After a long summer
break, the Formula 1 action resumes this weekend at one
of the sport’s most charismatic venues, the 7.004
kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps, the Belgian circuit
that has hosted 43 of the 55 Belgian Grands Prix held to
date. A Scuderia Ferrari driver has stood on the top
step of the Belgian podium fifteen times, the first
dating back to Alberto Ascari’s win in 1952, the last
coming courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen in 2009. Of the
current Prancing Horse pairing, Felipe Massa was
victorious in 2008, while Fernando Alonso’s best results
in the Ardennes have been a second place in 2005 and a
third in 2007.
After a family holiday in Italy’s Dolomite mountains,
Team Principal Stefano Domenicali has been back at his
desk since the start of the week. “Everyone seems to be
like me, very motivated with batteries fully charged for
the rest of the season,” he said. “We share the same
state of mind, ready to return to the race tracks. Our
realistic goal for the remaining eight Grands Prix is to
win races, to score as many points as possible. I am
sure we can achieve good results, but we should avoid
looking at the classification, because we know the
championship will be very difficult given the current
gap, but let’s see where it is in a few races. We have
the potential to do well and we have to believe in
ourselves. In terms of the development of the 150º
Italia, we are almost at the end of the road but this
does not mean that work on this year’s car has come to a
complete halt, but as of now, we are working full
throttle on the 2012 car. As far as next year’s
regulations are concerned, apart from rules regarding
the exhaust system, there are not many changes,
therefore the new cars can be described as a development
of the 2011 car. However, what I can say, having seen
the model in the wind tunnel and the work going on in
the drawing office, is that it will be a very innovative
machine. In fact, this is to be expected, this is
necessary given that our first goal is that, in 2012, we
must be competitive right from the very start of the
season.”
One driver holds the record for the most wins at
Spa-Francorchamps and he features prominently in
Domenicali’s recollections of this fascinating Grand
Prix. “Spa is a unique circuit, in terms of its length
and also because the weather tends to play a significant
role delivering exciting races,” he said. “As for
specific memories, I would single out 2004 when
Michael’s (Schumacher) second place delivered that
year’s title. Then there was Kimi’s (Raikkonen) win in
2009 during what was for us a difficult season and from
a personal point of view, I also remember 1998: Michael
had returned to the garage after a collision with
Coulthard and I had to go with him, as he tried to have
a “friendly” word with David in the pit lane! On the
subject of Schumacher, this will be a special weekend
for him as he celebrates 20 years in Formula 1, which
means he is part of the history of the sport and also
part of its present. As his seven world titles prove, he
is the best driver the sport has seen and is very much
in the hearts of everyone at Ferrari and all of us wish
him well on this special occasion.”
While the Spa circuit owes much of its appeal to its
weather, to the way the track carves its way through the
climbs and drops of the Ardennes forest and to its
history, it is in fact this “old fashioned” nature of
the venue that tests the very modern F1 car to the
limit. “The Spa track is very interesting and
challenging from a technical point of view,” agrees Luca
Marmorini, the Scuderia’s Head of Engine and Electronics
Department. “The effect of the engine at this circuit
and also at Monza, is higher than anywhere else on the
calendar. By that I mean that every ten horsepower can
be worth around three tenths of a second in lap time.
More significantly, these are circuits where the engine
is under full load for long periods, so reliability is
very important. At Spa, aerodynamic efficiency also
plays a big part and although you need a powerful
engine, on its own it is not enough.”
After being absent in 2010, KERS is back on the cars
this year and Marmorini recalled how useful it had been
the last time it was deployed in Belgium. “2009 saw Kimi
Raikkonen take a win that was significant for Scuderia
Ferrari, as it was the first time a Prancing Horse car
was victorious using a hybrid power source – in other
words, an engine fitted with the Kinetic Energy Recovery
System,” explained the engine specialist. “At a track
where power is a key factor the role of KERS is more
significant. When Kimi won in Belgium two years ago, it
was clear to see that the use of KERS was a key factor
in preventing Fisichella in the Force India from
overtaking, which is proof that this system can be very
useful not just for overtaking another car, but also to
defend your own position on track and I believe that,
again this year, KERS will provide an important
contribution to our performance. The development of KERS
is ongoing, because while the rules prevent us from
increasing the maximum power and energy it delivers, we
can improve the efficiency of the system and also reduce
its weight.”
Along with KERS, another driver aid introduced this year
has been the DRS (Drag Reduction System) whereby a
driver can “switch off” the rear wing in order to reduce
drag and gain more speed for overtaking. Its use is
permitted throughout the entire weekend, up until the
race itself when it can only be operated in an approved
overtaking situation. However, the rule has been
modified this weekend as its use is permanently banned
through the famous Eau Rouge corner. The fearsome
left-right flick at the bottom of the hill following the
first corner sees a car’s suspension being compressed by
the G-forces and even if it has been made safer over the
years, it is still a 300 km/h turn and therefore needs
to be treated with respect: allowing drivers to reduce
downforce at this point has rightly been deemed too
dangerous. Also linked into generating downforce this
year has been the gas blown by the exhaust system. “It
has become a very important factor in terms of its
influence on the aerodynamics of the car, and by
altering this element of the engine package, we can help
our colleagues on the aerodynamics side to improve its
aero efficiency,” said Marmorini. “This is an area we
continue to work on, although we have to ensure our
efforts do not have a negative impact on the reliability
of the engine. Using the exhausts in this way means you
pay a price in terms of outright engine power, but one
must remember the engine is a component of the whole
package: if, by having less power through using the
engine in this way, we can increase the overall
performance level of the car, then we can only be happy
with that. A track that makes the engines work hard also
has an effect on fuel efficiency and in this respect,
our cooperation with Shell is one of the most important
areas as lubricants and fuels is one of the few elements
connected to the engine where development is permitted.
We have more steps planned for the rest of the year,
aimed at improving reliability and efficiency in terms
of fuel consumption and this long partnership we enjoy
with Shell gives us an important advantage compared to
our competitors.”
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