28/08/2011
After a strong qualifying session in difficult wet conditions, Spa Francorchamps dawns dry ahead of this afternoon’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Lotus Renault GP Technical Director, James Allison, reflects over yesterday’s qualifying session and the task at hand today.
How good was qualifying for the team?
I’m delighted to have both our drivers in the top ten and I’m especially delighted with Bruno’s debut qualifying for us in what were really difficult conditions.
When the lap times are changing that fast and you are not completely sure what level of grip you’re going to get at any given corner, then those are obviously very hard conditions, especially when you’ve not had time to use the car before the weekend, and when you’re at one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar, so that was a pretty tough introduction for Bruno.
For the first time this year, our relative competitiveness in the wet has been solid and this shows that all the effort we have been putting in at the factory is paying off.
What are the challenges of today’s race?
It will be a stern challenge for both of our drivers. Vitaly will be compromised by having lost a set of tyres which were flat spotted in Q3 and Bruno will have the pressure of competing with guys who already 11 races into the year.
Both our drivers are likely to be under pressure from behind as Alonso and Button attempt to recover from their poor showing in qualifying. Without any dry sessions so far it is difficult to judge where we stand on pace relative to the opposition, but we should have a better idea very soon – if the weather remains dry.
Credit: Lotus Renault GP (www.lotusrenaultgp.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment