Britain: Don’t forget about the weather!

By Nick Sparkes
June 6 2006

Silverstone is at the heart of British Motorsport, hosting the British Grand Prix for over 20 years. Drivers Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli have vast experience of the Silverstone circuit, which in as many years has put the pressure on the tyre manufactures with its unpredictable weather!

Ralf Schumacher hasn’t experienced much success at the Silverstone circuit, but has gathered enough experience to notice the constantly changing weather. "You can't really talk about the British Grand Prix without mentioning the weather. Indeed, the fact that we are racing at Silverstone in June - a month earlier than its traditional July date - means that it is an important factor in our preparations.” If the weather does turn nasty, the team will need to be prepared for a change of set-up, which as Ralf explains, isn’t as simple as adding more wing. “The team will spend more time than usual looking at wet strategy. We also have to leave our options open for set-up as the weekend progresses because there is always a chance of a shower. But even in the dry the wind can be a factor because the surrounding area is so flat.”

The TF106B heads into its second race, and Ralf Schumacher is looking forward to putting it up against the competition. “It was difficult to assess the TF106B around the twisty Monaco circuit. But we should have a clearer picture at Silverstone and I'm sure we will have better results."

Jarno Trulli knows Silverstone extremely well, although admits that even with his vast amount of experience, finding a set-up is as difficult as ever. "Silverstone is a long and demanding circuit from both a driving and an engineering perspective. Finding a set-up for the entire lap is a challenge because the track has every type of corner. You need traction out of the slow corners and efficient aero through the faster corners. Becketts is the most fun part of the circuit but a driver needs to be committed everywhere to get the most out of the lap time. So a well balanced car is crucial to respond to the range of features on the track and to let the driver push to the limit.”

After what has been a clearly frustrating 2006 season for Jarno, who has failed to score a single point, he hopes that Silverstone and the TF106B will bring him the joy and success he and the team deserves. “Monaco was not the right place to judge the TF106B but the car behaved well in the race. It has also showed promise during testing so I'm confident the car is a step forward but we can't yet say how much. We'll head to Silverstone hoping for a stronger weekend. After my difficult run this year I'm ready for a change of luck!"