2012 Malaysian GP Preview

8/2/2019 2012 Malaysian GP Preview

1/11

MALAYSIAN GPPREVIEW

@lotus_f1team

SEPANG, 23R D 25T H MARCH 2012

lotusf1team.com


2/11

2 Ic Ic Baby

Kimi Rikknen Q&A

4 Dt Lk Back i A

Romain Grosjean Q&A

6 Faily Val

Eric Boullier Q&A

8 Kp t Call Ci

James Allison Q&A

10 Tc Talk

Mastering Malaysia

An engineers guide to Sepang

12 Pat Ppctiv

Lotus the lowdown

14 Iid Li

Facts, figures, and all the latest

from Enstone

16 Aiat Al

Cirebox on the Australian

Grand Prix

F I A F o r m u L A 1 w o r L D C h A m P I o n s h I P

AusTrALIA meLBourne 16 - 18 mArCh

mALAYsIA KuALA LumPur 23 - 25 mArCh

ChInA shAnghAI 13 - 15 APrIL

BAhrAIn sAKhIr 20 - 22 APrIL

sPAIn BArCeLonA 11 - 13 mAY

monACo monTe CArLo 24 - 27 mAY

CAnADA monTreAL 08 - 10 June

euroPe VALenCIA 22 - 24 June

greAT BrITAIn sILVersTone 06 - 08 JuLY

germAnY hoCKenheIm 20 - 22 JuLY

hungArY BuDAPesT 27 - 29 JuLY

BeLgIum sPA 31 AugusT - 02 sePTemBer

ITALY monzA 07 - 09 sePTemBer

sIngAPore sIngAPore 21 - 23 sePTemBer

JAPAn suzuKA 05 - 07 oCToBer

KoreA YeongAm 12 - 14 oCToBer

InDIA new DeLhI 26 - 28 oCToBer

ABu DhABI YAs mArInA 02 - 04 noVemBer

unITeD sTATes AusTIn 16 - 18 noVemBer

BrAzIL sAo PAuLo 23 - 25 noVemBer

2 0 1 2 C A L e n D A r

C

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n

T

e

n

T

s


3/11

3

h did it fl ci back t

Fla 1 aft t ya aay?Did y fid it ay tti it t

v it a ca, ty

ad t Drs?

To be honest it didnt feel any

different to when I last raced. There

have been a few rule changes but

the racing itself is very similar. TheDRS is easier to use in the race than

in practice or qualifying because

there are only certain places you

can activate it, whereas in the other

sessions people will try to push thelimits of how early they can use it

which can easily lead to a mistake if

you are too aggressive.

giv y pfac ad

rai aad t qalify i

Atalia, c pttial d

y fl t e20 a?

The car feels very good. In the raceI was stuck in traffic a lot so it didnt

show so much, and who knows whatmight have happened if we had a

better grid a slot. There is a lot of

speed in the car.

Y ca t adi ti

abt t bl fla

I was just wondering what was goingon as they kept showing it to me! I

assumed it was for the car behind

that Id just overtaken but it seemed

to go on for a few laps so I wanted

to know why they were still wavingat me!

wit d 1 d ad dtd,

at a y tt vi t malayia?

Im happy to get the first race out of

the way. Well be trying to improve

our performance in Malaysia forsure. We dont know how the car

will behave there but its been good

everywhere so far so hopefully

itll be the same there. Itll be hot

and humid which is a challengebut we have a good car. As long as

qualifying goes well we could be

fighting for podiums. Well have to

wait and see.

spa a a cicit i qit difft

f Albt Pak a a tack?

You still need a good car and that

looks to be what we have. Hopefullywell have a smoother weekend than

we did in Australia with no mistakes.

We wont know how the car will

perform until we get out on track, but

its been good everywhere else so far.Hopefully itll be the same in Malaysia.

wat a y ai i f

spa a a cicit?

Malaysia has been good and bad for

me in the past; Ive had a few bad

races there but Ive also won three

times at the circuit including my

first Grand Prix victory so its niceto go back to where it all began.

Its hot and humid which makes it a

challenge for the drivers, but its the

same for everyone.

wit t l tait fi

pat f t cicit layt, i tia tack ic ill ld itlf t

vtaki it t Drs ad Kers

yt?

I havent used the DRS here before

so Im not sure how much use it will

be, but our car is good in a straightline so hopefully it can help us out in

the race. Well have to wait and see.

D y fl lik y tti t

t t f t e20 at ti ta?

Theres much more to come. Were

learning about the car all the time

and the last race didnt really give us

the chance to use its full potential.Hopefully Malaysia will be a bit more

straightforward.

Qalifyi i itt piti at qit t pla i Atalia, bt a

ti div t t fild t vt d tat t Ica i back.

wat ill spa ld?

2

KIm

I

rAIKKonen

Q

&

A

F t fit ac i

Atalia at t av a

d kd itt ay

aj i itak.

I dt k

i t b t id

bdy k.

Kii rikk Race Driver, No. 9

IT DoesnT FeeL LIKeIVe Been AwAY


4/11

5

tly, lt talk abt qalifyi

Atalia tat a qit lt

was like a dream come true. I only

lly discovered the Albert Park in dry in the morning as wed had

n on practice day and Id never

ven the track before. When I heard

qualifying position on the radio, It could not believe it!

at appd f y i t ac

idt qit t pla

begin with the start wasnt veryod. Then Pastor (Maldonado) hit

car on lap three and that was it,

race was over. From what I saw

braked far too late, and cameoss to hit my right front wheel

ch broke the steering.

t ayti difft y

ld av d?

ade sure to be careful through

opening laps but I cant control other drivers and there was no

y I could have avoided it. From

at I saw he braked far too late.nt move all the way into the

vel just to give someone space;

not driving a 4x4! When youre

rtaking someone you have tove at least enough space for that

to remain on the track and this

s not the case here.

T d i tat t ca lk

d i t f pfac. Dti iv y cfidc i t

malayia?

The car is performing very well.I was keeping pace with the guys in

front of me and was pushing to get

past so with a bit more luck I think

we could have achieved a greatresult. Im disappointed for the team

because they deserved better having

worked so hard to give us a strong

car.

A t ay pcific ipvt

dvlpt y at f t

e20?

To be honest the car was workingvery well over the weekend in

Australia. There are always small

improvements you can make but

theres nothing major I could point

to right now which is always a goodthing! I have a strong relationship

with the team after winter testing;weve built up a good level of

understanding and I know if there

are areas where we can find time Ican trust the guys to find them. Its

a great feeling having a team behind

you who all work for each other and

are fighting in the same direction,during the good times and bad.

Back t back ac alay pt a

xta tai t ta, pcially adi t a cliat lik tat

f malayia. h d y pla t

cv ad ppa f t xt

ac?

There are a few things that help

in these situations. Firstly, its

important to continue your training

regime as normal, no matter how

much you may want to just sleep!Then the key is to adjust your body

to the time difference and climate,

particularly the latter in Malaysia

where the heat and humidity make itone of the most difficult races of the

year physically.

ulik mlb lat kd, t

Kala Lp v i y a

failia it alady. wat d y

tik f t cicit?

Sepang is probably my favourite

track. I raced there in 2008 as part

of the GP2 Asia Series and I reallyloved the circuit. Its nice and wide,

with fast flowing corners and a lot of

undulation which makes it great fun

to drive. The last corner is a trickyone, but I enjoy everything about

racing here. Well, maybe not the

heat and humidity, but at the end

of the day it makes it just another

challenge for the drivers! Im reallylooking forward to it. I believe we

can achieve some positive results

this season, hopefully starting in

Malaysia.

4

r

o

m

AIn

g

r

o

s

Je

A

n

Q

&

A

rai gja Race Driver, No. 10I acd t i 2008 a pat

f t gP2 Aia si ad

I ally lvd t cicit.

It ic ad id, it fat

fli c ad a lt f

dlati ic ak it

at f t div

sePAng Is ProBABLYmY FAVourITe TrACK

talia ay t av ad t da di rai ad pd f, bt It

k a lt ta bad lck t kck t Fca t f i tid.


5/11

7

eic, if y ad t -p t

Atalia gP i d, at

ld it b?

Pride, I think.

wy?

Well, we are coming back from a

tough 2011 season. From a humanand a technical point of view, last

year was very, very tough. We took

some risks with an innovative conceptthat didnt pay off, and we paid the

price for that. However, when we

approached the subject of 2012 this

experience did not prevent us frombeing brave once again. The team

proved that they were not scared

to think outside the box once again.

This is exactly what I was expecting.

I guess this is in the DNA of Enstone.As a Team Principal, I can only be

impressed with this approach.

w y xpcti t e20 t

pf ll i mlb?

Before qualifying nobody really knew

what to expect. Possibly to a greater

extent than in previous years, there

was very little reliable information tobe learned from winter testing. We

knew our car was quite quick, but as forthe others we had absolutely no clue.

Saturday was a relief: you dont reach

the second row of the grid by chance.

wat abt spa, t?

It will be a totally different track

from Albert Park of course. This

said, we think that the E20 should becompetitive there. One of its bigger

assets is very low tyre degradation.

Considering the very hot conditions in

Malysia, this can only be a help. Wethink we can be competitive there.

rai ad Kii t b a vy

cptitiv li-p

Yes, and that was our target for thisyear. The two of them get on well

and they push each other. This is

an ideal situation for us. We knew

it from the beginning. Romain was

really unlucky in Australia as hecould have fought for the top places

there. Unfortunately, hes been

taken out of the race by another

driver. This is part of the game I

guess, but it was really frustrating.Such manoeuvres from opponents

are unnecessary in the first few laps

of a race. This driver did not see the

finish line either, so I guess there issome justice in that Kimi managed

to gain 11 places over the course of

the race, which shows how motivated

he is.

T 2012 capiip ill

b dcidd dvlpt,

pably. will t ta b abl

t cp it it?

Development means resourceand investment. With Genii Capital

behind us, we know that well benefit

from a strong a reliable asset. They

will do whatever it takes to help usdesign and produce the parts we

need to be more competitive. Genii

did not get involved in Formula 1 to

finish second.

h ca t ta fit aait

mcd, Fai rd Bll?

Y bdt d t av ayti

i c it t ta

Youre right, but our philosophy isthat money does not buy wins and

championships. For us, Formula 1

is all about being clever and cost

efficient. The E20 is the first Enstonecar designed with our 60% scale

wind tunnel and upgraded CFD

facility. In a few weeks, our brand

new simulator will be operational.

People in Enstone have the righttools to push forward and were

investing where we have to. Thatsaid, people should not think of us

as a second class team. With Lotus,

Total, Rexona, Clear and MicrosoftDynamics on board, were clearly

among the most attractive outfits

around.

Y av b t ly ta ti

ya t ac a ccial dal

it ldid p

Exactly. This means that our

approach seduces the biggestcompanies in the world. When

partners sign with Lotus F1 Team,

they dont enter into a commercial

relationship: they become part of

a very special family. The humanaspect of Formula 1 is usually

neglected, but we make it the

number one priority on our list. Our

communications and marketingphilosophy is unique within the

sport. We are honest, open,approachable, and sometimes a bit

cheeky as well. We love our fans,

and we never lie to the media. Thisis unusual in the paddock and this is

what makes Lotus F1 Team a very

unique organisation. This will pay off

eventually. The good guys always win

in the end.

The e20 shouLD BeComPeTITIVe In mALAYsIA

T et faily i iq i it a appac t Fla 1; a taty

Ta Picipal eic Blli bliv ill div t ta fad.

6

erICBouLLIerQ

&

A

T ta pvd tat ty

t cad t tik

tid t bx c aai.

Ti i xactly at I a

xpcti. I ti i i

t DnA f et.

eic Blli Team Principal & Managing Director


6/11

98

JA

me

s

A

LL

Is

o

n

Q

&

A

T e20 a lkd fat at

J, at Bacla, ad

at Albt Pak t.

a Alli Technical Director

at a y tak t fit ac

2012 a?

olitary seventh place from thee doesnt tell the full story.

erall we can be proud of the

y that the car, the team and ourvers have performed. The E20 has

ked fast at Jerez, at Barcelona,

d now at Albert Park too. Romain

a terrific job to qualify in thirdsition. He was unfortunate with

start and more unfortunate still

have suffered an impact with

other driver causing his untimely

parture from the race. We tookme satisfaction from Kimis solid

ve which converted his rather

wly grid position into a handful of

nts.

c did la f t

kd i Albt Pak a it at

taitfad kd d t a

t Fiday liiti i?

felt from winter testing that we

re in a reasonable position. Went think we had the quickest car,

we had a good feeling. We could

o see that it was close between all teams. The wet running on Friday

here we instructed our drivers

to run rather than expose the

to unnecessary risk] meant thathad to wait until Saturday to find

the true pecking order. It was

h satisfying and relieving in equal

asure to see the car perform at

upper end of our pre-seasonimates.

h difft i t call i

malayia?

Although slightly unusual, AlbertPark is actually not a bad weather

vane for the season. Its range of

corner speeds and traction demands

means that cars which are quick inMelbourne tend to do OK over the

remainder of the season. The next

race will be much hotter, which

poses different challenges for the

cars, the tyres and the drivers, butwe are confident that our Melbourne

form, coupled with our reasonable

pace in Jerez and Barcelona, will

translate into a competitive showingin Malaysia.

Ay ca t t ca f t

cd d?

We dont have any big upgradesto the car. It is a tight turnaround

with a back to back race and we

will be concentrating on finding a

good setup with the package we

have to make sure that we areusing the tyres well. Sepang is quite

challenging in this regard, due the

high track temperatures that we can

expect.

h i p i fidi a

ti t-p xactly t Kii

liki?

We have a baseline steering set-upwhich Kimi is able to live with. It

is not ideal for him, and it is our

duty to ensure that we give him a

system that meets his demands

perfectly. We brought a new optionto Melbourne for him to try but the

wet weather meant that we werenot able to judge whether it was a

step forwards. We reverted to the

old faithful out of an abundance ofcaution. We will keep persisting until

we produce a set-up which is exactly

to his requirements.

wat aa pcifically abt t

ti a t ta fci ?

Each driver is different in what he

wants from his steering setup. All

of the drivers have a hydraulicallyassisted powered steering unit in

the steering rack as the loads on

the wheel would be intolerable

otherwise. The engineers adjust

the level of assistance that thisunit provides to suit the individual

requirements of the driver. Kimi

likes to drive with quite a light

steering wheel, but one which alsohas great precision. Our baseline

rack is precise, but it is not lightenough for Kimis driving style. Our

challenge is to produce a hydraulic

rack that is more powerful than thecurrent unit, but which sacrifices

none of its precision. We have not got

there yet, but we will do.

ALBerT PArK Is ACTuALLYnoT A BAD weATher VAneFor The seAson

e20 a pfd ll at t cicit i 2012. Ca t ta lck

pa ct?


7/11

310

TeChTALKS

E

P

A

N

G

1. reAr wIngDownforce levels are very similar to

the levels in Melbourne.

2. BrAKesThere are four pretty heavy braking

zones into turn one, in to turn four,

into turn 14, and then into turn 15. High

temperatures are not such a threat as

there are long straights between the

braking events to cool the brakes.

3. susPensIonSepang requires a good all round car.

There are high speed straights. There

are very high speed speed change of

direction in turns five and six. Thereare some reasonable traction events

with some very low speed tight double

hairpin at turn one and turn two. There

are no high kerbs so the car can be ran

with a lower ride height than otherwise

giving better overall downforce.

4. TYresPirellis soft and hard tyres, meaning

a greater gap between compounds

than in Albert Park (where soft and

medium were used). The track is

very demanding on the tyres due to

its aggressive surface, heavy braking

areas, long straights and wide variety

of speeds and corners.

5. FronT wIngThe threat of understeer is not as

prevalent as in Albert Park so we can

run with slightly less front wing.

6. engIneMalaysia sits to the upper end of the

power tracks with 60% of the lap spent

at full throttle, but the main challengeis preparing the engines cooling

systems to cope with the intense heat

and humidity. Ambient temperatures

can reach over 40C so engine cooling

becomes crucial. The RS27s cooling

system is refined at dynos back at Viry-

Chtillon, where climatic conditions

can be recreated including running with

100% humidity and 40C heat.

A n e n g I n e e r s V I e w : A L A n P e r m A n e

T tack fac i vy abaiv, paticlaly i cpai t Albt

Pak, ic i vy t.

hi pd tability i a tial qit f t ty i malayia

d t t cicit layt, ic ctai l tait ad qick

dicti ca.

Turns 1 + 2gd i tactability qid t t 1 ad 2, t cd f

ic lad t a i pd c ti a d xit i dd.

Turn 3st tability f t ty i qid t t i pd c

t aid div cfidc.

Turn 4havy baki .

Turns 5 + 6T i pd t qi tiff pi. T ca ca b l

ad tiff a t a i kb i spa ic i bficial f ti.

Turn 7Ti ilt baki a ti c ca pv pii f t ty.

Turn 15havy baki f a l tait it t fial c, ic i

flld by at l tait, a a d vtaki pptity,

ad a vaity f li a tak .

sTArT / FInIsh sTrAIghTT Kers i ffctiv f qalifyi i spa bca f t

t tat-fii li i a y t t bit f t cy it

t Kers a t t lap. havy baki at t d f t tat /

fii tait. T bak av cld al t tait ld t

vat. A d vtaki lcati.

s e P A n g C I r C u I T

151

2

3

4

5

6

7


8/11

12

en 007 drove his amphibious

te Esprit out of the sea and onto

orsican beach, Lotus instantlycame the coolest car company in

world. As a star-making moment,urpasses David Beckhams first

al for Manchester United, and Liz

rleys safety-pin dress.

he same time, rakish founder Colinapman was revolutionizing Formula

e with ideas hatched in fighter jet

ngers. This Englishman never played

he rules, instead he redefined them.the time Lotus rivals caught up,

d moved the bar again.

Simplify, then add lightness,was Chapmans philosophy, way

before minimalism became ahigh street term. Adding power

makes you faster on the straights,

subtracting weight makes you fastereverywhere.

Motorsport has always been

at the companys heart, and itremains omnipresent in dozens of

championships around the world

today from single-seaters to

sportscars to rallying under the

umbrella of Lotus Racing. Lotus iswritten on the chassis plaque, the

Enstone team has a proven pedigree,

and the evocative black-and-gold

paint job has made a welcomereturn. Its a promising recipe, and

the F1 connection continues acrossLotus motorsport portfolio with all

the companys official race teams

mirroring the famous F1 livery.

The return to Formula One is inline with the companys ambitious

plans for growth and restoring the

brand to the top of the food chain.

Eighteen months ago, Lotus shockedthe world by unveiling five stunning

new models and a blueprint for

ld c a pi tat Ja Da ad stv mcQ

Lt fa; t ca a a i f ti ital caia.

y a av, bt it a blli tak adid it t,

d ti ak t tad t f t cd. h f bt fact

d ficti f mai Adtti t Ja Bd av td

i ival f t cckpit f a pity-d Lt.

The LoTus LowDown

13

Ivati: Lotusintroduced the monocoquechassis, aerofoil wings,and ground effect whichabsolutely revolutionizedFormula One in the 1960sand 70s. The companyeven invented F1 corporatesponsorship.styl: In Pretty Woman,Julia Roberts first fell forthe Lotus Esprit, not themillionaire at the wheel.Litit: Theleast number of partseffectively employed, wasChapmans mantra. Justadd lightness.But above all, the spiritof every Lotus product is

living fast and loving life.

TheDnAoFCoLInChAPm

An

Lt The Lowdown

Lai f t ac

tack ad adapti t t

ad a alay b t

Lt ay

taking on the likes of Ferrari, Aston

Martin and Porsche. Formula One is

the most significant component ofits marketing drive, a platform that

recalls the companys rich sportingheritage and broadcasts its exciting

new era.

Learning from the race track and

adapting to the road has alwaysbeen the Lotus way. These days,

their expertise in lightweight

architectures has enabled Lotus

to be a leader in green vehicletechnology. This is critical for the

times we live in. But Lotus raison

detre remains performance and

driving pleasure.

Lotuses boast cat-like responses

and the power-to-weight ratio ofBruce Lee. Todays Elise, Exige and

Evora carry on these traditions with

verve, creating new legends behind

the wheel. The cars are telepathic

to a drivers touch. To paraphraseJulia Roberts in Pretty Woman, they

corner like theyre on rails.

This uncompromising quest forexcellence, no shortage of sporting

laurels, and a visionary attention

to aesthetic style has made Lotus

one of the most inspirational

British brands, and among the verystrongest in the automotive industry.

It stands for i nnovation, passion,

individuality, and gritty determination

and the Lotus F1 Team is a keychannel for communicating these

core values.

GTE Evora 7

Exige S Roadster


9/11

TheDrIVersA-z

ourhIsTorY:

mALAYsIAngP

Capi: Kii ad i F1

dbt tti a sab i 2000

at Italy mll cicit. T

ly t div tack,

mical scac, a

t cctly dcla

i a ft capi.

Dala: o 31 Jly 2004

Kii matia rikk

aid Ji Dala, a

Fii dl ad f

mi scadiavia.

Cafta: rai

adfat i t

id a a vy ll k

i cafta (eda Badt)

ctctd t ik

t k ldi av

d t Ac d Tip.

Dal natiality: rai a

b i gva t a si

fat ad a Fc t

Apil 17, 1986.

Lt F1 Ta td

t iaal malayia

gad Pix i 1999 d

t Btt a, it

Atia Alxad w

ad Italia giacal

Fiiclla at t l

I it vai i t

ta a tak 2 i i

malayia, it Fad

Al (ralt, 2005)

ad giacal Fiiclla

(ralt, 2006)

T ta a al acivd 10malayia gad Pix pdi,

t fit i 2003 (Fad

Al, ralt) ad t t

ct i 2011 (nick hidfld,

Lt ralt gP)

T spa cicit i

Kii k ll, avi

tic i 2003 ad 2008.

rai al a a t

cd at t Kala Lp

v, avi fiid 2d

i t 2008 gP2 Aia si

fat ac .

micft ad Lt F1 Ta:A Dyaic PatipMidway through last week, Lotus F1 Team announced a three-year

partnership with Microsoft. Microsoft Dynamics branding now features

prominently on the cars and also on the drivers overalls.

As part of the partnership, Microsoft Dynamics solutions, which

are designed to enable organizations to be more agile and globally

competitive in todays business environment, will be implemented at the

teams Enstone base to facilitate the teams business transformation.

For the duration of the agreement, Microsoft personnel will work directly

with Lotus F1 Team to continuously transform and optimize operations

towards a world class facility.

rikk rvapdKimis new website www.kimiraikkonen.com is now up and running,

with a host of material to keep even the most die-hard fan entertained.

Key features include news updates, driver profile, results summary,

image gallery, multimedia area, fans forum and partners section.

LATesTnew

sE

N

S

T

O

N

E

hadba adgladaT aly aticipatd

2012 Lt F1 Ta

cadi a i

availabl via ly

-dvlpd li t.

A lcti f baddd i ff, ai

f it t ad la.

T vi t fll a viit:

.ltiial.c/

/caty/lt-f1-ta/

Ic Cld ad AyFii dia cpay

rvi ettait a

acd a cadii

patip it Kii

rikk f it latt

a: Ay Bid spac.

T t ill b cllabati

c-badd Ay Bid

spac clti, it Kii

al pti a Ay

Bid di i ta

cap di t Fla

o a.

Ay Bid spac aiv

ios, Adid, PC, ad

mac mac 22.

I n n u m B e r s

s e P A n g

3.4 Highest g-force experienced for 2.8 seconds at T5

10 Longest full throttle burst (sec) at start/finish straight

17 % of the lap spent braking

43 Total straight per lap (%)

57 Number of gear changes per lap

65 % of lap on full throttle

75 Lowest apex speed (kmh) at T9

247 Highest apex speed (kmh) at T13

315 Top speed (kmh)

500 Distance in metres from start line to first corner

14 15

Iid Li


10/11

Cibx

16

Lotus F1 TeamWhiteways Technical Centre

EnstoneOxfordshire OX7 4EE, UK

Tlp +44 (0) 1608 678 000

Faciil +44 (0) 1608 678 609eail [email protected]

stpa saHead of Team Marketing and Communications

[email protected]

Clai hffaSenior Press Officer+44 (0) 7747 468 273

[email protected]

Ady stbatPress Officer

+44 (0) 7703 366 [email protected]

B ClyPress Officer / Social Media Coordinator

+44 (0) 7795 121 [email protected]

nicla FaDigital Media Manager

[email protected]

wbitlotusf1team.com

Titt@lotus_f1team

m e D I A C o n T A C T s


11/11

2012 Malaysian GP Preview

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