![]() Having a delay in engine response or an overshoot in torque delivery will only confirm this trend, thus increasing tyre wear as the car tries to slide to one side and subject the tyres to lateral g-force. Halfway through Turn 1, drivers start to accelerate into Turn 2 and Turn 3 (also known as Renault) but as the circuit starts to climb a car will have a tendency towards ‘snappy’ oversteer. The car and engine are therefore subject to heavy braking loads as the driver scrubs off 50% of that speed to take the first corner at approximately 140kph. The first corner comes at the end of the 1km pit straight on which speeds will peak at well over 300kph. In addition to monitoring the fluid systems, we also need to deliver a smooth torque curve to give controlled power to counter the high g. The first corner is quite representative of this as the driver accelerates as the track goes uphill. The undulating nature of the track also puts the engine internals under pressure so every element of the engine gets a full workout here. Setting up the right top gear in these conditions is then quite a big challenge! We don’t think it will be a major problem for us as cooling efficiency is a key element in our package, but it does need to be carefully monitored. While a double KERS release in the race is useful to overtake, it puts a lot of stress on the KERS cooling system. This length gives the opportunity for a fully charged KERS to be deployed twice as the KERS energy counter resets on the start/finish line. The longest period of full throttle is of course the pit straight. ![]() There are a variety of low and medium speed corners that push the RS27 on the lower rev ranges, particularly in sector three, but 55% of the track is also taken at full throttle. In fact it is currently used in part for our engine sign off process. Remi Taffin, Renaultsport F1: The 4.655km long Circuit de Catalunya is a medium downforce, medium engine demand track used extensively in testing as it has a very good ‘average’ of characteristics of other circuits on the calendar. Only around 60% of the lap is spent at full throttle, but the 1.047km main straight requires good peak power, while the circuit’s unique flow of corners demands good driveability from the engine and a responsive gearbox. In the braking area for turn 10, the tyres also have to cope with a deceleration of 5.09G.Īs a general rule, the Catalan circuit is not too demanding on engines but units are still put through a decent workout over the course of the lap. Turn three is the most demanding corner of the entire lap, with a lateral force of 3.9G going through the tyres for a prolonged period of time. Coupled with the high ambient temperatures expected over the race weekend, this only adds to the amount of tyre wear. However, the rear tyres also have to withstand plenty of stress in order to provide the combined traction that is needed coming out of the slower corners in the final sector of the lap. The asphalt in Barcelona is also quite abrasive. The 4.655-kilometre track contains 16 corners, mostly right-handers, putting the emphasis on the front-left tyre in particular, which does most of the work. The leading edges of the combination kerbs on the apices of turns 13, 14 and 15 have been chamfered to remove a step.įor the first time this year, Pirelli has nominated the combination of P Zero Silver hard tyres and P Zero Yellow soft tyres, at the Circuit de Catalunya that will host the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend. The drivers fight oversteer all the way through it and every time they lift off the throttle, even for a moment, it’s reflected in their lap time. ![]() The most demanding corner on the lap is Turn 3, a long uphill right-hander that is taken almost flat-out. The Montmelo circuit is well known to teams thanks to it place on the pre-season testing schedule its long corners are a good test of car stability and aerodynamic performance, and the handful of slow corners towards the end of the lap put an onus on maximising traction.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |