Renault confident about Monza
Renault’s Robert Kubica grew up racing in Italy, spending a majority of his time in go-karts, Formula Renault and Formula 3. It was during this time that the Polish driver developed a special bond for Italian teams and spent over a year living close to Monza. As a result, this race track holds fond memories for the Renault driver. Importantly, Robert Kubica scored his first podium finish at Monza in 2006, which makes this track even more special for the driver.
The track consists of many high-speed sections including the Ascari and Parabolica followed by some low-speed chicanes, making it very difficult for the teams to balance their cars for these sectors. Monza is the fastest circuit on the Formula 1 calendar and therefore it requires a very low-downforce, low-drag configuration. Teams were allowed to test their cars a week before the race in order to get used to the feeling of the car. But at present, teams are not allowed to do that anymore making it trickier for the drivers. A good mechanical grip is also an important factor for breaking stability into the chicanes and a good traction control on the exit.
The track offers an unusual feeling. It feels that the rear end is unstable in the beginning of the weekend but that is how it is supposed to be for the entire weekend. Thus, it is quite difficult to easily adjust to find grip and stability for a driver who is not used to this track. This makes it a bigger challenge for the drivers. However; Robert enjoys the heavy breaking before approaching the breaking point at high speeds.
“I think this will be a very interesting weekend to judge the performance of the cars. Spa was a good example of how powerful the F-duct can be and we were immediately more competitive and closer to the front when we fitted it,” he said. However, he added that the effect will not be as powerful as it was at Spa as the cars run with lesser drag. It will still be an advantage though and Robert said that they will wait and see which team uses it and if Renault will be able to use it or not. Monza is always full of surprises so the Polish driver prefers to stay cautious when it comes to predictions. If the car feels as good as it did in Spa-Francorchamps, Renault will be competitive in Monza. Robert qualified at 13th spot last year but was not able to finish the race after an oil leak.
His teammate Vitaly Petrov will race at Monza for the first time in the Formula 1 circuit as this is his debut season. The Russian driver took pole position for GP2 in Monza last year and led for the majority of the race but was not able to win, as he had to slow down after an accident that took place in front of him, costing the driver the lead. However, it was a good result for him despite the accident. However, Vitaly will have to learn the track once again and adapt to Formula One’s driving style. He praised the tracks history and said that it was important not to make mistakes over here in order to score a good result because even a tenth of a second can cost a driver five places or even more. It will be an interesting race. Petrov looks forward to it and hopes to finish in the top ten.
Renault’s technical director James Allison believes that Monza is a completely different track from all the others hence the team has to prepare a unique package for the Italian Grand Prix. Monza has long straights and fewer corners that require much smaller wings as compared to the rest of the tracks. The F-duct is a good alternative for the track and Renault is evaluating like the rest of the teams on whether to use it or not in the particular low-downforce environment of Monza.
“Monza is very different from the mainstream bunch of tracks that make up the calendar, but generally speaking the cars that are good at one track tend to be good everywhere, regardless of the downforce levels”, he said. R30’s performance at Spa gave the technical principal some confidence that the team is still capable of competing with the top teams in the circuit and he expects similar results at all the remaining tracks including Monza. The team will be aiming to get both cars in the top ten in qualifying and the race as well.
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