SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone - Preview: 2004 British Grand Prix

Jean Todt has said that he is not interested in Max Moseley's job now the FIA President is retiring. Turning to the race on Sunday Ross Brawn's mischevious side came out when discussing his team's chances this weekend. “For the last few years it's been very pleasurable for me to go to Silverstone and try to beat the English teams on their own ground. It adds a little extra for me. Maybe not for the rest of Ferrari but being the Englishman, it's a little bit of extra spice to go back to Silverstone and try and win it." Brawn is aware that winning is getting tougher with every race and that the list of teams closing in on Ferrari is getting longer. "I think McLaren looked as though they were in better shape [in France]," said Brawn. "They certainly had a much better qualifying. It looks like they need to spend a bit more time with the car to get the consistency for the race. Williams were disappointing in the race, I'm not sure what happened. I think they came here with their new package untested and I guess they were treating this race as an extended test session. The Renaults certainly gave us a very hard time and it could have gone one way or the other. They were extremely competitive this weekend."

M. Schumacher

"After a race like the French Grand Prix I can only look forward to the next one. The fact that this one takes place only a few days after Magny-Cours means we can bring our enthusiasm from there to Silverstone and that brings the team even closer together. This season is proving to be really outstanding and we were very happy with our testing performance at Silverstone at the beginning of June so we can hope for victory again. "The opposition is getting closer and I believe BAR- Honda will be able to come up trumps here more than they did last weekend," said Schumacher. "That means we cannot be too confident, but I do like the track at Silverstone. It is always enjoyable racing there. It will be tight and the track calls for a balanced set up; something not always easy to get right there. I should also add that the real plus of Silverstone is that so many fans come to pay homage to Formula 1. It is a place where sport is really appreciated and for us drivers that's very important. With a car like ours it will be a real thrill taking on a circuit like Silverstone."

Barrichello

After the mesmerically good performance Barrichello put in last year at Silverstone whatever he does this year cannot be as good. Barrichello outdrove everyone in one of the best driving displays I have ever seen. Even Rubens does not seem to know what happened to him that day though the performance was enough not only to save his season but to kick start Rubens to a far more competitive second half of the season. This year Rubens seems to have again had a less than stellar start to the season and he will again be looking to put on over on his illustrious team mate. With any luck we will again see the same mastery from the Brazilian.

BMW Williams F1 (Dark Blue and White with Compaq and Allianz graphics)

Sam Michel "Silverstone has a mix of high speed corners, as well as three straights, where power and drag are important, and a slow speed complex towards the end of the lap. Aero efficiency is therefore crucial while the set-up on the cars needs to be geared towards aiding high speed stability without losing too much grip in the complex. For the British Grand Prix, we will again have some aero and mechanical upgrades on the cars which will hopefully give our drivers an improved package. Once again, Marc Gené will be driving the second car as he did a good job in Magny-Cours. His fastest lap in the race was a tenth faster than Juan-Pablo’s, so we are sure that he will be fired up to score some points for the team. Silverstone offers a few good overtaking opportunities which encourage exciting racing, as demonstrated at last year’s Grand Prix, a race particularly enhanced by safety car stints which put the cars on quite different strategies. Strategy decisions are continually changing at the moment which is interesting, the very different strategies employed at the last Grand Prix was a good example of this."

Gene

"I am very much looking forward to Silverstone. Although everything went well for me at Magny-Cours, I will be using that experience to help me improve my race performance at Silverstone. We’ve spent a lot of time testing at Silverstone in the past so I’m confident when I say that the track suits the FW26. We’ve always achieved competitive lap times there so I hope we can do the same over the Grand Prix weekend. It would also be good to score some points as it’s WilliamsF1’s home race and many of the guys from the factory will be there."

Montoya

"The BMW Williams F1 Team has tested twice at Silverstone this year so we have already collated some valuable information even before Friday’s practice sessions. From past experience of British Grand Prix weekends, we usually seem to be quicker in the race than in Friday practice or during Saturday's qualifying. Last year, for example, I finished the race in second place although I started from seventh on the grid. We haven’t managed to collect many points in the last few races so we really must get it right at Silverstone, especially as it’s the home race for Williams F1. I know a lot of people from the factory are coming to Silverstone over the weekend so I hope we can give them something to cheer about! I am very pleased that Marc is racing again at this Grand Prix and I'll give him all the support he needs. I get on very well with Marc and whatever I can do to help him, I'll do for sure!"

West McLaren Mercedes (Grey with West graphics)

Martin Whitmarsh "The Mobil 1 French Grand Prix demonstrated that MP4-19B has provided us with a major step forwards in terms of overall performance. We are all fully aware however, that another significant step is required to reach the level we as a team strive for. As the British Grand Prix sees the final back-to-back of the season, there is no opportunity to test this week, however we have the benefit of having tested 19B at Silverstone a couple of weeks ago and we have some further developments to bring on line for our home race."

Coulthard

"The Mobil 1 French Grand Prix showed that the MP4-19B package is a lot more competitive and that our performance is nearer that of the current front runners. This was particularly illustrated during qualifying where I put the car third on the grid just under three tenths of a second behind pole position. There is of course still work to be done, but the car has good potential and I am looking forward to working with the team to extract it. Silverstone is a very different concept to the Magny-Cours circuit, primarily because it is more high speed, reaching 170mph or more on four sections of the track. It also has five key corners that you have to drive on the limits to maximize your lap, and are quick enough for aerodynamics to play a significant role, Copse, Maggots, Becketts, Chapel and Bridge. As a result good chassis balance is vital at Silverstone. As my home race, the British Grand Prix is very important to me, and of course the team. I always looking forward to racing at Silverstone in front of my home crowd with its enthusiastic atmosphere, and hopefully with the MP4-19B we will be able to secure a solid points finish in front of them."

Raikkonen

"I enjoyed driving the MP4-19B in a competitive environment last weekend and am really looking forward to racing it again so soon after the Mobil 1 French Grand Prix. On paper it may not have seemed to be the best result, but this was more due to circumstance and we felt that the car ran well. I have had the opportunity to test the MP4-19B at Silverstone, it was a positive session and the car felt good there. Silverstone is a challenging circuit to drive, but it does allow you to really push the limits on it super fast corners. For example Copse, which is great fun to drive. It is very fast and probably one of the quickest on the calendar. There are also some slower, much tighter bends at Silverstone that demand good traction, as a result we need to ensure set-up is optimized to get the best out of the car. We now of course have data from the 19B in a race situation, which will help with this. Despite the generally smooth nature of the track surface, we also have to take into consideration that Silverstone can be fairly tough on tires. A usual set-up is medium to low downforce."

Mild Seven Renault (Dark and Light Blue and Yellow with Mild Seven graphics)

Many years ago, the site that is now home to Silverstone race track was an airfield and naturally, these were built in flat areas. An obvious consequence of this is that they are very exposed to any prevailing winds. Silverstone is no exception, and an understanding of where the wind is coming from, and how it affects the car, is important when preparing for any event at this circuit because, as Fernando’s qualifying lap earlier this year in Barcelona demonstrated, invisible and unpredictable gusts of wind can potentially have a significant impact on the handling of the car.

A Formula 1 racing car is fundamentally a very sophisticated aerodynamic device, and therefore the wind plays an important part in its performance. For many years, racing cars were tested in wind tunnels with the wind blowing directly onto the nose of the car in the straight ahead position. These days, it has been understood that this is only part of the story and testing now takes place with the model at many different attitudes. One of the most important of these is to test the vehicle in yaw. Yaw can be thought of as a rotation of the vehicle about a vertical axis through the center of the car, so that the wind, instead of blowing straight on over the nose, is coming at the vehicle from a slight angle. When one looks at the aero devices on a racing car, we can see that items such as the wing endplates, while being very effective when the wind is traveling fore and aft, also have the effect of masking the wing slightly if the air is coming from an angle, and thus reducing the amount of downforce generated once the car is turning. If the car encounters a crosswind, this induces what we term ‘apparent yaw’.

The downforce generated by a racing car is proportional to the square of its speed through the air. Consequently, if the wind is blowing towards the front of the car, then wind speed is added to wheel speed to produce additional downforce. If the wind is blowing towards the rear of the car, then it is subtracted from vehicle speed to produce less downforce. It might be thought that the effect of wind which rarely blows at more than 20kph would not have a big effect on a vehicle that can be traveling at 320kph, but with a racing car you are always trying to operate at the very limit of the performance envelope and hence even relatively small changes can affect what the driver feels. As downforce is proportional to the square of its velocity, a 20kph headwind — which represents a 6% increase in speed at 320kph — will actually see the downforce increased by approximately 13%, and the effect on what the driver feels will be magnified the faster he is traveling, once again because downforce is proportional to the square of the speed.

Of course, if the wind is blowing at any angle, then not only do you have a component of the wind that may be adding to or subtracting from the total downforce, but you also have a degradation in performance due to the apparent yaw effects mentioned earlier. The main area for understanding these effects is the wind tunnel. The less sensitive you can make the car to abnormal wind conditions, the faster it will be, irrespective of prevailing conditions. In order to understand what the wind has done to the car, we also continuously record the ‘apparent wind’ the car sees using two methods. On the front of every car, you will see a pitot tube, a device that measures wind speed. The speed it measures is the combination of the true atmospheric wind and the ‘apparent wind’, which is the airspeed generated by the movement of the car. By comparing the airspeed velocity with the car velocity measured by wheel rotation, we can deduce the wind speed. In addition, the cars sometimes carry a more sophisticated device known as a yaw probe. This works in a similar way as a pitot tube by measuring the dynamic pressure of the wind and comparing the static pressure of the air, but with added sophistication of being able to determine the angle of the wind.

With the wind having such an effect on the performance of the car, we obviously need to be aware of it and do what we can to mitigate its effects. From Silverstone onwards, we will once again be able to time our qualifying runs in order to be on circuit when the wind is at its lowest — a luxury the one-lap system did not afford. However, with the sessions requiring a minimum number of laps to be completed, and being short in length, occasions will undoubtedly arise when we are forced to run irrespective of the prevailing climatic conditions.

However, it is also important for the drivers and the engineers to understand the wind conditions so they can best handle them. For example, T1 at Silverstone — Copse Corner — is one of the fastest corners of the season, taken very nearly flat. A headwind on entry is an asset the driver should exploit in order to take the corner faster, while a tailwind means he needs to exercise extra caution. The complication for the drivers comes when the wind gusts unpredictably — at this point, they must make a split-second judgment of the conditions in order to judge exactly how fast the can take a particular corner.

Trulli

"The R24 was very competitive with Ferrari last weekend in Magny-Cours, and we hope to be able to continue that in Silverstone. Personally, I will obviously be looking to get over my disappointment from France. Looking back at the last lap, I was quite wide on the entry to the penultimate corner, which gave Rubens the opportunity to make his maneuver. Once he had done that, though, I had two options: either I could try and close the door and risk a collision and not finishing, or I could accept I had made a mistake. I was really dejected after the race, but that’s reality in Formula 1: you cannot afford even the tiniest mistake. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I am determined to come back stronger this weekend in Silverstone. I was on the front row there last year — after our performance in Magny-Cours, we have to be looking for podium finishes once again."

"Silverstone is another technical circuit, and very demanding for the cars: it has every type of corner, so it is not easy to find the right set-up and set a good lap. When we are working in practice, we need to make the car responsive through the fast and slow corners, and find the confidence to push right to the limit: there are a number of corners where you need to be very committed to get a quick lap-time, like Copse or Bridge. In terms of enjoyment, Becketts is definitely the best section of the circuit, but every part is challenging."

Alonso

"I’m feeling great coming in to the Silverstone race. Magny-Cours was a strong race for the whole team, and we really forced Ferrari into racing hard for the win — not many people have done that this year, so really we should be pleased. I think Silverstone should suit us quite well too: you need good aerodynamic performance there, and we have that. It is a power circuit, and we were a little bit behind our rivals at the last test in June, but we have found more performance since then. I am expecting us to be very competitive."

"In terms of driving the circuit, Silverstone is one of those places where it is hard to make a real difference: every driver knows it, and we test there a lot, so the performance between the drivers is quite equal — there is not much advantage to gain from circuit knowledge. The first sector is undoubtedly the best — with high speed corners, it is interesting for the driver. But the third sector, which looks quite normal, quite standard, is where you can gain a lot of time if you really focus on it. The other strange thing at Silverstone is the wind direction — as a driver, it is very hard to tell what is happening. You can guess, but never be totally sure. Usually, we only find out about a tailwind or headwind when we start braking, and find it is too late or too early — so you sometimes need to be able to adjust very quickly!"

BAR Honda (White with Red Lucky Strike roundels)

David Richards "There is a great deal of expectation on our shoulders as we head into our home race this weekend. Silverstone is in our own backyard with Jenson currently the top British driver, I would anticipate that a large proportion of British F1 fans will be pinning their hopes on us this Sunday. Obviously it would be wonderful to achieve our maiden victory at our home track, but whatever the outcome, it will be a very special weekend. Very few of our staff ever get to go to a race and yet each and every one of them has been integral to the transformation in our performance this season. We have created plenty of opportunities for them to be part of the action this weekend and to see the benefits of their hard work at close quarters.

The Regent Street event is a fantastic curtain-raiser for the Grand Prix and the opportunity to bring the fans even closer to the sport and their heroes. However, in the heat of the preparations, we cannot overlook the fact that the French Grand Prix was a disappointment for us and we will be doing everything possible in the days ahead to ensure we are fully on top of any factors which have compromised us. All in all, it will be a very exciting weekend ahead!"

Button

"After the disappointment of Magny-Cours, where we had a good chance of a podium, it feels great to be back in Britain to prepare for our home race. We targeted our first win for around this point in the season and it goes without saying that it would be fantastic to achieve that this weekend. This race is special for so many reasons. I love racing here and will never forget my debut F1 race here four years ago when I passed Michael Schumacher on the first lap. He might have been on a different fuel load but that was a fantastic moment nonetheless. It's incredibly moving to race in front of my home crowd, especially with the sea of Union Jacks down the start-finish straight! Most importantly, this is a weekend when the whole team get to share in our achievements and I just hope that we have something special to celebrate with them on Sunday night."

Sato

"Obviously Suzuka is my own home race, but I now live in England and this is my second home. I want to do well in front of the team and its many British fans and I hope I have the car to deliver a good result next Sunday. The British Grand Prix is one of the most exciting in my opinion. I also have very fond memories of the circuit from my Junior and Formula 3 days, so I am always very excited to head back there. It's a shame that we had a slightly disappointing result at the French Grand Prix, however I am still confident from our performance in Indy. Historically, Silverstone is always an exciting race, especially with the unpredictable weather, so it could be very exciting."

Sauber Petronas (Mid Blue with a yellow airbox, white nose and front wing with Credit Suisse Red Bull and Petronas graphics)

"Silverstone is an extremely demanding circuit. There are some very high-speed sections so aerodynamic efficiency is critical. High-speed stability is paramount through the Maggotts/Becketts sweeps where the drivers have to make accurate directional changes without upsetting the equilibrium of the car. You also need good traction and grip through the infield section of the lap after Bridge Corner, which these days in an F1 car is flat-out. In the slower corners you also are looking for good controllability, but the braking energy here is low. The tire degradation is relatively high so we run quite hard tires."

"Since our test in Silverstone before the Monaco Grand Prix we have added the new front wing that we used in Magny-Cours, and for this race we will also have revised rear bodywork. This is the second step in the package of new radiators that we introduced at Monaco. The engine cover is lower and this will enhance airflow over the rear wing, and this has only been possible because the new radiators created such an efficient cooling system. We have not been able to test the new bodywork prior to the British Grand Prix, but we are confident it is an improvement from our wind tunnel tests and will make a full assessment in Friday practice. Furthermore we will use in Silverstone for the first time the latest B specification version of the Petronas V10 engine, which has more horsepower than the currently used A unit."

Fisichella

"Silverstone is a very good track, and we had a good test there in mid-May. We did a lot of laps and even though I was running alone so there was no rubber down, we did a 1m 18.3s lap, which is competitive. We will have the new front wing from Magny-Cours and some new bodywork, so with more downforce since then I think we can do really well. "You need a stable car at Silverstone because of the high-speed directional change that is necessary, particularly in the Becketts complex. That is a real buzz when you are driving there, and I remember when I was in Formula Three going down to watch there and being very impressed. It's pretty special. Bridge is fun, though nowadays it's easy flat and less of a challenge than it used to be."

Massa

"This is a very nice track, and I love driving there. There are a lot of quick corners that I really enjoy. Copse is quicker than you think, just a quick downshift and then straight back hared on the power, and I like Stowe, too. Very high speed with some hard braking. Then there are some medium-speed corners and a couple of slow ones too. It's a good mixture. The tire degradation is quite high, so we tend to go for harder tires. "We recently had a good test at Silverstone and the car went really well, so even though the UK teams tend to have a small advantage from testing there so much, I think we will be competitive and I'm looking forward to a strong race."

Jaguar (Green with HSBC graphics)

David Pitchforth “Our home race is a very eventful and exciting time for the team but we remain focused on our main goal which is as always to score points. We had a very strong performance on track last weekend when we raced at Magny-Cours and I am delighted with the way the team is progressing. The drivers are really starting to feel the car develop into a complete solid package that is capable of racing for points. All three drivers have been working very hard with their engineers and our test in Barcelona the week before last has also helped us to understand more about the R5. We will be very active this weekend with the team’s sponsors and partners but I know that we will be as prepared as we can be before we go on track. We know Silverstone very well, although of course we will be looking to make the most of both Friday and Saturday’s practice sessions ahead of Qualifying and the race. I am confident that we have both the drivers and the car that we need to move us further up the grid and I am very keen to see our cars perform on track over the weekend.”

Webber

“Silverstone is for me my second home race. I have lived in the UK for nearly ten years now and I know this area of the country very well. The factory is near by and we get so much support from the local people on the day that it is a great boost for us. I have raced and tested at the track on many occasions with Jaguar Racing, but since all the other teams have as well there is little advantage for us. I really enjoyed my race last weekend at Magny-Cours so I am really keen to get out on track in front of the British crowd. The team has been doing a fantastic job turning everything around in time and I know that we are well prepared for this coming weekend. The only thing we are not in control of is the weather at this stage. This can change very quickly and make track conditions vary considerably. Whatever happens we are going to be working very hard over the weekend to ensure we are in the best possible position to race for a points finish. It’s about time our hard work was rewarded, the car’s got the pace - as my speed in France proved!”

Klein

“These back to back races are keeping us very busy but I enjoy any opportunity to get out on track as often as possible. Although this is not my home race it is going to be as busy as it would be if I were racing in Austria. The team are very hectic here but there is going to be a lot of support for us, which is fantastic. I like Silverstone — I have raced here before and I have spent some time testing here with the team so I know the track and I feel comfortable here. After my positive race in Magny-Cours I am really focused on the task ahead and I will be looking to qualify well in preparation for the race. The R5 is feeling really strong at the moment and Cosworth Racing are doing a great job with the engine so I am very much aiming for a points finish in front of the team’s home crowd.”

Panasonic Toyota (Red and White with Toyota and Panasonic logo graphics)

Mike Gascoyne "Silverstone is an exciting race track for F1 cars with several high speed corners. The set-up we will adopt will be similar to that of Barcelona. It is another maximum downforce track, which we know is not a positive trait of our TF104. In qualifying, I think we have demonstrated a reasonably strong performance, but at this type of circuits we generally struggle with race pace. We are working flat out to produce new parts for the updated car which will debut in Hockenheim, so we are not bringing any major new parts to Silverstone.

The British Grand Prix will be the last race we run this specification of TF104, but we must remember that the car which will run in Hockenheim is merely the start of a process, rather than an end of the 2004 development process. But first we have to turn our complete attention to Silverstone, where we have to ensure our excellent reliability rate is maintained and to see if we can pick up any points on Sunday afternoon."

Panis

"Silverstone is near the top of my list of favorite circuits and I always enjoy racing there. Unfortunately, the weather is rarely in our favor normally with some rain over the weekend. Nevertheless, we put in our full efforts whether wet or dry. After the huge disappointment of Magny-Cours, we will be looking to get back in the midfield fight, but we have to make sure that our performance is consistent throughout the whole weekend right to the checkered flag."

Da Matta

"My British Grand Prix weekend kicked off a bit earlier with the Regent Street parade on Tuesday evening. I was stunned by the huge numbers of people who turned up. This level of enthusiasm really made the occasion special and this type of event is ideal to bring the fans closer to the action. We now head to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, which holds special memories for me, after I led last year's race in rather bizarre circumstances. I do not expect a repeat this year, but Silverstone is my absolute favorite circuit and I always enjoy racing there. We had a productive test there in June, but I am reluctant to make predictions, so I prefer to wait and see what happens this weekend."

Jordan (Yellow with BandH graphics)

“This is the thirtieth year in a row that I have been to the British Grand Prix, as a fan, a driver, or with a team, and it still excites me. It’s great, for a change, to be able to stay at home rather than everybody traveling away to race and it’s holiday time in Ireland so we get a lot of our fans over which is just wonderful. It’s also nice for local people here at Silverstone, who I feel I’ve been a part of for a long time. Most importantly though, it’s good to welcome the Jordan staff and their families, who we are particularly proud about as there is huge pressure on everyone working in F1 these days. This is a hard week for those who are working but it’s also fantastic fun. We are opening up a whole campus of activity for fans in the grounds of our factory and I am thinking of getting my drum kit out one evening when they’ve got a live band on!”

Heidfeld

"I am looking forward to Silverstone as it’s like a home Grand Prix for me and especially for the team as it’s just across the road from the factory. I always enjoy coming to England and doing the Grand Prix here because the spectators here are really great, they seem to have good knowledge about the sport and cheer everybody on. I like the circuit as it’s one of the few circuits with very high speed corners, especially Becketts. Through there it’s very challenging so I’m looking forward to that and I hope it will suit our race car. We test here more than at other circuits which may help us find a good set-up.”

Pantano

"I am looking forward to Silverstone as it’s like a home Grand Prix for me and especially for the team as it’s just across the road from the factory. I always enjoy coming to England and doing the Grand Prix here because the spectators here are really great, they seem to have good knowledge about the sport and cheer everybody on. I like the circuit as it’s one of the few circuits with very high speed corners, especially Becketts. Through there it’s very challenging so I’m looking forward to that and I hope it will suit our race car. We test here more than at other circuits which may help us find a good set-up.”

Wilux Minardi Cosworth (Black, white and Wilux written in Light Blue on White
on Sides and rear wing)

Yet more sponsors for Minardi were announced this week. This time in the form of the fellow Faenza company Vire. "We are pleased to cooperate with the Italian company, Vire, in the promotion of the Trilly LED safety warning triangle and fully endorse this product, as we would any piece of equipment that can be shown to improve road safety," said Paul Stoddart. "The fact that it has also proven its worth (at Magny-Cours) in the demanding environment of F1 is a bonus for us and a great testament to this worthwhile new product."

Bruni

It was notable in France that, despite being slower than usual, Bruni was determined not to get out of the car no matter what the circumstances. It seems strange but Bruni does not seem to have the motivation to be a Formula 1 driver. If this seems soul destroying to see as a member of the public one has to feel for Bruni's personal sponsors who have spent millions on him! Hopefully Bruni will start the fight back at Silverstone. There is no reason that Bruni can't be the next Alonso other than his slovenliness and it is time he proved it!

Baumgartner

Parading a two seater Minardi F1 car through the poorly organized and overcrowded F1 parade in Regent Street this week (if ever there was a reason NOT to have a grand prix in London the Regent Street parade proved it in abundance!). Baumgartner is unlikely to score at Silverstone — a track where aerodynamics and engine power are at a premium. Considering these areas are surely Minardi's weakest it seems unlikely that the team will finish anywhere but at the back.

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