Spa’s Unpredictable Weather Concerns Kobayashi
The Japanese driver, Kamui Kobayashi has expressed his concern on the unpredictable weather conditions in Belgium which is to host the next race of the season this weekend.
This Grand Prix will be the Sauber driver’s first race on this track with Formula One. However, he already knows the track as he has raced on it during the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Formula Renault and GP2. This acquaintance of his seems to be the reason for him terming Spa’s weather unpredictable and at times unfriendly.
Sauber's performance has started to grow with time. After a series of poor races right from the beginning of the season, the team has now been able to grab a few points. It hopes to bag more as it heads for the next race.
Kobayashi, while talking to reporters, expressed his hope to return from the next race with a considerable rise in Sauber’s points. "I am quite sure our car will be good in these fast corners," he said. He added that it might not be as good as it is on the straights yet he expects that the minor changes brought in the car after summer break would make it go even better than before. However, Kobayashi said that despite the fact that the car and his teams’ hard work make him feel confident yet the weather worries him which according to him could cause chaos. He further added that Spa has a very unpredictable kind of air and it is a strange track where one can meet heavy rain fall on one part of the circuit while the other being completely dry.
Meanwhile, Sauber’s technical director James Key also told media that it is important for the team to be able to cope with the weather nicely in order to get the best out of the car as well as the drivers. "It will be good to go back to Spa and we are looking forward to race on this unique circuit, which is always a big favorite with the drivers. The track layout is obviously very different from the circuits we have recently raced on," he further explained.
The Sauber team intends to return to a lower drag configuration for its car, which would be the first time since it last used it at the Canadian Grand Prix earlier this year. The package that the team has made for Spa is based around the changes introduced in Valencia. These would most probably be used again as the team believes that it suited them the most.
Key further said that he wanted to keep going with the pace and the form that his team has been able to develop in the last few rounds of the season."We will need to leave our options open regarding the car setup and down force levels in order to find the best possible compromise for the fast sectors one and three, where you benefit from low drag, and sector two, which favors a higher down force level,” He concluded.
Spa has always been famous for its unpredictable weather and one would need to be very flexible to race there. As the last but most crucial part of the season begins with this ace in Belgium, all the teams as well as drivers are much anxious to showcase their best performances there so that they can have the best possible start for the season’s final part.
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