Lotus Renault GP to get a new simulator for 2012 – Formula 1 news
Lotus Renault GP have announced that they will be constructing a new simulator at their factory situated in Enstone, Oxfordshire.
The team was given a green signal by the West Oxfordshire District Council to build the new simulator which will be situated right next to the team’s on-site wind tunnel.
The team’s principal Eric Boullier said, “We’re very pleased that planning permission has now been granted and we can begin the latest phase in our development at Enstone.”
Simulators have a very crucial role to play in the planning and development phase of a team’s car and its race strategy before any race event happens. They help the teams in understanding the car’s features and assist them in testing the new upgrades in
different weather conditions away from the actual circuit.
Renault are really excited and all geared up for this new development.
The team has already started working on setting up the new simulator at its base factory and if everything goes as planned, Renault expect to have its new simulator ready and functional by March 2012.
Boullier said, “The confirmation that our simulator is on the way is further evidence of our continued investment for the future.”
The team has had a very tough 2011 Formula 1 season so far when amidst many technical and financial difficulties, it had to cope up with issues surrounding constant replacement of the team’s drivers.
Robert Kubica was replaced by Nick Heidfeld when the former was injured in a rally accident in Italy. Later on, the team decided to part ways with Nick Heidfeld and Bruno Senna joined the team as his replacement.
The Enstone-based team recently upgraded its wind tunnel facilities and had installed a new super-computer for this weekend’s race at Singapore.
Renault currently stand at 5th position with 70 points on the Formula 1 constructors’ standings and the team is looking to gain points in the remaining six races of the season. With the upgrades that it has installed, it is hopeful
that it will be able to beat Mercedes to climb up to the 4th spot on the constructors’ championship by the end of the 2011 season.
Let’s see how the team performs in the next few races of this season.
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