose grip, see an increase in sliding and then it’s a vicious cycle. The tyre range is the same as Paul Ricard and Austria. We’ll be aiming to get the car well balanced and, given how we went in Silverstone, we’ll be targeting a similar outing.

How did the team regain its competitiveness in Great Britain?

We had a pretty good balance on the car in Silverstone. The drivers were happy, and we could run a fairly light wing level. The car was good in low-speed, which we know it often is. Hockenheim does have a number of lower speed corners. Silverstone has a bit of medium to high-speed and we found our usual problems there, which we’re working on to find improvements. We had good race pace and our race balance was strong in Silverstone.

Nico Hülkenberg

It’s home Grand Prix time for Nico Hülkenberg at Hockenheim and he explains why it’s so special racing in front of the German fans and his targets for the race weekend.

What’s it like racing at home?

It’s very special racing in your home country. It’s always motivating to do well in front of your home fans as you know they are cheering for you and wanting you to have a strong result. We had a really good race in Germany last year, so we’ll be targeting the same again this season, not only for the fans, but also for the team as well.

Is Hockenheim a circuit you like?

It’s a really fun circuit to drive, especially in a modern Formula 1 car with all the downforce. Some of the corners are very quick nowadays especially Turn 1. Turn 2 is very important as you need a high minimum speed to open up some momentum for the on-going curve to the hairpin. That’s the best overtaking spot during the race. You need good traction out of the hairpin for the middle part of sector two. The final sector is quite cool with grandstands on all sides and the atmosphere is always loud there. It’s the most technical part of the lap as it’s quite narrow and a great vantage spot for fans.

How do you look back at Great Britain?

It was a decent team result with both Daniel and I in the points. However, we always strive for better and for more and maybe we left something on the table. It was a difficult race on my side with a number of things going on, so to still finish tenth was strong. We found some improvements there, which we need to build on heading into this back-to-back fortnight with Germany and Hungary.

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo secured strong points in Silverstone as he looks ahead to Hockenheim with another solid outing on his mind.

What’s there to say about the German Grand Prix?

Hockenheim is a fun circuit and I’ve always loved racing there throughout my career. Turn 1 is super-fast and there are some cool corner combinations to dig into especially in sector three in the stadium. There are some good overtaking spots too especially at the hairpin after the burst of full throttle. It’s a cool track and one I’ve always seemed to go well at. The German crowd is always electric too, they are very loud and passionate for motorsport. I also like schnitzels, so we have some of them to look forward to!

How pleased were you to pick up points last time out?

Firstly, it was very good for the team to make a strong recovery after a couple of rounds which fell below our expectations. We knew we could have had slightly more but we were unlucky with the timing of the Safety Car. Overall it was an encouraging result but we want to build some momentum for Germany and then again for Hungary before we break for the summer. It’s an important time as we know how closely fought the midfield is and we have to score regularly not only to keep tabs with our rivals but also to do better than them.

What did you do on the weekend off?

It was our first weekend off for a little while as we had France, Austria, Goodwood and Silverstone all across the last four weeks. We did a bit of training, kept it quiet and routine with all our focus on this next race. We have a few things to assess for Germany but the team is working really hard to prepare and put ourselves in the best possible position.