Is it really possible to properly test-drive a Formula 1 car in a simulator? What happens when a non-professional driver gets behind the wheel of this incredible car? Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo finds out for us
The lights switched off and in the centre of the huge area – a sort of cube the size of a three storey building – the only thing still illuminated is the futuristic-looking capsule. Light filters through from a large semi-circular screen where a section of Spain’s Montmelò track appears. In front of it is the monocoque of the F10 with an unexpected driver at the wheel: Luca di Montezemolo, the Chairman of Ferrari and a great enthusiast of racing. At his side, like the proverbial guardian angel, is Marc Gené, the expert test driver of these highly sophisticated machines, called simulators. When Montezemolo asks for the engine to be started, the noise that envelops the room is just like the sound who drive the car in the simulator even wear a helmet and earplugs, just as in a race. This is because these extraordinary machines – the Ferrari version is a unique and original model, and probably the most sophisticated in existence, prepared by a team of technicians led by the former racing engineer Gabriele Delli Colli – are not just for training and learning the racing circuits.
They are also used to test the aerodynamics and technical innovations made to the F1 car. With track testing currently prohibited by the motorsports’ governing body, the FIA, they are then transferred directly to the racetrack. Montezemolo has arrived on foot, accompanied by F1 Team Director Stefano Domenicali. He is torn between a curiosity to try the simulator and the temptation to decline. The bad news first: he has been asked to put on driver’s overalls and then take the medical test. There are two doctors present from Medex, the group that accompanies the team, and the Chairman at this point is worried about taking on something too difficult and dangerous. Gené intervenes, with the calmness of someone who knows what is going on. ‘The overalls are not needed and there are no risks,’ he says. ‘The doctors need to be here because not everyone reacts well to such a realistic simulation. But I am right beside you and there is a button to press if anything goes wrong.’ Montezemolo seems unconvinced, and it’s not hard to see why. It is like a scene from a Spielberg film: with the great simulator suspended in the centre of the room, it’s enough to make anyone feel uneasy. However, the Chairman is used to driving. The competitive spirit is in his blood and the idea of quitting passes him by. But he remains cautious. After a photo with the technicians and friendly words of encouragement from the doctors, he listens carefully to the description of the circuit and what sort of behaviour he should expect from the car. ‘The two main differences that you will find,’ says Gené, ‘are the pedals. The brake, which you will have to operate with the left foot, is very hard and seems to hardly move. It is necessary to use a lot of force when you need to press it. You will realise immediately how much more efficient it is than a road car, but this is also because F1 cars have an accentuated aerodynamic configuration to obtain the ground effect, so braking is the sum of the action of the brakes plus the resistance generated by the wings.’ The Chairman is listening and watches the course of the track, which is unfamiliar to him, thinking about how hard the braking from seventh gear to third can be at the end of the long straight. ‘The accelerator, however, has good movement and is easy to modulate,’ continues Gené. ‘Take care with this, however; use everything and watch the LEDs on the steering wheel to monitor what revs you have reached.’
When Montezemolo, Gené and Delli Colli climb down the iron staircase that leads to the base of the capsule, it is like watching the short journey that astronauts make to board their space shuttle. Having climbed up into the capsule, the budding driver is now standing alongside the racing car. First, he loses the jacket, then the tie disappears. He slides into the cockpit with agility; the part of the bodywork that envelops the driver is fixed around his shoulders and the steering wheel is fitted. ‘It is comfortable,’ he says. ‘You seem to be imprisoned, but the movements are all natural. The position of the feet also seems lower than I had imagined. This cockpit is truly ergonomic and it makes you feel completely at one with the car.’ Given that at this point it would be difficult to turn back, he starts to smile and ask questions. A good sign. Gené and Delli Colli have an answer for everything. ‘These are the gear-change paddles: to the right, up; to the left, down. On the top of the steering wheel you can see what gear is engaged. The central part of the circuit has corners taken in third gear. Then you need to use second gear in the chicane and fourth in the fast corner.’
Montezemolo is now in the right frame of mind. The smile on his face is replaced by concentration. Gené gives him a final bit of advice: ‘Look at the signs along the track – they are a fundamental reference for drivers. At the end of the straight, in seventh gear, you have to brake violently at 100 metres and then drop four gears. At this point you only use the throttle and the car is perfectly balanced and stable.’ Listening to him, it seems impossible.
The Chairman is increasingly at ease. He asks if it is difficult to set off. ‘No, get the engine revs up and accelerate. If you accelerate too little, you risk putting the engine into recovery mode and stopping. In which case, the blue LEDs will light up. Then, pull the levers above the gear-change paddle, which operate the clutch. Accelerate and then release them; you will see that it is not difficult.’
The lights go out. The only light is that coming from the windows of the operations centre where the project engineers follow the tests. After three seconds, the engine starts. Awesome. Montezemolo accelerates to hear how it reacts. ‘It is very responsive but also very progressive,’ he says. Then he starts. The revs are a bit low and he needs to operate the clutch. Suddenly he is signalled to go. After the first lap to build up confidence with the car and the situation, he charges down the straight at a good speed. ‘It is here on the straight that you find out about the acceleration of a Formula One car. You go up the gears so fast that you suddenly find yourself in seventh, flat out. The problem is that, at that speed, and with visibility that is completely different from that of a road car, you start to brake at 250 metres from the corner.’ Gené was expecting this and replies: ‘Don’t be afraid about braking late. Press the pedal hard at the 100-metre board and drop four gears. Then, once committed to the corner, you will see how it holds on.’ Montezemolo reacts to this advice and achieves perfect braking accompanied by a fast gear change. Then he is committed to corner one, which is followed by a fast ‘S’ bend and by a right-hander where you drive as if you are on the straight. ‘This is incredible,’ he says. ‘You can change gear under full acceleration, in the corner, without upsetting the car at all. I now understand what efficient aerodynamics means. It gives incredible stability in situations in which, at one time [and here certainly his thoughts go back to when he was a serious driver] driving was very delicate and difficult at much lower speeds.’ On the third lap, Montezemolo handles the straight perfectly: maximum speed, correct braking, perfect entry. More difficult is the mixed section, the slower one, because of the visibility. ‘I don’t know this track well enough to recognise the apexes and the driving position, with the high nose and the large wheels,’ says Montezemolo. ‘I would not have said the wheels would appear so big from the cockpit, and they make it difficult to make out the kerbs and the edges of the track. In the mixed section, this is misleading and you risk being inaccurate.’ Gené nods and agrees: ‘It is true, this Barcelona circuit has lots of ups and downs and this complicates the visibility a bit. It is a normal effect that you get over when you have learned the track well.’ The test continues, mile after mile, and Montezemolo grows in confidence. His expression is one of someone who can think of nothing else but driving: telephone calls, appointments and the board of directors are all forgotten. Then, suddenly he stops. ‘Fantastic, fantastic. I enjoyed it,’ he announces. He seems to be a different man from when he arrived. Knowing him, you might think he chose to stop so suddenly, so as not to let his enthusiasm go too far. As they say, everyone has his own trade. And Montezemolo’s trade is another one altogether.
As he leaves, having thanked everyone, he seems to have returned to his day-to-day role: the secretary, the phone calls, the helicopter that is waiting for him. But we can be sure about one thing: this experience will be important, both for him and for motoring. Too often, those who influence the regulations and the decisions do not have direct experience of what a modern racing car is. Today, Montezemolo learned many things in this intense test. He will not forget these things, and the day that he has to make a suggestion or influence the new regulatory choices, these laps on the circuit where the Spanish Grand Prix takes place will be useful. Useful in helping him make the right decision.
PUBLISHED IN HOME, PEOPLE BY ANTONIO GHINI ON 09.16.2010
Credit: Ferrari S.p.A. (www.ferrari.com)
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