WilliamsF1 2006 Brazilian GP Preview
Brazilian GP
By WilliamsF1 Team
October 17 2006
This weekend sees the final race of the 2006 F1 championship, the Brazilian GP. For the WilliamsF1 team it will mark the end of their relationship with engine supplier Cosworth and the last race for Mark Webber with the team. As such the team is hoping to finish the year with a positive result.
| Brazilian Grand Prix: Interlagos |
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| Race Preview: |
| The Event The 2007 Formula One World Championship makes its final stop of the season in South America this weekend for the 34th Brazilian Grand Prix. Situated on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, the Carlos Pace Autodromo is one of the most atmospheric race tracks visited all year and will provide a fitting backdrop for what will undoubtedly be an explosive season finale as Renault and Ferrari battle it out for Championship glory. Politics and finance have dictated Interlagos’ chequered history since it opened in 1952, and were perhaps the primary cause behind its late debut on the Formula One calendar in 1973. WilliamsF1 has fielded 36 cars over the past 18 races at Interlagos, taking 40% of all poles and possible fastest laps and 22% of race wins. After a difficult year, the WilliamsF1 Team will be hoping for a positive end to the season to sustain motivation over a long winter programme of development.. Between the races Immediately following Japan, Nico travelled to Bangkok to assist Oris with the launch of the Nico Rosberg Limited Edition mechanical racing watch. To reflect the 2,400 cylinder capacity of a V8 engine, only 2,400 watches will be issued worldwide. With all his commitments in the Far East completed, Nico headed to South America on Tuesday last week to give himself ample time to acclimatise and to spend a few days discovering Rio and working on his fitness levels. Mark returned to the UK after Japan to participate in a one day adventure race in Hampshire last weekend as part of his preparation for the forthcoming Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge. Out of a 160-strong field, Mark and his three man team finished second. On Monday, he joined Australian rugby union star, Matt Burke, and Ally McCoist on the BBC’s Question of Sport Ashes special. Making the car go faster Both FW28s will feature the same specification as that which was raced in both China and Japan. The team also completed a four day test session in Jerez, southern Spain, last week during which Alex Wurz and Narain Karthikeyan carried out a series of race distances to determine which of Bridgestone’s tyre compounds will be best suited to Brazil. Interlagos from a technical perspective The 71 lap Brazilian Grand Prix will be a true test of durability for man and machine, heightened by the fact that the race is run in an anti-clockwise direction. The 4.3km circuit consists of 13 medium and slow speed corners, nine left and four right, and has a blend of long, fast straights and gradient changes. With such a varied layout, set-up compromises are inevitable, and the challenge lies in achieving optimal aerodynamic efficiency around the lap. Interlagos is a notoriously bumpy circuit, so not only is it draining on the drivers, but the cars must have a good mechanical balance for drivability. Combined with the bumps, the track is also particularly abrasive, so harder compound tyres must be selected to ensure their survival. Engines are also under intense pressure in Brazil, with the long straights demanding extensive periods at full throttle and high revs, while the high altitude and thinning air saps approximately 8% of overall power around the lap. Plenty of overtaking opportunities, combined with the area’s unpredictable weather conditions, will only enhance what is always an entertaining spectacle in Brazil. Mark Webber: |
KEY RACE DATA Race distance/laps 4.309kms 71 laps = 305.909kms Local race start time Local: 14.00, GMT: 17.00 2005 fastest lap K Raikkonen, McLaren: 1:12.268 2005 pole sitter F Alonso, Renault F1: 1:11.988 2005 race winner J P Montoya, McLaren 2005 winning tyre Michelin Pit-stop schedule 1 stop: Laps 39 - 43 2 stops: Laps 24 – 28, 44 - 47 3 stops: Laps 14 – 19, 35 – 39, 52 - 58 WILLIAMS IN JAPAN Races Wins Poles Fastest 2004 2005 |
"It’s
clear it’s been a long and tough season for everyone at Williams but,
with one event remaining, we’ll be doing our utmost to extract the best
possible result from the package we have. Interlagos will mark my last
race for the team and, of course, it would be nice to sign off with a
strong result for the boys. All the focus, however, will be on the main
fight for the Championship. It was fantastic to see Fernando win at
Suzuka but, knowing Michael and Ferrari, they will continue to push
until the end. As with the last two events in China and Japan, weather
could still play a role in sealing the Championship as the Brazilian
Grand Prix is often wet on at least one of the days.
"Brazil seems to be a great place. I was in Rio for the week prior to
the race in order to get used to the time difference from China and
Japan, and it is an awesome city. I learnt to surf there, which was
really good fun. The Interlagos track is again completely new for me so
I'm going to need to learn it fast. I will probably be at the track on
Wednesday to have a close look at it with our engineers.
Performance-wise, it’s important that we build on the progress that we
made in Japan and I hope that the Bridgestone tyres are as strong in
Brazil as they were in Suzuka."
"SInterlagos
is a great race track with plenty of overtaking opportunities, mainly
created by the two straights and the variable gradients. Dominated by
slow to medium corners and straight lines, it is important to have a
good car balance in the corners that precede the straights. The long
pitlane and low fuel penalty both have a first order affect on strategy
decision and indeed what tyre compound level we will use. We worked with
Bridgestone at last week’s Jerez test to select two tyres that will
cover the varying track temperatures that we can experience in Brazil.
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