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Mark Gillan, Chief
Operations Engineer:
On the back of a good result in Abu Dhabi the whole team is really
looking
forward to the last two races of the season. We will be pushing hard
right to the end with further updates in order to try to secure seventh
position in the constructors championship. As this is a new track, with
no historic database of information to call upon, it places even more
importance on one’s circuit simulation tools and simulator to ensure
that we’re fully prepared in terms of both car set-up and proposed run
programme. Pirelli bring their hard and medium tyres and as normal for
any new track one will need to be careful on analysing the track versus
the tyre evolution when making strategy predictions.
Bruno Senna:
I’m excited to go to Austin because I’m hearing lots of good things
about the track. It has both high speed and technical sections so it
will be tricky to learn for all the drivers and it’s always interesting
to see how drivers cope with a new layout and new corners they haven’t
driven before. The weather can be very varied in Texas as well, with
lots of wind and drops in temperature so that could be a factor. The car
has definitely come on a lot in the past few weeks so we take good
momentum into this race.
Pastor Maldonado:
After a good performance in the last race in Abu Dhabi I’m looking
forward to getting in the car
again and seeing what we can achieve in Austin. The team has worked very
hard to get the car back to the sort of pace that can consistently
challenge for points and that is what we will be looking for in this
race. The track is new so it will be challenging to get the right set
up, but that is the same for all the teams. It looks like a fun and
challenging track to drive from the work we have done in the simulator
and the American fans should bring a really good atmosphere as well.
Rémi Taffin, Head of
Renault Sport F1 Track Operations:
Austin looks like it will be a very interesting circuit. It has
replicated some of the most challenging corners we have visited,
including the Suzuka Esses and Turn 8 from Istanbul. There are also
several gradient changes over a lap, particularly in sector one, which
features a blind apex that will really push the drivers. Going to a new
track requires a lot of simulation on the dyno in advance, more than
double the amount of time we would spend for a ‘standard’ race, but we
may even spend longer than this, as with such variety of corners, we
expect that the RS27 will be given a full workout.
Paul Hembery, Pirelli
Motorsport Director:
For our first visit to the circuit of the Americas we are bringing the P
Zero Silver hard tyres and the P Zero White medium tyres. Based on the
track inspection we carried out recently, and the simulation data we
have generated, these compounds should be best suited to the unique
demands of the Circuit of the Americas. We’re anticipating quite a
high-speed circuit that will put plenty of energy through the tyres,
while getting good traction will also be another important
consideration. The weather at this time of year should be warm and dry
but rain is certainly not unheard of so we will have the Cinturato Green
intermediate tyre and Cinturato Blue full wet as well. Coming to a new
circuit certainly presents its challenges for us but last year nearly
every circuit was new to us, so it’s not something that we are worried
about at all.
Race Data
Friday:
Practice 1: 9:00 - 10:30
Practice 2: 13:00 - 14:30
Saturday:
Practice 3: 9:00 - 10:00
Qualifying: 12:00 – 13:00
Sunday: Race: 13:00
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