Thursday, August 21, 2008 New track, new challenges...new winner? By Steve Slater Special Contributor
OF COURSE all eyes will be on the continuing battle between McLaren and Ferrari as the championship shootout resumes in Valencia this weekend. But maybe, just maybe, we’ll see a surprise winner from another team, as the vagaries of an all-new track might just lead to someone springing a surprise.
The street circuit is wide, fast and flowing, but doesn’t have sufficiently long straights to allow a horsepower advantage to show. That could be music to Fernando Alonso’s ears. The Renault engine has a clear horsepower deficit to its rivals and this track almost seems ready-made to allow Alonso to show off his car control and racecraft to his adoring home fans.
Fernando has already joked about “getting up early” to beat his rivals, but he has a serious point. “We must do our best to find our reference points quicker than the others in order to spring a surprise,” he said.
In other words the faster you can learn the track, the more likely you are to qualify well and, if you do that, the odds will favor a good result.
Which is where McLaren comes in. Although none of the Formula One teams have been allowed to run any significant on-track testing during the three week-long “summer break,” there hasn’t been much evidence of anyone taking a holiday.
Every team has been working flat out behind the scenes to boost their performance.
Back at McLaren’s technical centre at Woking in England, is a little spoken-of device called “the simulator.” Its detailed workings remain a closely-guarded secret, but in simple terms it can best be described as a complete, current F1 car, combined with a full-motion simulator similar to those used for training aircrews.
It sounds like a multi-million dollar version of a computer game, but the hours spent in the simulator are deadly serious. Not only do the drivers fine-tune their knowledge of every single track on the calendar, but complex computer software attached to the machine allows the engineers to compare every aspect of its performance and adapt either the car or the driver’s style to gain the ultimate efficiency.
Of course, almost every other team on the grid has a simulator of some form, but it is thought that none match the McLaren’s sophistication—and success. Many in the paddock believe it is the simulator program that has allowed the team to overhaul Ferrari in the last few races.
Rumor has it that using the simulator allowed the engineers to propose a change in Hamilton’s driving style before the British Grand Prix. Less aggressive use of the steering early in the corner allowed smaller front wings to be used, which in turn led to lower sidepods, which allowed a higher top speed. The results were most clearly seen in Germany, when the McLaren simply waltzed away from the opposition.
This weekend, it will be interesting to see whether Ferrari have found an answer to McLaren’s performance boost. Certainly there will have been no lack of effort at Maranello, but it seems that there is a clear difference in approach between their two drivers.
Ferrari has been using a simulator at the nearby FIAT research centre and has been reported to have commissioned a “next generation” unit from American specialist MOOG. Felipe Massa is on record as a big believer in the technology. It seems however that Kimi Raikkonen is less of a fan and that, combined with a relatively lackluster performance in recent races is placing increasing pressure on the reigning champion.
I personally think that Kimi will fight back. And it sets up a great prospect for Valencia.
Will it be the scientific approach of Hamilton, Kovalainen or Massa that wins? Or raw talent from Raikkonen or Alonso? Or even a real outsider like Red Bull’s Mark Webber who always thrives on new tracks? Only one way to find out, join us in Race Central this weekend!
Driver to watch: Lewis Hamilton.
Yes I know it’s a predictable choice, but Hamilton has a real opportunity to take control of the World Championship with a victory in Valencia. The McLaren arguably remains the superior car to the Ferrari and as Lewis proved by winning in Monaco, he can match aggression with precision. He is perfectly supported by teammate Kovalainen too. The big question is will Ferrari find something extra to fight back with?
