Day 1
The final pre-season test got underway in
Barcelona today. Nick drove this morning, but
was suffering with a cold, so Vitaly took over
for the afternoon.
Lotus Renault R31, Vitaly Petrov, Barcelona 8
March 2011
What we learned today:
- The team validated the performance of
several key elements of the race one aero
package to make sure the track data matched
with the wind tunnel figures.
- Both drivers tried the new rear wing and
new floor, and the initial data confirms
that the updated package is a step forward.
Nick: “I have a cold at the moment so the
team said I could try the car this morning and
stop in the afternoon. The priority of the day
was to assess some new aero parts. That’s why we
did a lot of in and out laps for the aero
mapping. We are still analysing the data, but
the feeling was positive. Then, we used the rest
of the morning to do a few starts, system checks
and looked at some development items.”
Vitaly: “We didn’t do a massive number of laps
this afternoon, but we managed to check the
balance and did some set-up work ready for
tomorrow. The new aero parts are another step
forward and have given us some more downforce.”
Alan Permane’s technical programme notes:
- Nick wasn’t feeling too well today so we
didn’t do anything too strenuous in the
morning. We wanted him to get a feel for the
new aero parts and his initial feedback was
very useful.
- Vitaly took over in the afternoon and
ran the same parts. Again the focus was on
gathering data for the aero package, so he
did some constant speed runs. He also began
a set-up programme and ran on both the hard
and soft tyres.
Statistics
Driver: Nick / Vitaly
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: Nick: 1:24.735 / Vitaly: 1:22.937
Position: Nick P5 / Vitaly P3
Total laps: Nick: 20 / Vitaly: 27 Day 2,
race distance for Vitaly
Vitaly remained in the R31 for day two of the
Barcelona test as he clocked up 115 laps to
demonstrate a clear step forward in terms of the
car’s overall reliability.
What we learned today:
- The team improved its understanding of
the forces acting on the tyres by running
instrumented wheels this morning.
- Vitaly got a feel for the car over long
runs by simulating a race distance this
afternoon, using both the hard and soft
compounds of dry tyres.
Vitaly: “I’m pleased with what we
achieved today and I was able to learn a lot
about the car and the tyres. We spent the
morning doing shorter runs and working on
the set-up, and I was pretty happy with the
car by the end of the morning. But the most
important thing was to complete the race
distance, which we managed this afternoon.
It’s the first time I’ve been able to do
consistent long runs and really start
understanding the tyres.”
Alan Permane’s technical programme notes
- A good day for us. We did some data
gathering in the morning, followed by
set-up work and then a race distance in
the afternoon.
- The focus of the set-up work today
was looking at the rear suspension. We
made various changes during the morning
and found some good directions.
Statistics:
Driver: Vitaly
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: 1:22.670
Position: P3
Total laps: 115 Day 3, brake and
set-up work
Vitaly and Nick shared driving duties again
today as the team tested in sunny conditions in
Barcelona.
What we learned today:
- Data collected on the braking system
suggests the new components tried this
morning are working as expected. Vitaly’s
feedback was also positive.
- Set-up work with a heavy fuel load
proved valuable with the team discovering
several useful directions.
Vitaly: “Unfortunately we lost some time
this morning because we had a problem with
the KERS so we couldn’t do the longs runs we
had planned. For the rest of the morning we
did some brake work and continued getting
more data on the tyres.”
Nick:“We spent the afternoon trying some
different ideas with the set-up and we made
quite a few improvements and learned some
useful things. I ran on the medium and the
soft tyres, and the car felt much better by
the end of the day, but there is still a lot
more work to complete before the last day of
testing tomorrow.”
Alan Permane’s technical programme notes
- We ran both drivers again with
Vitaly driving this morning and Nick in
the afternoon. The plan was for Vitaly
to do another race distance, but
unfortunately our running was cut short
with a KERS problem.
- For the afternoon with Nick, we
concentrated on set-up work and ran the
medium and soft tyres.
Statistics:
Driver: Vitaly / Nick
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: Vitaly: 1:24.233 / Nick:
1:23.541
Position: Vitaly: P8 / Nick P6
Total laps: Vitaly: 24 / Nick: 32
Day 4: Final day of work for LRGP
Ideal weather conditions prevailed in Barcelona
as Nick wrapped up the team’s pre-season
preparations ahead of the Australian Grand Prix
in two weeks’ time.
What we learned today:
- High fuel running allowed Nick to
improve his understanding of the Pirelli
tyres – maximising lap time while looking
after the tyres. The data also confirms the
R31 is nicely balanced in terms of tyre
wear, with both the front and rears wearing
at a similar rate.
Nick: “For our final day in Barcelona we
started by working on car balance to be
ready for Melbourne. The set-up work was
useful and taught us quite a few things. We
would have liked to do more laps and I was
hoping to do a race distance later in the
day, but the problems with the gearbox after
lunch meant we spent a bit too much time in
the garage. However, we managed to get out
for the final hour and did some running on
heavy fuel.”
Alan Permane’s technical programme notes
- We had a good morning. The car was
working well and showed good pace. The
programme involved the continuation of
our set-up work from earlier in the
week.
- For the afternoon we had planned a
race distance, but unfortunately we had
to change the gearbox at lunchtime. In
the end we opted to do a very long run
on high fuel.
Statistics:
Driver: Nick
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: 1:22.073
Position: P4
Total laps: 67 |
